In early October when it begins to get cold and the first snow starts to fall, predator hunting starts here in the Arctic. About the time the ocean begins to freeze and the daylight starts to disappear my 10-year-old-son Eli and I head to the beach to do some predator calling. It's become a tradition.

I started taking Eli when he was 5 and he truly enjoys it. Not quite ready for the big animals of Alaska or anywhere for that matter, predator calling in my opinion is the perfect way to introduce a kid to hunting.

We have a ton of predators in our area, especially here along the northwest coast of Alaska. The high banks and clay walls, plus the dense willow provide excellent cover for both the hunter and hunted. In addition the snowshoe hare are abundant thus making it a predator and a predator-caller's dream.

Last fall we headed down the beach on the ATV hoping to have a chance at a Red Fox. Red Fox are numerous in our area and can found roaming the high banks along the coast. We climbed a high bank and set up our Johnny Stewart Prey Master using a distressed rabbit as our go to call. Immediately we had this big red fox come flying over the top looking for that rabbit. It happened so fast we didn't have time to get the rifle up. He took one look at us and was gone deep into the willow and out of sight.

We then moved down the beach and set-up again. Calling in intervals and then waiting to see what happened Eli was ready this time. It wasn't long when this extra large red "boy" came bounding over the top. He didn't make it very far. My son was so excited to take such a big fox.

Long seasons and plenty of places to call make this area a hunter's dream. The beach area is usually our first stop, but we also set up along creeks and willow thickets all across the tundra. We may not kill something each and every time, but we always have something come to the call and the action is fast and furious. For us it's about as exciting as it gets.

We have also called in Lynx using this method and even have had wolves come close, but never in for a shot.

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