The Value of Red Fox For 



Red Fox Hunting 



The value of red fox fui is governed primarily 

 by fashion. If long-haired furs are not in style, 

 little or no market for fur of the red fox can be ex- 

 pected. In recent years, red fox pelts have been 

 purchased by fur dealers and brokers but at very 

 low prices. These purchases have been made not 

 because there has been a demand on the market 

 but because a few dealers and brokers have been 

 willing to speculate on the future prospects for 

 this fur. Large numbers of red fox pelts are being 

 held in storage houses all over the country (letter 

 of August 26, 1953, from J. F. Staudt, Hudson's 

 Bay Company, New York). 



It seems virtually impossible to determine 

 the monetary value of the red fox fur crop in the 

 United States. Many of the records maintained by 

 states fail to distinguish between red foxes and 

 gray foxes, and there are apparently no other read- 

 ily available figures on the catch. Ashbrook (1948: 

 2) has estimated that between 900,000 and 

 1,000,000 foxes were taken each year in the 

 United States for the 5 or 10 years preceding 1948. 

 This estimate does not reveal the number that 

 were red foxes. 



When the fur of red foxes again becomes 

 fashionable, trapping pressure will increase, prob- 

 ably in proportion to the price level. The demand 

 will tend to meet and possibly exceed the harvest- 

 able surplus. The overpopulation problem will 

 probably be solved and possibly replaced by the 

 problem of controlling the take at a desirable level. 



The Esthetic Value of Red Foxes 



A few outdoorsmen, some who hunt and some 

 who do not, enjoy an appreciation of the esthetic 

 values of the red fox. The simple act of observing 

 a red fox in the field is a notable event. And the 

 observation of a red fox hunting mice in a meadow 

 or of a litter of pups playing at a den adds some- 

 thing very special to a day in the field. The trac- 

 ery of tracks marking the doings of this fox in the 

 winter snow is intriguing in itself and leaves a 

 feeling of well-being with those who sense that 

 something is lacking in a nature without foxes. 



The secretive nature of the red fox tends to 

 make realization of its esthetic values difficult. 

 It seems almost certain, however, that esthetic ap- 

 preciation will come to anyone who is enough of 

 an outdoorsman to make an effort to observe and 

 become familiar with the animal. 



The economic value of fox hunting involves a 

 consideration of the various forms in which it is 

 practiced. In general, there are two schools of 

 thought on fox hunting: (1) that in which the fox is 

 pursued by hounds principally for the thrill of the 

 chase and (2) that in which the primary goal is the 

 death of the fox. 



Fox hunting for the chase is one of the oldest 

 forms of sport hunting in America. Early records 

 indicate that it was commonly practiced by the 

 gentlemen farmers of colonial times. History re- 

 cords that George Washington maintained hunters 

 and a pack of fox hounds. Washington's diary con- 

 tains somewhat detailed accounts of his fox hunts. 



Through the years, several breeds of fox 

 hounds have been painstakingly developed for the 

 chase. Walker, July, Trumbo, Trigg, and Birdsong 

 have become familiar names to the American fox 

 hunter. 



Few sports enjoy a following which has 

 greater enthusiasm and loyalty than that associ- 

 ated with fox hunting for the chase, either mounted 

 or dismounted. To some, it is not merely a sport; 

 it is virtually the manifestation of a way of life 

 attended by a rigid code of ethics. 



While estimates of the monetary worth of hunt- 

 ing are exasperating in their lack of preciseness, 

 perhaps such estimates as are available may aid 

 in measuring the importance of fox hunting for the 

 chase. L. F. Gingery (letter of March 21, 1952), 

 editor of the Red Ranger, a journal for fox hunters, 

 estimates that approximately 200,000 people and 

 800,000 hounds are engaged in this sport. These 

 figures do not include persons and hounds engaged 

 in the more formal sport associated with the or- 

 ganized Hunts. The average value of a fox hound 

 on the currently advertised market is about $40. 

 Thus, estimates indicate that fox hounds valued 

 at about $32,000,000 are now being used in this 

 sport. Replies to a recently circulated question- 

 naire indicate that the cost of feeding a hound for 

 one year is at least $40 (letter of August 25, 1953, 

 from Gilbert Mather, of Philadelphia, member of the 

 Masters of Foxhounds Association of America). 

 Based on this figure, the annual cost of feeding 

 the 800,000 fox hounds is $32,000,000. There is 

 an additional investment in veterinary fees and 

 such equipment as dog collars, kennels, and trail- 

 ers for transporting the hounds. Probably at least 

 half of the fox hunters engaged in this sport attend 



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