Foxing call question

[Longstrider]

I was out late last night hoping to get a fox in the lamp and make a hole in it on the request of a sheep farmer concerned about his lambs. From his house he had heard foxes calling for the last 2 nights. The calls were coming "From over by the railway", but he has also seen foxes coming right up to the farmyard from that direction at al hours recently.
Now, the railway is a disused line that effectively acts as the boundary of his land and has a good sized embankment that serves as a lovely safe backstop for all shots in that direction within the 'Railway Field'. I set myself up against a hedge in the Railway Field looking out towards the old line and waited. And waited, and waited.

At about 9:30pm the calling began and I could clearly identify at least 3 different calls and locations, BUT, they were all coming from at least 2 (very big) fields beyond the railway, (about 3/4 of a mile at least away from me) over by a strip of woodland that backs onto the small market town nearby.

Now here's the question .... Would you have put the caller on and used a fox call ? Would you have put the caller on and used a different call (Distressed Rat is a personal go-to), or would you have stayed silent and waited to see if any of them came your way ?

I'll tell you what I did once we have an answer or three

 

[Ranger22]

After a recent trip out on the foxes. I’d use a pheasant distress call. I spooked a cock bird and let rip and the fox I had been stalking into, came running in. Other than that I’d use a dogdown call or stalk into where the foxes were

 

[Nickb]

I'd have used my Foxpro using cub distress call.
Working well at the minute

 

[Foxyboy43]

What is the likely principal source of their food? Identify it and mimic it.

PS
Just a thought - are you sure there are not 2 or 3 other lads out on neighbouring lands…. err……all using fox calls….

 

[Longstrider]

Definitely no shooting going on where the calls were coming from, but I can see the thinking

FYI .. I left the caller in my bucket seat and sat tight. Within the hour I had 2 foxes 'permanently asleep' in the field in front of me

 

[Bo Diddley]

I don't use my electronic caller a great deal. Fox numbers are fairly low around me (unfortunately) if I can it's walk & stalk, or shooting over bait, if I spy one some distance away I may use a mouth call, always FoxCalls mouse squeaker, it's the only one I carry anymore.

 

[KRW]

Got one in from a field away earlier last week with the fox pro caller and distressed rabbit call,
had one last night with mouth call after being stood quiet for above two hours and giving it a go before packing up.

If they are constantly feeding young then I suspect they will go for the easy option rather than spend time travelling and hunting and as such will thow a little caution to the wind where they may usually be a little more wary.

Another week or two and the cub distress call will be in use, I had two run in to the call from different ends of a 40 acre field last year within a minute of turning it on but only managed to bag the first one in.

90% of the year I dont use a caller, just sit and wait