following a fox trail and ringing a dinner bell. He 

 is accompanied at a distance by another hunter 

 who attempts to shoot any fox curious enough to 

 come within range. 



Perhaps the greatest degree of stamina and 

 woodsmanship is required by those who trail foxes 

 on a good tracking snow with the objective of ma- 

 neuvering within shooting range of the animals. 

 Sometimes fox drives are conducted which involve 

 the participation of large numbers of hunters. The 

 group participation made possible in such fox 

 drives is enjoyed by many hunters, but this kind 

 of hunting is not always accepted by landowners. 



Thus, there are many interesting and novel 

 ways in which foxes may be hunted. However, the 

 sport of fox hunting obviously needs more partic- 

 ipants if the annual surplus is to be removed. Fox 

 management should include a program for the en- 

 couragement of this sport. It is a kind of hunting 

 which, if practiced in a sportsmanlike manner, 

 tests skill and stamina to a high degree and pro- 

 vides opportunities for outdoor activity over a long 

 season. It holds possibilities for reducing fox num- 

 bers to levels that result in healthier populations. 

 It also directs the attention of sportsmen away 

 from the false hopes of larger game populations 

 through fox destruction to the more wholesome at- 

 titude of a new opportunity for expanding the hunt- 

 ing recreation through utilization of the fox re- 

 source. 



Conclusions 



An attempt at appraisal of red fox values en- 

 counters a disconcerting array of points of view. 

 It seems evident, nevertheless, that the inherent 

 economic worth of the red fox is something more 

 than that which has been appreciated by the public. 



An appraisal of the economic position of the 

 red fox leads to the following conclusions: 



1. The red fox has demonstrated a remarkable 

 ability to survive in a hostile environment and at 

 times has reproduced so efficiently as to become 

 too numerous for its own best interests. 



2. As a predator, it seldom exerts important 

 pressures on wild prey, and the poultryman could 

 minimize losses to chickens by following recom- 

 mended poultry husbandry practices. 



3. The red fox, in times of overpopulation, is 

 among the important vectors of rabies. It seems 

 likely that management practices designed to main- 

 tain red fox populations at reasonable levels would 

 minimize the occurrence of rabies epizootics in 

 this species. 



4. The bounty system, as applied to the red 

 fox, is wasteful and fails to accomplish its in- 

 tended purpose. 



5. The value of red fox fur is unstable be- 

 cause it is dependent upon fashion. 



6. This fox possesses an esthetic worth that 

 is appreciated by some outdoorsmen and would be 

 more widely appreciated if more came to know it. 



7. The values of the red fox to sport hunting 

 are diverse and not fully exploited, and these 

 values are of more constant worth than those de- 

 rived from its fur. 



The economic position of the red fox could be 

 greatly improved through the following remedial 

 adjustments: 



1. The encouragement of an increased use of 

 red foxes for sport hunting, including the removal 

 of surplus animals in areas where killing by hunt- 

 ers is now considered unethical. The objective 

 here would be the expansion of an underdeveloped 

 field of sport hunting and the prevention of exces- 

 sive population build-ups. 



2. The education of those who hope for in- 

 creased small game populations through fox ex- 

 termination campaigns to the more concrete and 

 lasting results that may be expected from habitat 

 improvement programs. On most areas, small game 

 populations can be increased by providing a better 

 distribution of protective cover near nesting places 

 and sources of food. 



3. The elimination of bounty payments on 

 red foxes. 



4. The enactment and enforcement of more 

 effective antirabies laws, especially as applied 

 to the compulsory vaccination and quarantine of 

 domestic dogs, and prompt reduction by organized 

 trapping of red fox populations in which rabies 

 epizootics occur. 



5. The increased attention by game managers 

 to the proper management of the red fox resource 

 in general, including assistance with the cropping 

 of surplus animals in areas where adequate crop- 

 ping has not been accomplished by hunters. 



Acknowledgments 



While the writer is grateful to many people for 

 aid in making this evaluation of the red fqx, spe- 

 cial acknowledgment is due James S. Ayars of the 

 Illinois Natural History Survey, Dr. W. J. Hamilton, 

 Jr., of Cornell University, Dr. Paul L. Errington 

 of Iowa State College, Dr. W. D. Klimstra of South- 

 ern Illinois University, and Gilbert Mather, Phila- 

 delphia, member of the Masters of Foxhounds As- 



14 



