The DNR has records going back to the mid-1970s that show more than 10,000 gray fox marketed each season by hunters and trappers across Illinois.
In 2024, that number was zero – not a single gray fox pelt. The decline of the species led to legislation aimed at protecting the gray fox population that sailed through the General Assembly this spring. Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 3760 into law on June 30.
