September, 1943 
bringing to record about 2,400 fur-hunters 
who had previously reported neither them- 
selves as fur-takers nor the amount of their 
catches. The number of reporting fur- 
hunters rose from a previous annual high 
of 15 per cent of the reporting fur-takers 
(about 1,500 individuals) in 1936-37 to 
30 per cent (about 3,900 individuals) in 
1937-38. 
The sixth change in the code, in force 
beginning with the 1939-40 — season, 
plugged another loophole by providing 
that each unlicensed, as well as licensed, 
trapper must tag all of his traps (Illinois 
State Department of Conservation 1939). 
38 
36 
34 
32 
NO DATA 
I93I1- 1933 
I929 1930 
EVERY FUR-TAKER OPERATING EVERY FUR-TAKER 
OFF LAND ON WHICH HE 
RESIDES MUST HAVE EITHER 
TRAPPING OR HUNTING 
LICENSE. NEED NOT REPORT 
CATCH IF USING HUNTING 
LICENSE. 
Monr: Furpearer DistripuUTION AND INCOME 
CATCH. EVERY LICENSED 
TRAPPER MUST TAG TRAPS. 
509 
This provision apparently was responsible 
for much of the numerical difference be- 
tween the 12,810 fur-takers licensed dur- 
ing the 1938-39 season and the 16,615 
licensed during the 1939-40 season, and 
for the reduction in the ratio of unlicensed 
to licensed trappers. It brought to record 
probably about 4,000 trappers who the 
previous year had not been recorded. 
With the six changes in the law men- 
tioned above, the number of licensed trap- 
pers increased from 9,815 in 1936-37 to 
a calculated 16,615 in 1939-40, an in- 
crease of 6,800, indicating that if these 
changes had not been made the ratio of 
ESTIMATED TOTAL 
NUMBER OF FUR- 
TAKERS. 
ESTIMATED NUMBER 
OF FUR=TRAPPERS 
REQUIRED BY LAW 
TO BUY LICENCES. 
ESTIMATED NUMBER 
OF FURHUNTERS 
REQUIRED BY LAW 
TO BUY LICENCES. 
NUMBER OF LICENSED 
FUR =TAKERS, 
1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 
ees ee 
EVERY 
OPERATING OFF LAND ON rrappeR 
WHICH HE RESIDES MUST 
HAVE FUR-TAKERS’ had 
LICENSE AND REPORT TAG 
TRAPS 
Fig. 2—Graph showing the number of licensed fur-takers, estimated number of fur-hunters 
required by law to buy licenses, estimated number of fur-trappers required by law to buy 
licenses, and estimated total number of fur-takers for eight trapping seasons included in the 
Present study. Each trapping season is indicated by only one date; for instance, the trapping 
Season of 1929-30 is represented by the date 1929. The graph illustrates the effect of changes 
in the code. 
