Species Specific: Fox, Bobcats, or Coyotes
03-27-2013, 03:09 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
Species Specific: Fox, Bobcats, or Coyotes
I’ll take a crack at this one:
I won't spend time here talking about how to hunt coyotes, since there's already a lot of info posted about that, but instead add my thoughts for how I think Fox and Bobcats behave differently than coyotes.
Admittedly, I may not be the best person to answer this, because in Kansas, coyotes drastically outnumber fox or cats, and resultantly, I generally err on the side of caution and design my fox or cat sets like a coyote set in case a coyote shows up. A coyote set can bring in any of the 3, whereas a bobcat hunter that didn’t account for the wind might miss opportunities on unexpected coyotes that circle to the call.
In my experience, both fox and cats are less motivated to come to a call, but both are actually easier to bring into the gun once they’re hooked. I only target fox or bobcats when scouting has shown a lot of sign, or when I have actually seen them in the area, again, the only real difference being the sound choices I make.
Firing for Fox
Fox won’t usually circle downwind like a coyote would, but they still own a canine nose, so hunters still have to account for the wind. Fox are more apt to come straight downwind to a call, which can simplify your set design, but again, I don’t usually hunt that way in case a coyote shows up instead, I’d rather bag the coyote than nothing. Sometimes almost seems like fox are more worried about keeping an eye out for coyotes or hawks while they come into a call than they are about keeping an eye on the call itself, which might be part of why they’re harder to get hooked.
Terrain/Scouting:
Fox in my part of the country favor wooded areas, especially in suburban edges. Wooded areas near small-town grain elevators or farms with grain-piles or bunkers are often productive for me. Fox aren’t nearly as nomadic as coyotes, so even fairly old sign is usually a good indicator that they’ll still be in the area. Since they don’t move around as much, they’re also easier to wipe out, so you can hunt yourself out of a future season easier than coyotes. However, that may be a factor of the limited/isolated populations of fox that I’m used to hunting in Kansas. Scat will obviously be smaller than coyotes, and usually include more insects (grasshopper legs, beetle shells, etc). Den entrances will be much smaller, but similarly proportioned to coyotes, taller than they are wide. Tracks are obvious, very small canine, easily distinguished from coyote pups by their slender form, and pup tracks won’t usually have claw imprints.
Sounds/Decoys:
Fox are most responsive to higher pitched, less ‘aggressive’, lower volume call sounds. I focus on rodent squeaks, bird distress, baby cottontail distress, etc. Fox vocals, like screamin’ grey or fox pup distress are good sounds also (not the same as coyote pup distress). My decoy experience with fox has been mixed, but it seems like a decoy will tug at their playful nature as much or more than their predatory instincts. Any coyote vocals will send a fox packing.
Bringing in Bobcats
Much like house-cats, bobcats are peculiar, really easily distracted, and altogether kind of stupid. Some days it seems like a cat will be coming in, but then hang up because a blade of grass looked at them the wrong way. Cats don’t have the sense of smell that canines have, or if they do, they don’t use it. Pay attention to edges and boundaries, cats will come in PAINFULLY SLOW, and will often stop and sit down to just watch the grass grow. Keep your eyes peeled. Cats hunt with their eyes and ears, so they will pick up a hunter’s movement easily. I also will dedicate a bit extra time to spots I know have cats nearby, maybe 45min to an hour rather than a normal 20-30min coyote set, to give them time to come in, and give myself time to spot them.
Terrain/Scouting:
Woodpiles and thicker timber are my dead giveaways for cat calling. Bobcats tend to be more reclusive, so I don’t see them as much at the edges of towns, but farms with grain-piles or bunkers with woods nearby are good cat areas. Field bins in Nebraska with wooded areas nearby have treated me well also.
Sounds/Decoys:
Bobcats favor smaller prey species sounds also. Cats CAN target big game like deer, but it’s few and far between, usually when the deer is sleeping (hence not making a distress sound), and takes a big kitty. Bird distress, vole squeaks, rodent distress, woodpecker distress, etc are my go-to sounds for cats. If decoys are made for one thing, it’s cats. I can’t say I’ve had cat vocals be productive, but I also don’t hardly ever use them unless a cat is in sight and hunt up, but I’m sure somebody has brought one in with it. Maybe it’s more productive during breeding season? I have never seen a cat respond negatively to a decoy. However, I HAVE noticed that if I use a decoy and hand calls, cats are more apt to sit down and just watch, rather than approaching. An e-caller with a decoy seems to give them less distraction, whereas the sound being separate from the visual aid seems to make their brain short circuit. Since cats have a touch of ADD, it’s usually more productive to just let the caller play solid to keep their attention. A high speed setting on the decoy with intermittent movement is more productive than a slower, constant movement.
Admittedly, I may not be the best person to answer this, because in Kansas, coyotes drastically outnumber fox or cats, and resultantly, I generally err on the side of caution and design my fox or cat sets like a coyote set in case a coyote shows up. A coyote set can bring in any of the 3, whereas a bobcat hunter that didn’t account for the wind might miss opportunities on unexpected coyotes that circle to the call.
In my experience, both fox and cats are less motivated to come to a call, but both are actually easier to bring into the gun once they’re hooked. I only target fox or bobcats when scouting has shown a lot of sign, or when I have actually seen them in the area, again, the only real difference being the sound choices I make.
Firing for Fox
Fox won’t usually circle downwind like a coyote would, but they still own a canine nose, so hunters still have to account for the wind. Fox are more apt to come straight downwind to a call, which can simplify your set design, but again, I don’t usually hunt that way in case a coyote shows up instead, I’d rather bag the coyote than nothing. Sometimes almost seems like fox are more worried about keeping an eye out for coyotes or hawks while they come into a call than they are about keeping an eye on the call itself, which might be part of why they’re harder to get hooked.
Terrain/Scouting:
Fox in my part of the country favor wooded areas, especially in suburban edges. Wooded areas near small-town grain elevators or farms with grain-piles or bunkers are often productive for me. Fox aren’t nearly as nomadic as coyotes, so even fairly old sign is usually a good indicator that they’ll still be in the area. Since they don’t move around as much, they’re also easier to wipe out, so you can hunt yourself out of a future season easier than coyotes. However, that may be a factor of the limited/isolated populations of fox that I’m used to hunting in Kansas. Scat will obviously be smaller than coyotes, and usually include more insects (grasshopper legs, beetle shells, etc). Den entrances will be much smaller, but similarly proportioned to coyotes, taller than they are wide. Tracks are obvious, very small canine, easily distinguished from coyote pups by their slender form, and pup tracks won’t usually have claw imprints.
Sounds/Decoys:
Fox are most responsive to higher pitched, less ‘aggressive’, lower volume call sounds. I focus on rodent squeaks, bird distress, baby cottontail distress, etc. Fox vocals, like screamin’ grey or fox pup distress are good sounds also (not the same as coyote pup distress). My decoy experience with fox has been mixed, but it seems like a decoy will tug at their playful nature as much or more than their predatory instincts. Any coyote vocals will send a fox packing.
Bringing in Bobcats
Much like house-cats, bobcats are peculiar, really easily distracted, and altogether kind of stupid. Some days it seems like a cat will be coming in, but then hang up because a blade of grass looked at them the wrong way. Cats don’t have the sense of smell that canines have, or if they do, they don’t use it. Pay attention to edges and boundaries, cats will come in PAINFULLY SLOW, and will often stop and sit down to just watch the grass grow. Keep your eyes peeled. Cats hunt with their eyes and ears, so they will pick up a hunter’s movement easily. I also will dedicate a bit extra time to spots I know have cats nearby, maybe 45min to an hour rather than a normal 20-30min coyote set, to give them time to come in, and give myself time to spot them.
Terrain/Scouting:
Woodpiles and thicker timber are my dead giveaways for cat calling. Bobcats tend to be more reclusive, so I don’t see them as much at the edges of towns, but farms with grain-piles or bunkers with woods nearby are good cat areas. Field bins in Nebraska with wooded areas nearby have treated me well also.
Sounds/Decoys:
Bobcats favor smaller prey species sounds also. Cats CAN target big game like deer, but it’s few and far between, usually when the deer is sleeping (hence not making a distress sound), and takes a big kitty. Bird distress, vole squeaks, rodent distress, woodpecker distress, etc are my go-to sounds for cats. If decoys are made for one thing, it’s cats. I can’t say I’ve had cat vocals be productive, but I also don’t hardly ever use them unless a cat is in sight and hunt up, but I’m sure somebody has brought one in with it. Maybe it’s more productive during breeding season? I have never seen a cat respond negatively to a decoy. However, I HAVE noticed that if I use a decoy and hand calls, cats are more apt to sit down and just watch, rather than approaching. An e-caller with a decoy seems to give them less distraction, whereas the sound being separate from the visual aid seems to make their brain short circuit. Since cats have a touch of ADD, it’s usually more productive to just let the caller play solid to keep their attention. A high speed setting on the decoy with intermittent movement is more productive than a slower, constant movement.
03-27-2013, 03:23 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
Definitely agree with Ridge's statements, both for grey's coming in hot as well as reds having 'sensitive ears'. Thanks for the post RR, my fox calling isn't nearly as robust as my cat and coyote calling, but I've always had good luck the few times a year I do end up going after fox instead of coyotes, so I like to think it's not just coincidence!
Ridge, since you're over east (east of me at least! haha), do you see any real difference in terrain where you'd find fox versus the coyotes you see out there? So much of Kansas is wide open, the entire dang state is coyote territory, so our fox are stuffed into rather few pockets where we have good wood cover.
Do you see any difference in areas that have more wood cover available that fox tend to favor one area over another?
Last edited by Nomercy448; 03-27-2013 at 03:25 PM.
03-30-2013, 08:05 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
In SoCal I'm guessing you're in a more desert type, open area? Is there a difference for you in where you pick up cats instead of coyotes? When I've hunted Arizona and parts of tx (even parts of west Kansas) with terrain like that, it seemed like the cats are more adapted to less tree cover, so the rules were a little different. Cats without trees is a different paradigm for me, but it seems like they still favored more brushy areas, has that been your experience for that type of terrain?
03-31-2013, 07:48 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
My feeling is that I "expect" to find more cats in rocky terrain (flat rock & gorges with small springs).
.............better for denning, I suppose.
We actually have some dense woods up in these mountains (Palamar Mt.).
As a rule mixed grasses, sage, chaperral, scrub oaks, live oaks and some pines.
.............better for denning, I suppose.
We actually have some dense woods up in these mountains (Palamar Mt.).
As a rule mixed grasses, sage, chaperral, scrub oaks, live oaks and some pines.
Last edited by Sheridan; 04-01-2013 at 08:09 PM.
