outdoors,
Good goin'........nice fox....
Yeah, I've been over to Sonyea a year or two ago. I hunted on land owned by Red Kennedy of "Kennedy Farms". He owns probably 90% of all the bottomland from Sonyea to Dansville.
I haven't seen Red in years, and don't even know if he's still kickin'. Great guy...full of BS.
If you want to night hunt a great spot, get off at the Geneseo exit and head west on 20A. Pass through Geneseo, and just passed the college, about 300yds further after passing the village sign (you'll be heading south on "combined" Rts. 36/20A) you'll want to turn right at the first "only" right which is Rt# 63.
Head out 63, crossing the bridge (Genesee River), and about another mile or two down, take a left on
"Chandler Rd.". About 1 1/2 miles up Chandler will be a dirt road named "River Rd." (first left).
Head down that road until you come to a huge solid patch of thorn apples on your right about a 1000yds long. For the best spot to setup around that thorn apple patch, just follow the road around it and you'll round a curve in the road to your right. Keep going until you see a yellow gate on your right (about 250yds.) to an old abandoned railroad bed. If the gate is closed, just walk around it. We never drive up the bed, (although physically, you can if the gate is open) because it spooks game, including coyotes. The gate and signs are there to keep non-locals out, but isn't really an issue.
Park your vehicle across the road (you'll see the area), and although you'll have a good walk, head up that railroad bed (about 1/2 mile, or less maybe) until you see open fields on your left. The first fields will be Aondowanda Sportsman's Club property, stay off there cause they're real sticky about trespassers. Keep on going until you come to a drainage that goes under the railroad bed, and you'll see an old dumpsite where appliances were dumped off by the owners at one time.
The plowed corn fields that the drainage runs into is "El Primo" spot for coyotes. They harbor in those thorn apples and right about now (just after deer season) if anything, they'll be out a lot at night nailing gutpiles. That area is a big deer area, and many of my friends take many deer in there. The gutpiles are plentiful and the coyotes really frequent it at night. The biggest coyote I know of was taken there several years ago at 67lbs. Another one ran 62lbs. taken with a bow. At this time of year, I've used howler's more than distress because of the obvious food available to them. No one I know of hunts it at night. I've taken hundreds of fox there as well.
Speaking of fox......Mark, RC, Andy, etc....
Opening day was banner....at least for fox....
Two killed.....One educated....
Fox Photo's
These two (mating pair) were taken across from my house about 800yds, in a deep gully/ravine called "Albro's Gully". There's always been fox in there over the years, and they usually respond quick.
I had sat the large field behind my place from sunup until about 8:45. After not seeing the usual fox that crosses the fields, I packed up and headed over to the gully where the two were taken. I shot them at 9:40.
Well Mark....that bullet call has pulled in 4 fox so far...and quick too.
Hunting the gully, the first fox, a female, came in within seconds after I started the first series. Probably about 15 seconds..maybe, if that. I shot her at about a 30 degree angle downwards and aimed slightly lower because of the grade.
Even though I aimed low, it still caught her in the lower neck......bang/flop right there. I was using my Encore rifle with the custom .22 Super Jet barrel and my 40gr VMax load. A small entrance hole with no exits...excellent performance so far, even at the short 30yd. mark.
Anyway, after a real quick reload, I started back on the call again and in comes the male all within 15-20 seconds. He came up the grade to my left and I couldn't get a shot because of the trees. As he cleared the trees to my left about 30yds, he stopped and looked at me (big mistake), I delivered another round to his chest/neck area....down he went. Both foxes were shot and down within a minute or so total.
I called for a few more minutes, and nothing responded, so I packed up and headed for the house. After dropping off the two, I grabbed a quick lunch and then headed over to another spot on the road north of me. A spot Dennis and I call "The Mound". It's a huge mound in the middle of a very large potato field and to it's east about 150yds., it's bordered by a long woods that runs parallel to the field.
Dennis took his coyote there the year before last, and it's well known for coyote sightings.
We've seen fox there many times also, so I headed onto the mound and got setup. The winds had picked up a lot, and the sun was out and bright. I started calling to the east, and the wind was coming almost directly out of the south at 25-30+mph.
After a short series of calls (bullet call again Mark), and as I was looking towards the area that Dennis' coyote came from, I looked back straight ahead again and this beauty of a red fox came weaving through the trees towards me.
I was on the bordering edge of the mound, and apparently with the sun shining, the fox spotted me when he broke into the open field. He froze about 20feet off the edge of the woods and was looking straight at me. Either due to my silver matte scope, possible reflection off of my scope lens, or just my fat head or profile, he remained motionless.
Good thing my gun was pointed in his direction, I figured all I had to do was, aim and shoot.....yeah right. I had mistakenly left the scope on it's lowest setting, and, I needed to have a higher magnification to pick a better spot on the fox to aim into the wind a little. At low power my crosshairs probably cover 3 inches. A fox's chest is what, about 6 inches maybe ?
I couldn't move to crank the scope up, or didn't dare anyway, but I probably should've tried cause I screwed the shot and blew some fur off the little sh*t. The round skinned his butt I think, and I saw it hit the dirt bank behind him. Pretty much a clean miss. I watched him turn & burn, and afterwards checked the area very well....all appeared normal.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at our "Hermitage site" where we saw the nice "Red Coyote". He wasn't out and the day ended 2 down, one missed.
That's my hunting report (& novel) for the day.....
RC....the Gods did smile.....at least the Fox Gods.
Take care,
Bob
