My hunting partner eased his pickup onto the shoulder of a narrow North Dakota county road and grabbed his binocular from the dash. “Over there, coming out of that woodlot by those old farm buildings,” he said. It took me a few seconds to pick out the patch of red fur moving across the winter landscape. A 30-mph prairie “breeze” rocked the truck as we watched the fox cross a small pond and disappear into a thick patch of cattails. It was late January, and after several days of hunting the area, I was beginning to recognize a pattern. The foxes we were finding were hanging close to roads and farmsteads, seemingly seeking out the same human activity that coyotes tended to avoid. I’d hunted the Dakotas for foxes before, but coyotes always seemed to get in the way. This time I was learning how to target the smaller predator on purpose.

We drove up the road, circled in from the back to get the wind in our favor and slipped quietly toward the cattails. I got on the call, and less than a minute later the fox appeared on the far side of the slough. The stiff wind made the shot too long, but the fox began circling downwind and eventually offered my partner a shot.

That stand drove home a lesson that became clearer throughout our three-day hunt: It’s possible to target foxes in coyote country by understanding how the two species interact — or, more importantly, how foxes avoid their larger competitors — where their territories overlap.

Interspecific Competition

The key is in the biology. You probably already understand how predator/prey relationships affect the way you hunt. After all, those are prey species vocalizations you’re using to target predators. But by better understanding how predators interact where their territories overlap you can better prepare to target specific predator species.

All predators compete with others of their ilk for mates, food and territory. And where prime habitat is in short supply and resources are scare, this rivalry becomes rigorous. While hunting the Arizona high desert, I’ve had four or more coyotes simultaneously respond to the call, coming from different directions and running hard — an indicator of high populations and competition for limited food sources.

But there is also competition among various predatory species for common resources, with those residing on the higher end of the food chain controlling the best habitat niches. Biologists refer to this as interspecific competition. Sympatric predators often share habitats and utilize similar foods depending on location, season and prey availability. Decreases in prey abundance can result in increased competition. Studies suggest that coyotes can and do exclude or displace fox, and that there is an inverse relationship between the abundance of coyotes and the displacement of fox. There is also evidence to indicate that extensive reduction of coyote populations — disease or human intervention — allows other predator numbers to increase.

Coyotes can have a significant influence on where red foxes live, particularly where the two species share the same landscape. A North Dakota study published in 1987 found that coyote families occupied relatively large, exclusive territories, while fox territories tended to overlap the outer edges of those territories or occupy areas coyotes weren’t using. Interestingly, encounters between the two occurred less often than chance would predict, suggesting that foxes were actively avoiding their larger competitors.

More recent research suggests that relationship hasn’t changed much. A 2020 New York study found red fox abundance was positively associated with agriculture and low-density development, while coyotes were less abundant around low-density development. Researchers suggested foxes may coexist with coyotes by altering their habitat use or occupying smaller spaces between coyote territories. A 2025 Illinois study found an even more direct relationship: Red foxes showed strong spatial avoidance of coyotes and appeared to regard coyotes as a greater threat than humans. Taken together, the research supports something fox hunters have observed for years: In coyote country, look for foxes around the edges of human occupation — particularly agricultural and moderately developed areas where coyotes may be less comfortable.

This relationship holds true where coyote and gray fox territories overlap. In Texas, for example, gray foxes are typically less abundant where coyotes are common. However, on sheep ranches, where coyote populations are vigorously controlled by trappers because of the threat they pose to livestock, gray foxes are typically plentiful — and bold. Here gray foxes hold a high rung on the food chain — and they act like it!

I’ve hunted the Lone Star State on several occasions and if we were targeting gray foxes, a sure bet was sheep country. Just like red foxes, where gray foxes co-exist with coyotes, they seek out habitat niches where they can avoid or escape from the larger predators. It appears that coyotes hold gray fox numbers in check where the two species occupy the same territory or force them into niches within that territory. If I want to target gray foxes in Arizona, for example, I avoid the open flats coyotes prefer and hunt the rock jumbles and brushy creek bottoms where coyotes are less abundant. This pattern holds true East and West wherever the species share common habitat, you just need to know how to recognize the distinctions.

Taking It to the Field

If you’ve been paying attention, you can probably already see that understanding how predators interact can help you target foxes in coyote country — and you might even be strategizing your next fox hunt. The best weapon a predator hunter can have in his or her hunting arsenal is a good working knowledge of those furred critters they’re pursuing. So, let’s put this information to practical use. And it doesn’t matter if you’re hunting red foxes in North Dakota, or gray foxes in Texas, by gaining a better understanding of how these species interact and avoid coyotes, you will be better equipped to target them.

Let’s start with red foxes.

Red foxes are somewhat timid, if not paranoid, by nature — skillful hunters with incredible senses. The fox’s nose, eyesight and predatory instinct all play a role in making it the wariest of the medium-sized predators.

Using what we’ve learned from the red fox studies gives us a pretty good idea where to look for them: areas with few coyotes or habitat niches along the edges of coyote territories. In many places, red foxes have essentially become “townies,” showing a greater tolerance for human activity than coyotes. Brushy draws, woodlots and sloughs near farms, roads and the outskirts of towns can provide the habitat foxes need while offering some separation from their larger competitors. Find places coyotes are reluctant to use — or where their numbers are simply low — and you’ve found a good place to start looking for foxes.

Once you’ve located suitable places to hunt foxes, it’s important to take a “gentle approach” when hunting them. The last thing you want to do is march into your setup and begin wailing on the call at full volume. Where coyotes are present, red foxes exercise extreme caution when approaching the call to avoid becoming collateral damage. I’ve often seen them circle downwind a half mile away, using even the slightest breaks in the terrain to approach the call.

For red foxes, I prefer small closed-reed and open-reed mouth calls that produce high-pitched bird and rodent sounds. I’ve found that red foxes are sensitive to loud volume, and the higher-pitched tones seem to appeal to their apprehensive nature. Rest assured, on a calm day a fox will hear even your quietest rodent squeals from a quarter mile away. I might use calls that produce more volume on windy days. Always begin your setups using low volume in case a fox is close-by and then add more volume if you get no immediate response.

Same with electronic calls; use squealing birds, rodents or rabbit sounds and begin with a low setting and gradually increase volume. For a change-up you can try the sounds of red fox pups in distress or territorial barks during the winter breeding system. Mix it up until you find something that works.

Pick stand locations with good visibility downwind. Red fox invariably circle the source of the sound. They are most often hunted in open country, and the lack of available cover usually requires that you lie low, often in the prone position. If you can gain any elevation, say positioned in a rock pile or on a slight hill, you will gain precious visibility.

If you’re hunting with a buddy, send him or her downwind while you do the calling. If you’re hunting alone, a remote electronic caller is the ticket. Position yourself downwind of the speaker and watch out for those sneakers.

Also keep in mind that red foxes typically sleep out in the open and can be seen curled up in a ball on the downwind side of a hill in the warm afternoon sun. A good technique for hunting during the day is to drive around looking for sleeping fox. Once you find one, stalk in as close as you can — using available cover and keeping the wind in your favor — to get close enough for a setup. Call softly to the sleeping fox. If it needs a meal more than a nap it will often respond to the call.

Gray Foxes

From my experience hunting gray fox — most of it in Arizona, Texas and Wisconsin — they are very bold where they hold a high position on the food chain, but cautious where they share the landscape with coyotes. Like red foxes, they’re usually looking over their shoulder when responding to the call.

In the West and Southwest, gray foxes covet tight places. Look for them in rock jumbles, rim rock outcroppings and brushy creek bottoms, where they can elude coyotes and hunt for the rodents and small birds that occupy these habitat niches. Coyotes are less abundant in these places, better suited to hunt open country where they can use their speed.

In their Eastern and Southern ranges, gray foxes occupy wooded or brushy areas, particularly hardwood forests. Here, they typically den in underground burrows, under rocks, in hollow logs or in hollow trees. While they prefer to hunt during the night, gray fox can be seen foraging for food during the day, though they usually remain close to cover where they can elude their enemies.  Gray foxes are climbers, too. In fact, they’re one of the few members of the canine family capable of climbing trees, using their strong, hooked claws to scramble up trunks and branches. They’ll climb to escape predators, rest or simply take advantage of an elevated refuge when threatened.

Most of the gray fox I’ve met showed up quickly to the call and seemed to ignore wind direction until they got near the source of the sound where they’d circle downwind. My guess is that they do this to check out if a larger predator is on the kill. If you’re set up correctly, or better yet, have a buddy positioned slightly downwind, the fox should be fully committed and in range before it catches your scent.

Gray foxes don’t seem to be as sensitive to volume as are their red cousins, but I call them like red foxes. I’ll begin with low volume and then incrementally crank it up if I get no response. And I favor those same sounds I use with red foxes, mostly those sounds of smaller prey species.

Since I’m often hunting tight spaces for gray foxes, my 12-gauge typically gets the call to action. Better still, if I’m hunting with a buddy we sit together and one of us will pack in a shotgun while the other carries a petite centerfire — .17 Rem. Fireball being my favorite for this work. My calling sequence is similar to what I use for coyotes. I get on the call for about 20 to 30 seconds and then sit quietly for about a minute or more. I rarely stay put for more than 15 minutes before moving to the next stand. I’ve found that gray foxes usually respond quickly to the call and rarely show up after the 15-minute mark.

Chances are good that you’re an equal opportunity predator hunter — most of us are — and you relish those honey holes that produce a mixed bag of coyotes, foxes and bobcats. But it’s good to know that if you want to target one species over another, all it takes is a better understanding of how they interact and utilize the landscape where their territories overlap and a slight alteration in your tactics. Then you won’t have to wonder, “Who’s coming to dinner,” when you get on your favorite predator call.