The hunting and trapping seasons for gray fox are closed effective immediately.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says surveys and preliminary results of current research indicate a substantial decline in gray foxes in the last ten years. Even though Illinois hunters and trappers harvest very few gray foxes, this closure will prevent their numbers from further declining.
Reasons for this decline are complex, but most research indicates that diseases such as canine distemper and competition from coyotes are the primary causes.
I-D-N-R will continue to conduct annual surveys and evaluate the gray fox population in Illinois.
On June 30, Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law Public Act 104-0019, which changed language in the Illinois Wildlife Code and allows IDNR to open or close the gray fox season by administrative rule.
This bill was an IDNR initiative with broad support from diverse conservation groups including the Illinois Trappers Association and support from legislators across the state.
On July 9, the department filed administrative rules indefinitely closing the hunting and trapping seasons for gray fox.
Gray foxes are found throughout Illinois, but they are most common in the southern part of the state and along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
