468 
lumber would cost probably $2 each; if 
constructed from state-owned timber they 
could be made at a lower cost. Good 
cypress den boxes, with some maintenance, 
would last at least 10 years, giving an 
annual cost of 20 cents each, plus upkeep 
expense. Artificial dens should be erected 
well off roads, substantially fastened in or 
above the first crotch of the largest trees 
available, and probably they should be 
placed near water. A box design bringing 
the entrance hole close to the tree trunk 
permits easy access. 
Boxes similar to the raccoon den just de- 
scribed are known to be readily used by 
opossums, squirrels and certain cavity- 
nesting birds. Such boxes on the Urbana 
Township Wildlife Area are being used 
by raccoons; the closest timber is about 
2 miles away. Honeybees and other in- 
sects also make appreciable use of these 
boxes. Work necessitated by pre-emption 
of these forms would be a major item of 
the maintenance cost. If this and similar 
work could be done by sportsmen’s clubs, 
upkeep cost would be low. 
Raccoon laws, in view of the conflicting 
interests of hunters and trappers, are difh- 
cult to formulate. The writers believe 
that, as a principle, the enactment of laws 
favoring either of the groups at the ex- 
pense of the other would be unwise, and 
that both groups have rights that should 
be considered in laws regulating capture 
of this popular species. “Trappers, in gen- 
eral, take the animals as a means of live- 
lihood; hunters, in general, take them as 
a means of sport. Since it is obviously im- 
possible to satisfy completely both groups, 
we recommend a uniform trapping and 
fur-hunting season on all species, opening 
Dec. 1 and closing Jan. 31. It is realized 
that the raccoon season opening Dec. 1 
would operate against both hunters and 
trappers, because raccoons hibernate dur- 
ing cold weather which often comes, espe- 
cially in northern Illinois, during Decem- 
ber. However, the present low raccoon 
population justifies a reduced catch, and in 
time this season would benefit both groups. 
The summer training of coon dogs 1s 
another delicate, but rather important, 
point in the making of raccoon regulations. 
The writers are of the opinion that any 
disturbance of raccoons, such as that caused 
by summer training, is undesirable if only 
the welfare of the species is considered. 
Iutino1is NATURAL History SURVEY BULLETIN 
Vol. 22; Arte 
However, coon dog breeders and trainers 
have a considerable investment, and the 
business provides a livelihood, wholly or 
in part, for several hundred people in 
the state. Just laws should take these 
facts into consideration. The 1941-42 law 
permitted the hunting of raccoons for the’ 
purpose of dog training from Aug. 15 
through March 31. We believe that, for 
the best interests of all concerned, these 
dates should be changed to Sept. 15 and 
Jan. 31, since the first date would permit 
young raccoons to attain greater size and 
maturity, and the second would largely 
prevent interference with breeding, as 1s 
possible under the March 31 closing law. 
Even the law as proposed has one bad 
feature, that of tempting hunters to take 
illegally more or less prime furs from the 
first of November until the season opens. 
An alternative is to close this period to 
dog training. 
Raccoons are commonly taken in traps 
set for almost any Illinois furbearer, a 
condition that precludes practical trapping 
laws favoring this species, even if such 
laws were fair and desirable. It would, of 
course, be possible to close the entire state 
or given parts thereof to all coon hunting 
and trapping for a year or two, with pro- 
visions for releasing raccoons unavoidably 
taken in traps. Such a law would involve 
complications in law enforcement, in the 
release of severely injured animals, and 
in the utilization or waste of raccoons 
drowned after being taken in traps. At 
best this law is in the category of “last 
resort.” It would be far more desirable 
to institute a vigorous campaign of habitat 
restoration involving protection of den 
trees, erection of artificial dens, develop- 
ment of water resources, protection of 
areas against fire and overgrazing and, 
where needed, liberation of a moderate 
number of artificially reared raccoons. 
These provisions, plus the shortened trap- 
ping and dog training seasons proposed, 
should offer a slow but effective means 
of restoring naturally both the population 
and the habitat. 
The effectiveness of complete protec- 
tion of raccoons on given areas as a restora- 
tion measure should not go unmentioned. 
The writers know of three areas in which - 
little management other than complete 
protection has resulted in the building up 
of very high raccoon populations. ‘These 
