Mr. Gray Fox

[radar]

What do guys think about gray fox? I personally think there one of the hardest pices of game to catch. What ch'a think? Maybe its just my dogs theres a few at a the spot were we train out at the swamp and one of them has been giving are dogs hell for the last few years We see him every time some times 2 or 3 times. Every time he's about 40 yards a head of the dogs and there barken like the next leaf they turn its gone be his butt Well this years so far the yardage has lessend a little bitbut not much, one of these times he'll get tired and tree.I hope .Just wonnder'en what ya'll thought about ol' Mr gray fox???????

[Redwood Coonhounds]

I just turn that tri-tronics up to about 3 or 4...

Nothing I hate worse than getting after a fox during bear season, or have the dogs run around all night out coon hunting... I do not take kindly to walking into a canyon for anything less then a bear.

I have one that loves them, and has caught a few. She tries on a regular basis...

Takes a decent dog to put one up, and I know plenty of people with some TOP fox dogs...

My priorities just lie elsewhere. I've thought about it though... Seeing as they seem to out number bear and coon. More places to hunt them...

If I quit running bear though, I'd switch over to yotes before fox.

[norcalkemmer]

Well around my neck of the woods it easier to find a spot to run fox then coon. I don't mind a fox race i enjoy hearing them, i agree with Redwood it takes a decent dog to make them tree.

[walkerdog]

My opinion, there is nothing wrong with running a fox. It takes a smart dog to get them up. I don't know if you bear hunt a lot, but anyone I know who runs both, doesn't have a problem running fox during bear season. I would NEVER start my hounds on coyotes!!!

[Redwood Coonhounds]

I would never start my dogs on Yotes either... But if I quit bear hunting all together (ie wasn't allowed to), I'd rather run Yote than Fox...

I'm just not much of a varmit person. I know it takes good dogs, just never been my style. Not saying that I've never got after a few. Just not something I want to do regularly... Just like I don't want to get after deer, yote, skunk, possum, rabbit, or beaver - but it happens.

Back to the main topic -- It takes good dogs to put a Fox up, and there are a lot of them, and places to hunt... I'd say if you're getting after them, and not catching them consistant - than I would break the dogs off them. You could use the time they spent trying to catch one, actually treeing something else. If you want to do it and catch them, maybe get different dogs, or train those dogs on them with someone else who catches consistantly.

[radar]

Well in the hills they are deffinetly one of the the hardest game to catch and must smell good cuz the races sound like sight races but we see all the time they see'n nothin. I think they roar so loud cuz there sick of getten out smarted by them and would just love to grab a hold!!!! Yep, dogs got to be good at winden and able to keep lock on the sent not the track cuz they leap so dame far and are such jumpy little bastards.they take the dogs to a rock pile and its so funny watchen the dogs lose it.They get that look on there face as if they through there toy over the fence(I just had it were'd it go) .I don't use e-collar's sometimes wish I did have'em though.I have used a Bark collare at home but those are over..

[Jeff Eberle]

I would rather run cat & fox myself. radar get them hound to shut their mouths and lift their heads and you start seeing them in the tree

[walkerdog]

I'm not trying to start an argument with Redwood, as everyone has their own way, but I think if you enjoy running them, and you keep putting your dogs after them, they will figure it out. Every time you turn them out, they learn something. I wouldn't suggest to anyone to just give up. And you can do it with YOUR own dogs. You don't have to run with someone else, you run your own, and you made them. Where is the pride when you train them with someone elses? Just my opinion. I wouldn't be satisfied with just having my dogs at the tree. When you are on your own and you catch them. You know it was your dogs that caught it not someone elses. For example, man A and dog A go out 10x and can't catch a fox, man B and dog B show up and man A and dog A start catching fox with company. Man A tells his friends I been catching fox and man B and dog B go hunt somewhere else and man A and dog A can't catch a fox anymore. Did dog A really ever catch a fox, or was it dog B the whole time?

[DerekE]

If man B has better dogs, dog A might learn something. Just don't hunt together every time out.

[walkerdog]

That's true. It works. The dog can learn from the other, good and bad. I have and always will train my own without anyone elses. I think a different pride and respect for your hounds comes along with it. Some people would disagree with me and to each their own. Radar is explaining that his dogs want that fox so bad and he can see it on their faces, now if he takes his dogs back out there over and over and finally they catch the fox in a tree, do you think he would be that much more proud of them than if he called a buddy with great fox dogs and they smoked the track and he walkes to a tree and his dogs are there? I would rather go out and put in the extra so when I walk up to that tree I know my dogs did it. Its the best feeling in the world. It is the reason I am obsessed with my hounds.

[radar]

I guess I should have said what i was training for. I know why my two have trouble catching them is because they try and coon hunt the fox they don't run head up because when they'er at the swamp there pushin tules and its a wet enviornment so they realy have track off the rub from the wet coon.My female was part of a tree out at the swamp once.

As far as the hills go its even tougher for mine becuse agine they go at it like swamp dogs.But we had some luck with a cuple bear this year and hope it continues this year.
Never see it in there faces but man i hear it in there voices

I through this topic up mainly cuz I never hear any one talking about fox hunting on here I know its BGH web site but there's a coon and bobcat section and those are all small game.

Why tell'em to shut up when it sounds so beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!catch or not!!

[radar]

Not to popular I guess.....

[perk]

Definately one of the toughest/smartest creatures on earth. Everytime you run him and dont catch him he gets that much smarter. Ive seen them pull everytrick that bobcat hunters swear a cat will do, and have thestamina to do if for a couple hours of solid running in front packs of running dogs. I still think it is harder to catch a red fox on top the ground than a grey but prefer to run greys 15-1.

Perk

[radar]

10-4 on that perk.Think them gray fox get big ol smile on there faces when they hear are toyota turn off!!!!!!!!!