Pistols and Predators

Gary with his Ruger Single 7. He considers the gun his new favorite for predator hunting.

As a youngster, my heroes were Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey and Rex Allen. Saturday mornings you had the choice of these great cowboy actors as well as The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Rin Tin Tin, and Sky King. Chances were pretty good there would be gun play, though no one would be seriously hurt, and just enough to put the bad guys in jail where they belonged. I grew up with six guns strapped on my narrow hips, a feeling I’ve never outgrown.

The desire to shoot handguns is part of my genetic makeup. My Great Uncle Baz Outlaw was a Texas Ranger in the late 1800s and was considered to have been one of the greatest “pistoleros” in the Old West. While no one doubted Uncle Baz’s dexterity with a handgun, he did not always make the best decisions, as documented by Bob Alexander in the book he wrote about Baz, entitled “Whiskey River Ranger.”

I began carrying a handgun for ’coon hunting when I was 15 years old when a gentleman driving by my house saw one of my hound pups. He made a U-turn on FM 2200 and stopped to inquire if the pup was for sale. I think I had three walker pups left from that litter, so I told him I might sell him. He pulled a Ruger Single Six with interchangeable .22 rimfire and .22WMR cylinders out from under his seat to see if I would trade even. My response was, “Do you want the collar left on him or not?”

I never was very accurate with that Single Six with the fixed iron sights, but I was an excellent tree climber. After I missed a shot or two from the ground on a treed ’coon, I would climb up within shooting range and finish the job. About 10 years ago, my weapon of choice when calling gray fox became a handgun. The Ruger Single Nine, .22 WMR with the adjustable sights and 6.5inch barrel is extremely accurate and a revolver that I’m comfortable shooting at a fox-sized target out to 40 yards. There’s an excellent population of gray foxes across the Hill Country and Edwards Plateau, anywhere there’s not a healthy population of coyotes, for coyotes eat foxes. When targeting gray fox, I enjoy going light with just a handgun and hand calls, such as the Mini Blaster. However, I’ve found that I’m much more successful when using an electronic caller to keep the fox’s attention directed at something other than me. It’s difficult to draw and secure the target without being detected when you’re the source of the sound. Using a decoy will also help to keep the fox’s attention away from the shooter. I use a decoy as simple as a turkey tail feather tied to a 1⁄8-inch fiberglass rod with lightweight monofilament line. The slightest breeze will cause the feather to move and get the fox’s attention. It’s fairly common for the aggressive little critter to attack and bite the feather. Unfortunately, a fox that’s totally fooled by the authenticity of the sound and motion stimuli of the decoy can be a difficult target for the handgunner. A

fox that’s totally fooled doesn’t hold still as it darts in and out, attempting to catch its prey. When this happens, the hunter has one of two options. Sit still and wait until the fox tires and be-

gins to lose interest. The fox will stand still, staring at the decoy and caller as it tries to understand why it can’t eat something that sounds and looks so good.

The other option to get the target to hold still is to make a squeaking sound with a call or sucking on your lip. While this practice is generally effective to make the fox stop and search for the sound in the direction away from the caller, it may not make him hold still for very long. It may cause the fox to move directly to you, which is a terrible target, or may cause the critter to spook from seeing the hunter. At any rate, be sure you’re prepared to take the shot almost as soon as you squeak.

While I’m a traditionalist and usually shoot with iron sights, I’ve found the Trijicon RMR sights are excellent for the calling game. The small dot takes a lot of the guess work out of acquiring your target because it doesn’t cover most of the target area as the iron sights do.

On a recent hunt, I traded my Single Nine .22 WMR for a Ruger 57. The 5.7x28mm is loaded in a couple of different ballistic tip bullets, a 27-grain and a 40-grain Hornady V-Max bullet. I prefer the 40-grain bullet because it shoots more accurately out

of my 57 and packs a heavy punch. I killed a wild boar hog that weighed over 200 pounds at 35 steps when I shot him square in the shoulder. I was shocked when the hog fell in his tracks, attempted to get up but couldn’t, and died in a matter of seconds.

Perhaps my new favorite predator calling handgun is the Ruger Single Seven. The Single Seven is a revolver that will shoot the .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum or the .327 Federal Magnum. For predators such as fox, bobcats and coyotes, I prefer the .32 H&R Magnum because I will not attempt shots past 50 yards. Again, this is another handgun that can be much more lethal with the addition of a Trijicon RMR sight.

If you want to put a challenge into calling predators, especially gray fox, strap on your favorite sidearm. It can be a pretty humbling experience.

By the way, who was your favorite singing cowboy? Mine was Rex Allen who was also the voice on so many of the great Walt Disney films.

A simple feather draws the attention of a fox, and helps keep its attention off the hunter.