September, 1943 
Mour: FurBEARER DISTRIBUTION AND INCOME 
523 
Fig. 14—An immature red fox taken in Champaign County, 1942. 
red fox catch outnumbered the gray fox 
catch by substantial numbers. Leopold 
(1931) indicates that, when he made a 
game survey of Illinois, many times more 
ted foxes than gray were caught in Jo 
Daviess, Stephenson and Carroll counties, 
where gray foxes are relatively common. 
It is estimated that during the period of 
this study ending in 1939-40 about 7,500 
red foxes were caught annually in Illinois, 
table 8, roughly 75 per county, or an 
average of about | to each 7 or 8 square 
miles. An immature red fox is pictured 
in fig. 14. 
Income From Red Foxes.—The av- 
erage annual income from red foxes for 
the period of this study ending in 1939- 
4() is estimated to have been about $30,- 
000, table 8; or about 50 cents per square 
mile; roughly, $300 per county. This 
annual income from red foxes is estimated 
to have averaged slightly more than $1 
per Illinois fur-taker. 
Numbers of Gray Foxes Caught.— 
The average annual catch of gray foxes 
for the period of this study ending with 
1939-40 is estimated to have been about 
3,800, table 9; or 1 to each 14 or 15 
square miles. Most of the catch was 
concentrated in the hilly and timbered 
areas along the Mississippi and Ohio 
rivers. Gray foxes are now present in 
relatively few counties in Illinois; they 
Were once more widely reported. 
Income From Gray Foxes.—The 
average annual income from gray foxes 
for the period of this study ending with 
1939-40 is estimated to have been $8,600, 
table 9; or 15 cents per square mile. 
LONG-TAILED WEASEL 
Distribution. — The average annual 
catch of weasels per Illinois fur-taker, 
according to fur-takers’ monthly reports, 
is greatest in an area extending from the 
northeastern corner of the state southwest- 
ward toward Knox County, fig. 15. Zones 
of moderate catches lie on either side of 
Table 10.—Weighted per cent of Illinois 
fur-takers catching long-tailed weasels, and 
weighted average catch of these weasels per 
effective fur-taker; data obtained from fur- 
takers’ monthly reports, and weighting done 
on the basis of the relative size of the coun- 
ties. 
ee eee ee 
WEIGHTED WEIGHTED 
PER Cent AVERAGE 
Secon OF CatTcH oF 
Fur-TAKERS WEASELS PER 
CATCHING EFFECTIVE 
WEASELS Fur-TAKER 
1929-30.... i ey 
1930—314.. 5; f 1.8 
1934-35... Lie 1.8 
1935-36.... 13 {6 
1936-37.... ty yD) 
1937-38... 12 bes 
1938-39... i 1.6 
1939-40... 15 1.9 
1940-41... 19 1.9 
1941-42... 9 i 
—_—_—_—_—_—_— eee 
