In Australia Fox Calling falls into two different categories Day and Night. Both of these methods can be very rewarding with just a little effort and attention to detail.
Calling During The Day:
When calling during the day I have found camouflage to help but by no means 100% necessary in achieving good results. When choosing clothing try and choose something that will break up your outline like checks or stripes and try and stay clear of fully black clothing as this will make you stick out against a chosen backdrop. Also wearing a hat is helpful when the sun is shining because I generally try not to wear any kind of sun screen as the foxes can pick the smell up and make a hasty retreat.
When selecting a stand I choose somewhere that has a tree or bushes bordering on an open area and position myself with as much vision in the direction I'm expecting the fox to come from as possible. If there is a breeze I make sure I'm able to see the area down wind because I will be expecting any foxes that are coming into my position to try circling down wind once they get a closer to try and catch my scent so I want to be able to see them as soon as possible and get a shot away before they are able to get down wind and catch my scent. Recently I have remained standing up once I find the the area I want to call because I feel this gives me greater vision then if I'm on flat land and have found that when I have been out hunting with a partner who was sitting down he was unable to see some incoming foxes while I had a clear view of them on their approach. So as a result while alone and sitting down I wouldn't have had a chance to see some of these foxes until they were almost on top of me and I possibly wouldn't have been able to get a shot away on some at all. While calling I remain as still as possible constantly looking around for any foxes approaching. Once I have found the area and I have backed myself up close to a bush I start my calling sequence. Generally I will call for around 30 seconds or so then stop for a minute and call again each time tapering out near the end of the call. After calling for 4 or 5 times I wait for a longer period of about 5 minutes then start calling again this time only for 10-15 seconds or so then stop and continue looking around. I continue these shorter calls for another 4 or 5 calls then stop again for another 5 minutes. If nothing has come in within about 25 minutes then I move on to my next stand.
Once a fox is spotted I wait until it moves out of view behind a bush or is looking away then I reposition myself facing the fox for a more comfortable shot and if I have time take this opportunity to raise my rifle. Never under any circumstances do I move while the fox is looking at me otherwise it will generally stop in its approach and more then likely leave the area not allowing time for a shot. The only exception to this rule is when I haven't see the fox on its approach and I'm forced to take a snap shot at very close range once I realized a fox is there.
Once I have shot a fox I never go out and pick it up immediately but I start calling again this time with more emotion then before and try and coax any other foxes that are around that the sound of the gunshot has hurt something else and a free feed is on offer. I have found this method work really well in an area with a few rabbits because the foxes would probably have caught a rabbit or two in their life so they are familiar with the sounds of a rabbit in distress. If rabbits in the area are shot often then the foxes are also use to hearing gunshots and either finding dead/wounded rabbits or the internal organs of rabbits in the area afterwards meaning sometimes once a shot is fired they will throw caution to the wind and charge straight in after a gunshot looking for food so as a result if I shot a fox then went and picked it up any additional foxes coming in would see me before I could see them and leave even before I knew they were there.
Calling At Night:
Most of the fox shooting I do is done at night with the aid of a spotlight. My choice is a lightforce SL 240 blitz. This light is made of injection moulded plastic and used a halogen globe to produce a crisp bright light. As most of the spotlighting is done with people holding the light for extended periods it’s very important that the unit is very light to make it easier on the arm of the people who might be holding it for extended periods. This light is plugged into the cigarette lighter socket in the dashboard of the vehicle but you can also purchase a battery pack for the light so you can carry it without the vehicle to plug it into. There is also a dimmer available to make it possible to adjust the intensity of the beam if you’re hunting in areas where the quarry is light shy. The company who produce these lights also produces quite an extensive range of accessories including different color light filters and mounts to attach the light to your rifle, scope or shotgun. I choose not to use a red light filter while driving around, as I have never noticed a huge difference in reaction of the fox being hit with the white light. This also removes the problem of the light loosing its intensity when it’s anywhere near the headlights of the vehicle. When shooting from a fixed location then I might put the red light filter on if I have time and it’s handy.
Most of my predator hunting is done from the back of a 4x4 or utility. The driver drives around slowly with the person holding a spotlight and one or two shooters in the back. This is where it is also important that the driver has a good idea of the lay of the land, and the location of the areas that you are looking to drive around like creeks, timber areas, dams and rabbit warrens. These are the areas that I have found you are likely to find foxes and cats on a regular basis especially calling over rabbit warrens using a rabbit in distress call. I have no doubt that the local foxes knows exactly where the local warren is and when they hear a rabbit in distress quite often they will throw caution to the wind and charge straight in and stand on top of the warren and look around for the injured rabbit providing for a relatively easy shot. There is a good chance you will be able to find a fox or a cat just about anywhere but if you drive around in areas that are preferred by them your chances of seeing them are greatly increased.
Generally while driving around the whistle is blown pretty much constantly until the tell tale glowing eyes are spotted. Once spotted the 4x4 is stopped and turned off leaving only the spotlight working. The whistle is blown to try and coax the fox or cat in a little closer for an easier shot. If the fox is coming in hard and doesn’t look like stopping the person who has a lower power gun usually being either a .22 hornet .222, .223 or shotgun will make the fox or cat stop running by either whistling or yelling in a spot that is good for them to take the shot. If the fox or cat holds up a little further or doesn’t display any body language like it might come in then this is where the second person with a slightly larger calibre like a .22-250 or .243 is an advantage as they will take the shot as their gun is be more suited to the increased distance.
While shooting at night extra care is taken to make sure that no houses, buildings, farm machinery or any of the farmers stock is in danger in any way. If unsure about the safety of any of the above or simply the backdrop and continued flight of the projectile the shot isn't taken. I would prefer to see 20 foxes run away rather then take a shot and cause any damage or injury to anyone or anything.
Another variation of this method I have started using quite a bit is to pick a likely location much like you would during the day and pull up and turn off the vehicle. Once everything has settled I start my calling sequence running the light over the surrounding area looking for any foxes coming in. It is very important that when calling like this that you wait virtually as long as during the day. On many occasions I have shot foxes 10-15 minutes after pulling up at a spot. Foxes will come a long way for a free rabbit meal unfortunately on occasions they take a little longer to come in so a little patience pays off when it comes to waiting for them.
To listen to a sound sample of the calls click on the hyperlink under each picture.
By far the most common call for foxes in Australia is the Button Whistle pictured above. This call isn't very loud but what it lacks in volume I believe it makes up for in making a next to perfect rabbit in distress sound. This call is very cheap and I'm sure that nearly everyone who goes out after foxes in Australia weather by using a spotlight at night and calling them in once spotted or going out especially in search of foxes they probably have one of these whistles in their pocket. Would you like to get your hands on one of these whistles. Send me an email and we can try to work something out.
RG Custom Calls Richard from RG Custom Calls sent me this call in November of 2002. It once again makes the sound of a rabbit in distress though a little more raspier then the current calls I have. In late November I took this call away with me and was very impressed with the enthusiasm in which the foxes have shown for it so far. February 2003, Once again I have had a chance to use this call. A friend and I went out calling at Tailem Bend about an hours drive out of Adelaide. We arrived at the property about 2 in the afternoon on a 27ºC day and called in 5 foxes but only managing to shoot 3.
To use this call you simply bite down on the plastic pieces on the end. The harder you bite the more high pitched the sound becomes and the softer the more raspy the sound. Recently on a trip to the mid north of South Australia a fox was spotted way out on a hill and neither the button whistle, crit-r-call or the RG Custom call were working I pulled this call out gave a few shot blows and the fox came charging in to within about 20 metres of us. With this you can also roll your tongue while blowing and get a really weird sound time I'm sure would get the foxes and cats coming.
Crit'R-Call Once again this is a bite type call you can get some really nice high pitched sounds from this but I found that if you stop blowing hard through this call there is no follow through and the sound simply stops. This call was sent to me from the US and has been a wonderful addition to my collection.... This call is used regularly while out calling foxes and has worked wonderfully well so far.
