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.
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.