September, 1943 Monr: 
of this study the total number of skunks 
caught slightly exceeded the total number 
of minks. Each species constituted about 
6 per cent of the total catch. Coons made 
up about 3 per cent of the catch. 
Red foxes and gray foxes were caught 
in small numbers, together making up 
somewhat less than 2 per cent of the 
catch. Long-tailed weasels made up less 
than 1 per cent of the catch. 
Muskrats were the most numerous fur- 
bearers in all but a very few counties, 
where they were exceeded only by pos- 
sums. In those counties in which muskrats 
did not lead, they were in second place for 
numbers in the catch. 
TOTAL ANNUAL INCOME 
‘The average annual income from the 
Illinois fur catch for the period beginning 
with the 1929-30 season and ending with 
the 1939-40 season (seasons of 1931-32, 
1932-33 and 1933-34 omitted for reasons 
explained above) amounted to about $1,- 
067,500, table 12, or about $19 per square 
mile. These figures are based upon prices 
for No. 1 medium rather than No. 1 large 
pelts, table 13. The income was highest 
during the 1929-30 and 1930-31 seasons, 
when furbearers were abundant and prices 
were good, and lowest during the 1934- 
35 and 1935-36 seasons, when prices were 
so poor that comparatively few fur-takers 
cared to operate. 
The average total fur income for the 
1938-39 and 1939-40 seasons,* when the 
oral survey was made, was about 13 per 
cent above the average for the 8 years 
covered by the monthly report study; 
largely because of price levels and an 
F URBEARER DISTRIBUTION AND INCOME 535 
abundance of muskrats (table 13 of this 
report and table 4 of the Brown & Yeager 
report). The oral survey showed a cal- 
culated average annual income for the 
seasons of 1938-39 and 1939-40 of $1,- 
201,830.45 (table 19 of the Brown and 
Yeager report). 
In the 8 years covered by the present 
study, the average fur-taker sold furs esti- 
mated to have an average annual value 
of about $41. The annual take per county 
averaged about $10,500. 
Muskrats led as income producers year 
after year, yielding about 47 per cent 
of the total income over the period of 
this study. Minks held second place, yield- 
ing about 29 per cent of the income over 
the period. Coons, in third place, pro- 
duced at least 10 per cent of the income 
over the study period, but their position 
Table 12.—Estimated average annual in- 
come from common furbearers caught in IIli- 
nois, beginning with the 1929-30 season and 
ending with the 1939-40 season (1931-32, 1932- 
33 and 1933-34 omitted because data for these 
seasons were not available). 
Ponpeants AVERAGE ANNUAL 
INCOME 
Muskrate gaye ase aes $ 500,000 
aI Tinikne eee IRAE, 2 eae! vee, 310,000 
COOOT See paneer a see he 102,000 
Sunk wre ee wate Setar te, ¥ 70,000 
Possuntse eee ee 39 ,000 
Redifoxteee ace a 36,000 
Gray, {OX eee oe 9,000 
Long-tailed weasel........ 1,500 
Potala tie cen ete ae $1,067,500 
Table 13.—Average prices estimated to have beeen paid for No. 1 medium* pelts of the 
eight common furbearers of Illinois. 
FURBEARER 1929-30 1930-31 
Nidiskta then oh desks $ 1.00 $0.60 
EN oan 2 eo ne 7.00 3.50 
Cte Odo ee a 5.50 3.00 
ST ae 2.40 1220 
ORR aes Gl ee ie 0.40 0.35 
ie Sa ee ee 10.00 3,30 
RSraye Oxi e wa. ok ska. 5.00 3.50 
WNIGEIIS Oe a ee 0725 0.25 
1934-35 1935-36 1936-37 1937-38 
$0.70 $0.60 $0.75 $0. 60 
4.00 3.50 6.50 5.50 
Peek) 2.50 3.50 3.50 
0.90 0.90 1.00 07 
O25 (e25 0.30 0.30 
Oaou Zou 3.50 2.80 
1.00 1.30 1.40 1.40 
On 0225 0.25 0325 
*Prices of No. 1 large pelts are considered too high for calculating income on the average pelt sold. 
