From my April 2, 2015 News Journal column.
Recent media coverage of Delaware House Bill 25 — an act authorizing the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to develop regulations for harvesting grey foxes — has generated much emotion, discussion and debate.
Over the past year, I’ve been involved in various verbal and online discussions about grey fox hunting and trapping. I’ve studied quotes from legislators, teachers, students, trappers, and representatives of anti-trapping groups. And I’ve scrutinized video footage of well-intentioned fourth-graders. Unfortunately, I recognized quickly that many discussion participants — both proponents and opponents of grey fox harvesting—were misinformed or underinformed.
Let me clarify.
For starters, the grey fox is a different species than the red fox. Both fox species can be found in Delaware, although grey foxes seem to be found more in the forests of southern Delaware. Some red foxes may appear grayish in color, but red foxes are somewhat larger than their grey fox cousins, and they have bushy red tails with white tips compared to grey foxes that have a distinctive black stripe that runs from their backs to the tips of their tails. Although foxes of both species sometimes eat vegetation, they mainly prey on birds and small mammals.
Since fox fur has marketable value, foxes have been trapped and hunted for centuries—even in Delaware. After seeing recent news stories, many Delawareans erroneously concluded that fox hunting and trapping is currently illegal in Delaware. Actually, existing regulations allow the hunting and trapping of red foxes. Muddying the waters, however, has been the lack of Delaware’s formal recognition of the grey fox as a game animal. Because no grey fox hunting and trapping rules exist, some hunters and trappers have mistakenly interpreted the lack of regulation to mean that grey foxes could be harvested in an unregulated fashion. As a result, some hunters and trappers have operated within this ‘grey’ area of the law, mainly because it’s difficult, if not impossible, for a legally set fox trap to target red foxes without catching grey foxes.
Contrary to points made in some discussions, HB25 does not attempt to make the grey fox Delaware’s state wildlife animal. Thanks to the help of fourth-graders at Joseph M. McVey Elementary School in Newark, the grey fox was already adopted as Delaware’s official state wildlife animal in 2010. The fourth graders who originally suggested the grey fox be designated as the state wildlife animal did a great thing.
However, an animal’s designation as an official state animal shouldn’t have any influence on the conservation efforts related to the harvest of that animal. Establishing hunting and trapping regulations for the grey fox will enable DNREC to regulate their harvest based on scientific data. After all, Delaware’s state fish is the weakfish, which is regulated and harvested recreationally and commercially, and the state marine animal is the horseshoe crab, which is also harvested. To further illustrate, the white-tailed deer is Pennsylvania’s official state animal, and the rock fish (or striped bass) is Maryland’s state fish. Both are generously harvested, and their harvests contribute to state revenues and conservation efforts.
Although the Delaware House of Representatives voted in favor of HB 25 in March, that was not the first time the grey fox issue surfaced. In 2013, HB 98 was introduced to establish gray foxes, skunks and weasels as game animals. The original bill passed the House, was amended and passed by the Senate. But the House did not act on the amended bill.
Delaware’s Advisory Council on Wildlife & Freshwater Fish expressed support for both HB 98 and the new HB 25.
Lastly, although letters, signs, and video footage allude to extinction, saving the grey fox, and protecting the grey fox, it is important for interested parties to understand that the grey fox is not endangered or threatened in Delaware. In fact, establishing grey fox hunting and trapping regulations will assist Delaware’s Division of Fish and Wildlife with effectively, logically, and scientifically managing the species.
As stated in the “2014-2015 Delaware Hunting & Trapping guide,” hunters and trappers are key partners in helping the Division achieve sustainable wildlife populations and quality hunting through their conservation ethic and financial investment in wildlife conservation and public wildlife areas. As such, allowing hunters and trappers to legally harvest grey foxes makes good sense.