484 
ILtInois NATURAL History SURVEY BULLETIN 
V ol.. 22, Arie 
Fig. 26—Good red fox range in the Ozark foothills, Hardin County, Shawnee National 
Forest. This is in the River Bluffs and Bottoms Region. 
Northwest Hills regions. In other regions 
both methods were employed about equal- 
ly, but with wide variations by years. For 
example, in the Black Prairie, trappers 
took only 14 per cent of the red foxes in 
1938-39, but 80 per cent the next year. A 
somewhat similar situation was noted in 
the River Bluffs and Bottoms Region. 
No attempt will be made here to give 
an account of fox hunting in Illinois. Its 
devotees are fully as enthusiastic as those 
who pursue the coon, and the chase itself 
is probably even more of a social event. 
Fox hunters are typically “crony” groups, 
often rivals in other walks of life but able 
to find common ground in baying dogs, 
camp fires, stimulants and stories. Fox 
hunting is one of the great American tra- 
ditions, and a diversion in which the recre- 
ational returns far outweigh any monetary 
value of the furs. Farmers and business 
men, rural and urban dwellers, make up 
the membership of practically all fox- 
hunting clubs. Fox hunts or fox drives, 
staged in daytime, are becoming very com- 
mon in the Black Prairie Region. 
Fox trapping is probably the best exam- 
ple of the trapper’s art. Few species are 
credited with more intelligence than foxes 
in avoiding traps, and years of experience 
seem to be necessary before a trapper ac- 
quires the status of a fox expert. Success- 
ful trappers use both baited and nonbaited 
sets. raps placed in trails, gaps in woven 
wire fences, on mounds overlooking some 
natural food or lure are often successful. 
When bait is employed, it is commonly 
buried around a stump or rock and traps 
placed in the freshly excavated soil. Many 
successful sets are made on or around old 
straw stacks. 
Fox hunters often strenuously oppose 
the use of traps for foxes, as well as other 
animals, because of the possibility of 
catching dogs. 
Management.—A few foxes “go a 
long way.” In farm communities there is 
more danger of red foxes becoming too 
numerous than of probably any other fur 
species. Since the population trend in I]li- 
nois during recent years has been upward, 
there is no need of protection beyond that 
normally accorded to other fur animals in 
this state. Indeed, it may become desirable 
to reduce local red fox populations, and 
increased hunting and trapping in season 
is the method recommended. We feel that 
bounties are not effective in control and 
that they may encourage bootlegging of 
fox furs and other undesirable practices. 
The destruction of adult foxes and pups 
during the summer months results in 
waste and should be discouraged except 
in cases where animals of known guilt are 
involved. 
For most years, an open season coincid- 
