Unlike the typical red fox, the gray fox prefers to live in the thicker areas made up of forests and thick brush.

With hooked claws, a gray fox has the ability to climb trees and will often seek food and shelter in a tree. They will also climb a tree to escape danger. They make their dens in rocky crevices, caves, trees, hollow logs, and brush piles. A gray will often enlarge a smaller animal’s burrow and use it to raise its young. Burrows are only used during mating season and when raising pups.

They also have a reputation for aggressively responding to a distress call. Without much sign of fear or caution, a gray fox often swoops in within the first few minutes of the call. Popular distress calls include cottontail distress calls, mouse and vole chirps, and gray fox pup distress.

Small grassy fields surrounded by forests are some of the best places to hunt. You will need to sit 30 to 40 yards from the tree line. Like all predators that hunt and call, you’ll want to blend your silhouette into your surroundings by sitting against a tree, hillside, or hiding in a tall bush. Although movement is generally what a fox will detect first, it’s a good idea to camouflage from head to toe by paying more attention to the head and hands.

The gray fox has a very capable sense of smell and will turn and bolt at the slightest hint of human scent. Just like hunting all predators, you’ll need to consider wind direction in your setup.

Producing a distress sound at a high volume usually results in a quick response from the fox. It doesn’t seem to matter if you sound the distress call in sequence or continuously. Both techniques seem to work on a gray fox. If nothing responds in the first 10 minutes, it usually means there are no gray hairs and it’s time to move to a new location.

Gray foxes are not large animals and smaller caliber weapons starting with a 22 gauge or 12 gauge shotgun with #4 shells are popular choices. A turkey load with shot #4 will work. A 22 mag is a good choice for about 100 yards. A shotgun is a very good option at about 30 yards.

Just like hunting coyotes, bobcats and all other predators, gray fox hunting will test your hunting and calling skills while providing fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping predator calling action.