152 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



authority for stating that the period of gestation is "about 

 three months," but W. B. Graham of Winn parish, who has 

 bred them in captivity, says this period is 63 days, "the 

 same as a dog." 



This fox is a clever hunter and feeds on almost every- 

 thing that haunts the forest — birds, small mammab, in- 

 sects, reptiles, berries, mushrooms, acorns. When the 

 young are old enough they are taught the ways of the wild 

 by the parents, for the gray foxes, like other members of 

 the dog family, are devoted to their offspring and the 

 family remains together until the young are old enough to 

 care for themselves. 



The thin bark of the fox, or "yap," which is heard mostly 

 in the early spring months, is a mating call. This fox seems 

 to well deserve its title of "tree fox," for it has a marked 

 ability to climb to the upper branches of small trees, but 

 it usually performs this feat only when chased by dogs. 

 Swift and tireless when running, the gray fox can lead 

 the dogs a merry chase, and because of the sport involved 

 his pelt and brush are eagerly sought by the fox hunters of 

 the state. 



The gray fox is not particularly valuable for its fur, 

 but quite a few are caught every winter by the trappers, 

 as the catch ranges from S50 to 500. Its coat of gray hair 

 and underfur is not to be compared with the much finer red 

 fox, nor does it equal any of the red fox's color phases — 

 black, silver, or cross fox. The tail or brush of the gray 

 fox is much coarser than the red fox, and is not as highly 

 prized as a trophy. 



The highland and timbered regions of the state provide 

 suitable habitat for this member of Louisiana's fur animal 

 family, it being entirely absent from the coastal marshes 

 and the wetter swamp lands. The Parish of Allen seems 

 to lend in the production of fox pelts, with Bienville and 

 Rapides second and third respectively. Assumption, Caddo, 

 Bossier, Calcasieu, De Soto, Franklin, Grant, Natchitoches, 

 Sabine, Union, Vernon, West Feliciana, and Winn are only 

 a few of the parishes where the gray fox roams and where 

 native trappers take his pelt for fur purposes . 



