my .243 100 yards at a fox in some willows. man i was mad. what should i have done? shoot or just wait? does anyone think he will be back?

If you were calling, simply changing tunes will often bring the fox back. They are not that afraid of the noise of gunfire and can sometimes be brought back during the same calling session.

Go ahead and play it safe, though, and give him a couple days and try again. The territory of a grey (I am just guessing it was a grey though you did not mention it in your post) is not very large at all.

As to the decision of shooting or waiting, that is something you must answer for yourself. If you had a good shot presentation and were confident in your ability to place the bullet where it needs to be, there's no need to wait. I always try and take the first good opportunity I am presented with.

No i was shooting at a red. nice big male. at least i thaught. i had a good shot but i think i flinched and pulled right. he left... of course in a big hurry and ran about 200 yards and then to my amazement straight up a rock face!! damdest thing ive ever seen! didnt even disturb the turkey and deer he ran through. i thaught i hit him but turns out he fell on the ice.

I agree with Bobby (what a surprise). Go back and call him in again. Red's are more cautious, but you should be able to call him back in without too much trouble now that you know where he lives. Foxes seem to like "busy" sounds and continuous calling. You can also use a low tech decoy to help you. I really like the "turkey feather on a stick". Burnham Brothers and Predator Sniper both have them. The BB decoy is on a thinner stick and will go into harder ground. I have both. You can also just put some fishing line on a turkey feather and hang it from a tree or bush.

Good Hunting,

Bob

You should have waited. No, the fox will not be back.