Last Night Double!

[Chris B]

Even with the storm blowing in last night, I was able to coax (lol) my partner into doing a couple stands at dark for the last night of NY fox season.

 

 

Stand 1: We got setup in the last available day light at my aunt's a mile down the road. She only owns a couple acres but is butted up to acres and acres of brush lots. We set up just outside of the backyard, behind the barn, about 40 yards from the brush. I shot a grey fox last week while waiting for dark to start calling when a pair came through on their own. We tried it again last Friday and called in a red but my partner's 17 WSM had a dud loaded in it. "click" is not the sound you wanna hear when the fox is broadside at 18 yards. Anyway... we tried it last night. Rolled through rodent distress, lucky bird, and young rabbit distress. Switched to grey fox distress at the 29 minute mark and at 31 minutes I hear something about 10 yards behind us in the brush. After the stand we checked it out and a fox slipped in from the house or across the road and busted us.

 

 

Packed up and I headed to another "backyard set" and my partner wasn't feeling that spot so I turned around and we went to my boss' construction laydown yard. We have had a lot of action here but no shots unfortunately. We get there and there is a 18-wheeler trailer sitting in the laydown yard (not my company's trailer). We were sitting in the truck trying to figure out how we were going to call around it and as we were sitting there, the tractor pulled in and backed into the trailer. Son of a B... can't hunt here now! Really bummed us out because the same night we had the dud at my aunt's, we called in a set of eyes here at the laydown yard but we couldn't get an ID. We finished calling and as we were walking to the truck a grey came running right in to us (right past the truck) and we spooked it.

 

 

So I told my partner we had to go to the other backyard set where I wanted to go in the first place, give it a chance, and "when" we call one in, I was going to rub it in his face.

 

 

Stand 2: We get to the backyard set, and sat down. We tried hunting in the woods one afternoon with no luck so this was our first night set here (2nd time ever trying it), set up about 30 yards from the tree line. I turn on nutty nuthatch and at the 8 minute mark a grey pops out of the brush and runs at the caller. It circled the caller at 6' (thank you foxjack) and was wanting to bolt but the decoy kept him there, he just wouldn't stop. My partner squeezed one off when he entered the scope and he jumped about 4' in the air, did a flip, landed on his feet, and took off running... shoot... hope it was lethal, WTH. I immediately change to platinum grey fox. within two minutes I hear something to my left and down comes a grey. It runs at the caller and stops 10' from it and my partner drops the hammer. The fox runs away... really?!? We cut the caller, remove the red lense and go look. Walk over to where shot #2 rang. Blood, we turn around and there he is. Awesome, got 'eem! go to where shot #1 was, speckles of blood every where. we follow it for 20 yards and there is the other fox!! We called in our first double and on the last night!!!!!!! Instantly Big Al's dance of love literally almost spilled out of me lol. So pumped after the last 3 trips have included a miss last Thursday (brought a new guy to experience the fast action), a dud bullet on Friday, and a wounded red fox that my partner never recovered when he went solo on Valentine's Day. Our double consisted of one male and one female. Right as I was changing to platinum grey fox after the 1st shot, I thought I caught an eye down in the woods but couldn't tell exactly, but guessing they were running together and the 2nd foxed circled way around us, which is why he came down from the houses.

 

 

We were so pumped and it was my turn to shoot so I called my boss and hunted at his house.

 

 

Stand 3: The house sets up on a hill through the woods by itself, we usually hunt in front of the house but this time we hooked around to the side and hunted there (his "yard" is 60-ish acres, all mowed, surrounded by hardwoods on one side and brush on the other). We set up close to the brush to hopefully call in a fox. I ran nutty nuthatch, lightning jack and then platinum grey fox. no takers. we were packing up and my buddy thought he heard a coyote howl in front of the house somewhere but wasn't sure, and it was late and snowing hard so we shrugged it off and packed up. The snow was coming down so hard that my tire tracks in the driveway we covered over with a slight indent. Coming down the driveway we cut tracks....wouldn't you know...fresh coyote track crossed over and went towards front of the house. Dang it, we should've tried some coyote vocals when he thought he heard the 'yote, we mighta called him right in.

 

 

What a night! The wind was blowing on and off and the snow was getting increasingly heavy through our stands and we had animal movement on every one and most importantly I called in my first double and my partner connected on both greys!

 

[ants]

Nice!!!!

[wooly]

Nice!

How many fox did you finish the year with?

I think I've seen 3 greys here my entire life but we got lots of reds.

 

[Chris B]

Nice!

How many fox did you finish the year with?

I think I've seen 3 greys here my entire life but we got lots of reds.

 

We have gotten 4 greys and 3 reds.

 

 The past two weeks we have had action on almost every stand though, so the tally shoulda been doubled lol

[shawnhu]

Nice story and pics Chris, thanks for sharing!

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[grampy]

Nice end to the season! You guy's were on a roll too!

[BizCT]

Awesome!

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[grampy]

Still have until March 27th for coyotes keep it going!

[Chris B]

Still have until March 27th for coyotes keep it going!

 

Ohhhh believe me..... we will be hammering our coyote spots real hard 'til the season ends. We usually hunt exclusively at night but we will be doing as many daytime stands as we can fit in as well. Hoping to have some more stories coming soon! We'll see, the fox seem easy compared to those dang 'yotes!

[Pygmy]

Good job, Young Feller ! Good luck on the coyotes.