Yesterday I headed out for an afternoon hunt with one of the most recent Coyote Clinic graduates, Mike. Canyon hunting was our goal, to see if we could get a fox or a bobcat on stand. Our first stand had us both sitting high on the rocks overlooking a dry wash, and about 10 minutes into the stand a gray fox showed up. But he was acting a little odd - he would run to the edge of the rocks and look down at the caller and decoy, then he would run back up through the brush higher in the rocks and perch up on a large piece of granite, surveying the entire area. I was enjoying watching him run and bounce back and forth, which went on for about 5 minutes, all within shotgun distance. Finally on his third trip to the edge of the rocks, when he stopped to look down into the wash at the caller, he was less than 20 yards away and I dropped him with the 12 gauge. Mike had been able to see most of what was happening but wasn't sure if he could make a shot, as he mostly saw the fox either on the move or just his head as he'd peer over the edge. This type of behavior is not typical for foxes, as in my experience they either commit or they don't, and typically make that decision pretty quickly. The next fox that we had on stand would prove this point well.
Fox #1
Two more stands took us deeper into the canyon, but to no avail, so we headed back to the truck. At the very next stand Mike got a chance to see what true commitment looks like, or what I like to refer to as "coming in on a string". After jumping a rowdy group of javelina on our hike in, we setup in a small wash, with big hills all around us. Around the 5 minute mark, I heard Mike's rifle fire . . . . once . . . . twice . . . . three times. I didn't have much time to ponder whether that meant he missed or was shooting a triple, as a fox came busting through the brush to my left, about 25 yards away, headed straight for the caller at 100mph! I hit him with the shotgun, and after a few more minutes of calling but no more response, I signaled to Mike that we were done. What I found out then was what happened in the area that I couldn't see: the fox had come in with total commitment, as fast as he could run, and when he got close to the call Mike fired. The first shot didn't phase him and he continued in, so Mike fired again. That one changed his mind and as he headed away Mike took his third shot. It was a good lesson about zero distance and holdovers - with the type of predator hunting that I do here in AZ, most of my shots are well under 50 yards - in fact, a lot of them are under 50 feet! This makes a 100 yard zero and certain optics difficult to work with. But before Mike could beat himself up too much about it, the fox rounded the bush he had jumped behind and came back for more! That's when I saw him and helped him take a dirt nap. Another lesson learned about how just because there are shots fired, or even animals down, doesn't mean that the calling should stop.
Fox #2
Our last stand was a 'sundown stand', meaning that we just stayed there until the shooting light faded - unfortunately, no more critters showed up. All in all it was an enjoyable hunt with a great guy who is now hooked on predator hunting. We uncovered some new terrain, saw some beautiful AZ desert vistas, and put some fur in the dirt!
Happy Hunting!
