Chasing foxes by foot often requires early morning starts when the temperature is below zero. There are many items that are essential on a fox hunt and when it’s cold my Jetboil MiniMo is one of those items.

Nothing warms the soul and increases enthusiasm like a warm beverage on a freezing cold day. Just warming my hands around a toasty cup of tea or coffee can enthuse me to stay out in the elements that little bit longer and call in that pesky fox that is troubling the farmer.

The MiniMo does add a bit a weight to the day pack but for what it provides it is well worth making the space. Heating up something as simple as two minute noodles or a back country meal is priceless when it’s cold.

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Foxes can be taken with a variety of cartridges ranging from the humble and effective .22LR up to some of the largest centrefires and anything in between. I have four cartridges that I like to use and select them accordingly based on the situation at hand.

17HMR

I select the hummer when hunting in close proximity to dwellings to keep the noise down. The light weight projectile is also less susceptible to ricochete than the .22LR and provides a bit more range and versatility. The HMR does however suffer from wind drift when it gets a bit blowy and to remain ethical I stick to shots under 100 yards.

204 Ruger

The flat shooting 204 is my goto caliber when spotlighting . Its flat shooting trajectory makes it simple to place shoots out to 200 yards and beyond. Sending a fast hard hitting 32gn or 40gn projectile with little to no recoil is devastating on foxes.

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308 Winchester

The trusty 308 Winchester is one of the most versatile cartridges for most Australian game. It is certainly overkill on foxes however when shooting in gusty large open hills where wind drift is an issue the 308 can get the job done. There are of course flatter  cartridges available like the 6.5 creedmoor or 25-06 Remington, however I have none of these in my safe at this stage.

12 Gauge

The trusty shotgun comes in handy in the thick stuff or especially when you take a buddy along to your stands. Having a centrefire and shotgun shooter is the best combination for close and long shots and covers all bases. I like to use an under and over with two different loads. In the top barrel I run an Elley AAA which provides a bit more range, in the bottom a trusty Winchester super-x BB for closer shots or as a second go if the AAA’s don’t connect.

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It’s the cliche old question, what should I take in my pack for a day or night fox hunt? Due to the fact that I do most of my fox hunting on foot day or night, my pack is usually pretty full. I like to have most things on hand if possible within reason, however I cull items if i find they don’t get used within a couple of trips.

Here is my basic list:

• Medium size pack
• 1.5 litre water bladder
• 10×42 vortex binoculars
• Basic first aid kit (bandages, panadol, trauma bandage, latex gloves, spare plastic bags)
• Rain coat
• Hat
• GPS
• Fixed blade knife
• Drop point folder (spyderco delica 4)
• Rifle mounted torch
• Handheld torch
• Head torch
• Spare batteries for torches and GPS
• Various fox whistles
• Poo tickets
• Cigarette lighter
• Fire starter (flint rod)
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