Dear Fur Garment Owner,

Many people have misconceptions about fur hunting, trapping, and the use of wild furs.  That's why we're taking this opportunity to let you know that the Department of Natural Resources supports regulated fur hunting and trapping for harvesting common types of furbearers.  We hope you wear your wild fur garment proudly and consider the following points:

• Most of society benefits - directly or indirectly - from hunting and trapping.  These activities help keep wildlife populations at acceptable levels, reduce wildlife damage to human property, provide funds for wildlife conservation, and provide numerous materials and products for human use.
  

• No endangered or threatened species are hunted or trapped.  All such species are protected by international, national, and/or state laws.
  

• Furbearer populations are monitored by Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  All twelve species that are hunted or trapped for their fur are abundant and responsible for a majority of the 45,000 nuisance wildlife complaints that occur annually in Illinois.  Many species like raccoon, beaver, and coyote are near record levels of abundance.
  

• Fur hunting and trapping are highly regulated.  These regulations prevent over-harvest and make sure that harvest methods are as humane as possible given current technology.  Regulations are enforced by specially trained Conservation Police Officers.
  

• Hunting and trapping seasons occur during fall and winter to avoid the capture of newborns or mothers with dependant young.
  

• Illinois hunters and trappers contribute more that $14 million annually to wildlife conservation through license fees and special excise taxes.  Practices funded through these revenues benefit all species of wildlife - not just those that are hunted or trapped.
   

• Parts of animals that aren't used to make fur garments are often sent to animal by-product facilities where they are converted to items like soaps, lubricants, and pet foods.

For more information, write Illinois DNR, Division of Wildlife Resources, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701.  Request a brochure titled, "Fur Hunting and Trapping and What They Mean to the People and Wildlife of Illinois".

Effective July 1, 1995, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources was created through the consolidation if the Illinois Department of Conservation, Department of Mines and Minerals, Abandoned Mined Lands Reclamation Council, the Department of Transportation's Division of Water Resources, and the Illinois State Museum and Science Surveys from the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural resources.