There is nothing quite like watching the sun rise from a nice vantage point with the crisp breeze blowing on your face. Hunting at first light is my favourite time of the day to hit the fields. I like to walk in whilst it is still dark and make myself comfortable while the sun peeks over the horizon. My most successful stands usually revolve around finding an area where I can place myself up against a tree or a rocky outcrop where a fox can’t easily come in from behind. Once I find my spot I sit patiently for at least 10 minutes, this gives me time to glass around to ensure I have every chance possible to spot a fox that may already be in the area. Sitting quietly for a while also allows the bush to settle down, as often when walking in birds are alert to your presence and sound their alarm calls which foxes are all over.

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There are several signs I look for when initially glassing an area. The first thing I try to observe are the birds. More times than I can count on my hand birds have given away foxes. I have found nothing stinks more like a fox than a couple of magpies swooping down repetitively. Magpies love to swoop foxes and give them a bit of a touch up especially when they have babies in the nest.

If I’m a bit late to the stand, another great place to look is in amongst the rocks on a sunny hill side on a cold morning. Foxes love basking in the sun to get their core temperature up on a chilly day.

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My glassing setup

Now the fun begins , if I have unsuccessfully spotted any foxes skulking about it is time to bring out the tenterfield. I usually start off with a few quiet peeps for about 30 seconds to a minute then glass around. The first calls of the stand should not be too loud, every fox hunter I know has been too eager on the call on at least one occasion and sent a fox packing.

If all remains quiet it’s time to step up the loudness a touch, I generally call in bursts of 30 seconds or so with a two to three minute gap. It is important to try and sound realistic and not over the top. After 15 minutes or so I put away the caller if there has been no action and wait quietly for another 5 minutes or so. I have spooked far too many foxes being inpatient and noisy, packing up and moving on to the next stand.

So what are some of your early morning techniques that have paid off? feel free to comment by clicking on the blog title and scrolling to the bottom of the page.