Originally Posted by Nomercy448

Playing the wind is the only way to hunt, period. Fox and bobcat tend to travel more directly to the call sound than coyotes. Fox are wary, so they hug cover, but are more willing to come straight downwind than coyotes are. Fox will still blow your cover if they smell you, so don't give up the downwind advantage. Cats don't seem to hunt by scent as much, so they also are more prone to come in from upwind without fighting for an advantaged "sniffing position". Cats hang up at ANY edge, fence line, cut, blade of grass, whatever... They'll come in, then suddenly just sit down and go motionless, so you have to pay close attention to every stick and leaf and shadow to be sure you pick up if a camouflaged cat snuck in and sat down.

They - most likely - will come from the woods, but don't be surprised if they don't.



The shotguns are the only ones on the list that are proper for cats or fox, or even for coyotes. The 22 long rifle could work, but only at very short ranges, say under 50yrds. Since you're night hunting, the shotgun is the way to go anyway. The 7-08 and 30-06 will flat ruin the valuable hides of a fox or bobcat.



Play the wind, and watch your downwind side. Pay attention to detail so you'll notice if a cat comes in and sits down, or if a dog comes in and hangs up. If you have a partner, set them 50ish yards to your downwind as you call to guard the back door. Night hunting can be hugely productive, but nothing is a freebie - plus it has the drawback of extremely limited visibility range. Pay VERY close attention to where the animal is standing when you shoot, and where it goes after hit. These animals can cover a lot of ground very quickly, and can disappear behind a blade of grass when they die. Decoys can be helpful or harmful. Get in quick and quiet, and sit down, then let the set cool for a few minutes before you start calling - like you mentioned, the farther you walk into the woods, the more likely you are to get busted.



Ease into the call volume. If cats are on the menu, let it play continuously. For coyotes, less is more - play for about 30sec, then turn it off for a few minutes at a time.