September, 1943 
ing their status. “These species are the 
badger, coyote, otter, beaver and bobcat. 
The house cat, abundant in every com- 
munity, is of little importance in the fur 
trade. In several instances, especially for 
the otter, beaver and bobcat, the survey 
was supplemented by special investigation 
by the senior author and others. 
Muskvat* 
The muskrat, taken in all Illinois coun- 
ties and common to practically all north- 
ern and many southern aquatic habitats 
in the state, represented over 68 per cent 
of the calculated total fur catch for the 
two seasons of the survey, table 20. For 
the season of 1938-39, the calculated catch 
was 884,395 muskrats, worth $707,456; 
and for 1939-40, it was 664,831 muskrats, 
worth $664,831, table 6. Muskrat furs, 
therefore, represented a sizable business, 
centered mainly in the northern half of 
Illinois and operated for the most part 
by older, experienced trappers. Income 
is practically the sole incentive for taking 
muskrats, whereas with several other IIli- 
nois furbearers sport is partly responsible 
for the take. “he state’s muskrat crop, 
although largely unmanaged and _ indis- 
criminately harvested, continues to pro- 
vide all or part of the winter livelihood 
of 20,000 or more persons, many of whom 
are heads of families. 
In Illinois, the muskrat has demonstrat- 
ed marked ability to withstand trapping 
and environmental losses, probably because 
of its high reproductive potential. Simple 
management practices would undoubtedly 
result in a greater return from muskrats. 
Popularity Among Illinois fur-tak- 
ers the muskrat was the third most pop- 
ular and sought-for species. In 1938-39, 
312 of the trappers questioned desired 
more and 7 fewer; in 1939-40, 326 want- 
ed more and 2 wanted fewer. Only the 
raccoon and mink were more highly re- 
garded. A number of reasons account for 
the muskrat’s popularity, chief of which 
are relative abundance, ease of trapping 
and handling, and the comparative value 
of the fur. 
Damage and Control.—The total of 
9 fur-takers who opposed an increase in 
the muskrat population were motivated by 
*The scientific names of fur animals mentioned in this 
paper are listed facing the contents page. 
Brown & YEAGER: SURVEY OF Fur REsourRCcE 
453 
damage done in some instances to corn- 
fields, ditches and tiles. Loss from such 
damage may be appreciable, especially 
where the destruction of dams and plug- 
ging of ditches is involved. Errington 
(1938) has shown that income from musk- 
rat pelts outweighs the damage done by 
the animals to crops, including value of 
labor and equipment. An annual fur in- 
come of approximately $30 per mile of 
ditch was reported (Yeager 19435) in 
Champaign County; more than 90 per 
cent of this was derived from muskrats. 
Four farmer-trappers in Champaign Coun- 
ty in 1938-39 took 634 muskrats from 8 
miles of drainage ditches. The pelts were 
worth $507.20, or $63.40 per linear mile. 
‘This income is in excess of the value of 
any damage incurred. ‘The ditches in- 
volved were better than average as musk- 
rat habitat, but crop damage is generally 
proportional to muskrat density, and other 
ditches would show both a lower degree 
of damage and a lower fur income. In 
any case, the fur income could be expected 
to exceed the value of crop losses. 
In the Black Prairie and to a lesser 
degree in the Northwestern Sand Prairie, 
farmers who trap or lease trapping rights 
consider the loss of corn due to muskrat 
damage a part of the cost in producing 
the fur crop. Farmers who see the loss 
in the light of a needless waste make more 
or less effective efforts to keep their ditches 
free of muskrats. 
The control of muskrats under condi- 
tions where their presence is definitely 
destructive is not well discussed by any 
one writer. Dams can be protected by 
covering them with galvanized poultry 
wire of l-inch mesh, or, in some cases, 
damage can be prevented by building the 
dams with slopes so slight that burrowing 
is discouraged. A slope of at least 7 or 8 
to | is necessary to discourage burrowing, 
and is, of course, impractical in most 
instances. Ditches can be protected by 
leaving an uncultivated strip 8 or 10 feet 
wide along each side. Planted to shrubs 
and unpastured, such strips make excellent 
game coverts in addition to being resistant 
to caving such as is sometimes caused by 
muskrat burrows. Ditches with sides 
sloped at the time of construction are 
resistant to caving. “The writers believe 
that the most practical control is trapping 
during the open season, the amount of 
