September, 1943 
proportion decreased progressively south- 
ward, white weasels being rare in central 
I]linois. 
Management.—A season opening Dec. 
1 and closing Jan. 31 is satisfactory for 
maintaining the present long-tailed weasel 
population. 
Red Fox 
According to Bailey (1936), two varie- 
ties of the red fox occur in Illinois. These 
are the northern plains red fox, Vulpes 
fulva regalis Merriam, and the eastern 
red fox, Vulpes fulva fulva (Desmarest). 
The range of the two subspecies overlaps, 
particularly in the northern part of the 
state. Necker & Hatfield (1941) list only 
Vulpes fulva Desmarest. 
The red fox occurs throughout the 
state. In the seasons of the survey it 
ranked seventh in number of pelts and 
sixth in value, table 20. In 1938-39, the 
calculated catch was 10,674 pelts, worth 
$32,022; in 1939-40 it was 6,688 pelts, 
worth $18,392, table 13. These numbers 
represent only 0.76 per cent of the total 
fur catch over the 2-year period, table 20. 
During the first year, red fox pelts aver- 
aged about $3.00 each, and during the 
second, about $2.75 each, table 5, or about 
one-fourth of the 1924-29 value. 
Popularity.—In Illinois, the red fox 
is one of the most controversial fur ani- 
mals. Here, as elsewhere, it commands 
a great deal of public interest. In many 
southern Illinois localities, it is regarded 
highly as a sporting animal, and in many 
northern parts of the state it is vigorously 
condemned as a pest. Because of its mice- 
and rabbit-destroying tendencies, it is 
looked upon with favor by orchardists 
in the southern zone, where it has had 
the legal status of most other fur animals. 
In the northern zone, it was unprotected 
in both years of the survey and might be 
hunted and killed at any time. Several 
counties in the northern zone recently 
offered bounties of $2 for adults and $1 
for pups. In the central zone, the red 
fox was protected in 1939-40 but not in 
1938-39. Due to increasing numbers, red 
foxes are in many parts of the state grow- 
ing in popularity with day hunters who 
may “walk them up” or hunt them with 
dogs. 
Farmers and upland game hunters dis- 
Brown & YEAGER: SURVEY OF FuR ReEsourRCE 481 
like the red fox because of its actual and 
alleged depredations on poultry, quails 
and pheasants. On the other hand, in cer- 
tain southern localities, the activities of 
fox-hunting clubs over a period of many 
years have instilled in the public mind a 
respect for the species. In such localities, 
persons of differing opinion act and ex- 
press themselves privately ; and trappers in 
such communities do not readily report 
their fox catches. 
Of the answers received from fur-takers 
contacted in the two seasons of the survey, 
a total of 239 favored more and 78 favored 
fewer red foxes. Non-fur-takers are 
known to be emphatic in their opposition 
to more red foxes. In comparison with the 
attitude toward the mink and muskrat, this 
degree of unpopularity may be considered 
an indictment against the species. Most 
fur-takers and all trappers valued the red 
fox in terms of income and desired to see 
it protected during months of the year in 
which its fur is of no value. It is apparent 
that the species suffers through lack of 
accurate, widespread knowledge concern- 
ing its food habits. Under present con- 
ditions it happens too often that the harm 
foxes do lives on, while their beneficial 
traits go unnoticed and unknown. 
Damage and Control.— Complaints 
concerning the loss to foxes of small pigs, 
as well as poultry and game birds, are 
frequently heard. During the survey, 
many complaints involving fox depreda- 
tions on chickens were received. It was, 
however, difficult to obtain specific cases 
of extensive damage. Some farmers and 
many sportsmen advised that they killed 
foxes at every opportunity; other farmers 
thought highly of fox-hunting clubs in 
the belief that they kept the foxes off their 
property. 
In appraising actual damage, it seems 
safe to state that foxes take poultry, and 
to a lesser degree pigs, rather generally 
over the state, but only in a very few cases 
are the animals a serious menace to poul- 
try or stock raising. The predation of 
foxes on game birds has been studied only 
locally, and is subject to so many variables 
that no statewide evaluation of this con- 
troversial issue can be made. In one 
Michigan locality, Dearborn (1932) 
found that mammals, chiefly rabbits and 
mice, made up over 40 per cent of the 
summer food of red foxes in 1930 and 
