Unlike the typical red fox, Gray fox prefer to live in the thicker areas made up of woods and heavy brush.
With hooked claws, a gray fox has the ability to climb trees and will often hunt for food and seek shelter in a tree. They will also climb a tree to escape danger. They make their dens in rocky crevices, caves, trees, hollow logs and brush piles. A Gray will often widen the burrow of a smaller animal and use it to raise their young. Dens are only used during the mating season and when raising pups.
They also have a reputation for aggressively responding to a distress call. Without much sign of fear or caution, a gray fox will often rush in within those first few minutes of calling. Popular distress calls include cottontail rabbit distress sounds, mouse and vole squeaks and gray fox pup distress.
Small grassy fields surrounded by woods are some of the best places to hunt. You’ll want to sit a distance of 30 to 40 yards out from the tree line. Like all predator hunting and calling you’ll want to blend your silhouette into the surroundings by sitting against a tree, hillside or tucked into some tall brush.Although movement is usually what a fox will detect first, it’s a good idea to wear camouflage from head to toe paying more attention to your head and hands.
Gray fox have a very capable sense of smell and will turn and bolt at the slightest hint of human scent. Like hunting all predators, you will need to consider wind direction into your set up.
Producing a distress sound at a high volume usually results in a fast response from the fox. It doesn’t seem to matter if you blow the distress call in a sequence or continuously. Both techniques seem to work on a gray fox. If nothing responds in the first 10 minutes it usually means that no grays are present and it’s time to move to a new location.
Gray fox are not large animals and smaller caliber guns starting with a 22 mag or a 12 gage shotgun using #4 shells are popular choices. A turkey load using #4 shot will work. A 22 mag is a good choice out to about 100 yards. A shotgun is a very good choice out to approximately 30 yards.
Just like hunting coyotes, bobcats and all other predators, hunting the gray fox will challenge your hunting and calling skills while providing some adrenaline filled fast paced predator calling action.