AZ Fox

Hellsheeler

Hellsheeler

New member
Hello all, new member of the site but long time lurker. I’ve learned a lot over the years from this place and usually any questions or tips are answered through scouring archives but I’ve come across a topic of interest that I can’t seem dig up much info on through the search function (recent anyway). I’m from Iowa so coyote is mainly my game, far from a pro but I do manage to kill a dumb one now and then. I enjoy hunting day and night but with kids activities it seems more recently you’re more likely to find me out after dark as opposed to daylight. I joined today to see if anybody would be willing to help point me in the right direction for AZ Fox? I would save you the classic line of I’m not looking for anybodies honey hole but figured as a new member I have to put that in there as a right of passage maybe. I’m indeed not looking for aforementioned but was just wondering about maybe taking a trip south in the next couple of weeks to try for a grey fox. My plan (maybe delusional) is to fly into phoenix, rent a vehicle and try some public ground around phoenix for a few days. Obviously the further away from city the better my chances probably are but with my limited time I’d have to cross that bridge when I got there. I guess the main question I have for anyone willing to help is… is the fox population in area healthy enough to make this a successful trip? I’m not looking to fill the truck with fur but an opportunity at one would be the goal. Going into it I understand you usually get out of something what you put into it but I don’t want to be out there chasing ghost per say. I’m admittedly in the early stages of this possible venture but figured before I put a lot of effort into travel, hotel, etc I’d reach out to guys with more knowledge on this topic than I have. I’ve done research but can’t find anything recent on the subject on this site or others. Maybe for reason? If anyone has an opinion on this idea good or bad im all ears. I appreciate any info you’re willing to give.

Thanks,
Nate
 
Welcome aboard Nate. Pull up a chair and settle in, someone will come by soon and may be able to help. I lived in Arizona long ago (1971 thru 1984) Gila county with Globe as county seat. The first animal I called in with a hand call was a fox and took it with a sporterized Mauser in 308 (only centerfire I had at the time) and needless to say there was not much fur to be had. I traded a Polaroid camera for a cheap 22 magnum revolver and carried it in addition to the 308 and was able to take a few foxes with it after much practice.
I hunted 95% of time on the San Carlos reservation and seldom saw anyone else, and I hunted everything the reservation offered. I have no idea how things are now in regards to hunting but it would probably not be difficult to do some research on state and reservation regulations. The reservation boundary is close to the city of Globe where you can get anything you might need. Good luck and stay after them critters!(y)
 
Hey Nate, I can’t help you out with AZ. If you were headed to central NY I could probably put you on some fox. I call them pretty regularly, but I don’t shoot them anymore. Don’t mind when people do, I just don’t see any real reason to. Like 22Magnum22 said, Someone will more than likely post something that’ll be helpful to you. Welcome to PM!
 
Hey, I turkey hunted the San Carlos many years ago. The only place we never saw another human and my phone at the time said it does not recognize time nor date, lol. Thank God we had hand held GPS units. Great turkey hunting minus the bears and mountain lions, lol!!
 
Sheeler I don’t think you will have a hard time finding some fox to kill. In general fox are pretty dumb and as long as you are somewhat close to them you will call them in, try bird sounds, rodent sounds but I have found my most success with a fox distress of some sort. Elevation bands where I hunted in Arizona was anywhere from 5-6k, the thicker the better. Think steep thick canyons. I have never hunted around phoenix but have seen guys who kill plenty around there but in general the further away from big city’s the better. Hope this helps a little bit, I always enjoyed hunting fox but haven’t done it in awhile.
 
Where there's rocks there's fox. Get out of Phoenix at least an hour and start hunting. Look for rougher places (tough in a rental...) that may not have been hit as hard. Or bring a shotgun and get into the thick, tight washes where others may not call with rifles. I like higher pitched sounds like rodents and birds.

Search for content here by SnowmanMo, or as I call him "The Fox Whisperer." That dude can find a fox about anywhere and then tell you how it will come to the call.
 
22magnum22 said:
Welcome aboard Nate. Pull up a chair and settle in, someone will come by soon and may be able to help. I lived in Arizona long ago (1971 thru 1984) Gila county with Globe as county seat. The first animal I called in with a hand call was a fox and took it with a sporterized Mauser in 308 (only centerfire I had at the time) and needless to say there was not much fur to be had. I traded a Polaroid camera for a cheap 22 magnum revolver and carried it in addition to the 308 and was able to take a few foxes with it after much practice.
I hunted 95% of time on the San Carlos reservation and seldom saw anyone else, and I hunted everything the reservation offered. I have no idea how things are now in regards to hunting but it would probably not be difficult to do some research on state and reservation regulations. The reservation boundary is close to the city of Globe where you can get anything you might need. Good luck and stay after them critters!(y)
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Thank you! I was just planning on bringing a shotgun and debating between bigger rimfire or .204/.223. I’ve taken coyotes with 22 mag here at home albeit a little under gunned but with a fox as my main goal not sure if humping around the extra weight of a centerfire and the possibility of tearing a fox up is worth it.
 
hunt0168 said:
Hey Nate, I can’t help you out with AZ. If you were headed to central NY I could probably put you on some fox. I call them pretty regularly, but I don’t shoot them anymore. Don’t mind when people do, I just don’t see any real reason to. Like 22Magnum22 said, Someone will more than likely post something that’ll be helpful to you. Welcome to PM!
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Thanks for the response! NY would be great and when doing research on greys oddly enough it never came up as a destination for them. Theres some info on PA and MD out east but not much on NY. We have reds and the population fluctuates drastically. Right now their numbers are really low. You’ll see them around towns and farm places and call one in once in a while but like you i give them a pass. I just want a grey for the fur wall and would enjoy the experience of hunting them. Again thank you for your response and I’ll keep you and NY in mind if this doesn’t pan out.
 
Spurchaser said:
Hey, I turkey hunted the San Carlos many years ago. The only place we never saw another human and my phone at the time said it does not recognize time nor date, lol. Thank God we had hand held GPS units. Great turkey hunting minus the bears and mountain lions, lol!!
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Thanks! Did you get your turkey? Turkey hunting is another passion of mine, and it’s just about that time!
 
Hellsheeler said:
Thanks for the response! NY would be great and when doing research on greys oddly enough it never came up as a destination for them. Theres some info on PA and MD out east but not much on NY. We have reds and the population fluctuates drastically. Right now their numbers are really low. You’ll see them around towns and farm places and call one in once in a while but like you i give them a pass. I just want a grey for the fur wall and would enjoy the experience of hunting them. Again thank you for your response and I’ll keep you and NY in mind if this doesn’t pan out.
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We have both reds and greys. I definitely call more greys in my area, but reds aren’t uncommon by any means. The western part of NY is more reds than greys.
 
arielp said:
Sheeler I don’t think you will have a hard time finding some fox to kill. In general fox are pretty dumb and as long as you are somewhat close to them you will call them in, try bird sounds, rodent sounds but I have found my most success with a fox distress of some sort. Elevation bands where I hunted in Arizona was anywhere from 5-6k, the thicker the better. Think steep thick canyons. I have never hunted around phoenix but have seen guys who kill plenty around there but in general the further away from big city’s the better. Hope this helps a little bit, I always enjoyed hunting fox but haven’t done it in awhile.
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Thank you for taking the time to reply! This is great help!
 
DesertRam said:
Where there's rocks there's fox. Get out of Phoenix at least an hour and start hunting. Look for rougher places (tough in a rental...) that may not have been hit as hard. Or bring a shotgun and get into the thick, tight washes where others may not call with rifles. I like higher pitched sounds like rodents and birds.

Search for content here by SnowmanMo, or as I call him "The Fox Whisperer." That dude can find a fox about anywhere and then tell you how it will come to the call.
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Thank you! I’ll dive into the archives a little deeper and continue my research. Thanks for the tip!
 
hunt0168 said:
We have both reds and greys. I definitely call more greys in my area, but reds aren’t uncommon by any means. The western part of NY is more reds than greys.
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Is it doable on public out there? When I started my research I just went with areas with decent population with public ground relatively close to an airport. Going into it knowing that airport means big city, big city next to public means more pressure but with my limited time frame driving half a day+ to get to a destination just isn’t in the cards. Figure even if I don’t get an opportunity I’ll learn something for next time and be a step closer to getting it done.
 
Quite a bit of public ground throughout NY. I would think theres fox roaming some of it, but I don’t hunt public ground often. Hardly ever for predators. Google NY State lands and I’m sure you’ll get an idea of how much and where.
 
Calling a grey fox in Arizona is relatively easy. They are numerous and one of the easiest predators to call. Where I live, we currently have a rabies outbreak and have had several grey fox attacks recently. So, you could say we have too many foxes around here.

When I target grey fox, I look for thick wooded rocky canyons and places with a lot of fox sign. I have had most success with grey fox distress sounds although rabbit and bird work too. When grey fox distress sounds work, they come in fast and hard. I have found shot guns more useful than rifles. Stands are usually quick. Less than 15 minuets. I've had them respond in less than a minute. They will often run right to your caller. So be careful you don't shoot your caller.

In lower elevation desert country, I would look for thick brushy washes and use the same tactics. Again, look for places with a lot of sign. They tend to like places the coyotes don't spend as much time in.
 
Huachuca Caller said:
Calling a grey fox in Arizona is relatively easy. They are numerous and one of the easiest predators to call. Where I live, we currently have a rabies outbreak and have had several grey fox attacks recently. So, you could say we have too many foxes around here.

When I target grey fox, I look for thick wooded rocky canyons and places with a lot of fox sign. I have had most success with grey fox distress sounds although rabbit and bird work too. When grey fox distress sounds work, they come in fast and hard. I have found shot guns more useful than rifles. Stands are usually quick. Less than 15 minuets. I've had them respond in less than a minute. They will often run right to your caller. So be careful you don't shoot your caller.

In lower elevation desert country, I would look for thick brushy washes and use the same tactics. Again, look for places with a lot of sign. They tend to like places the coyotes don't spend as much time in.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the tips!
 
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