The Iowa DNR is in its second year of a pilot study on the gray fox. DNR wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer says the animal’s numbers have been dropping.
Evelsizer says they are asking trappers who catch a gray fox in a live trap to give the DNR a call.
He says they want to find out where the gray foxes are living and hunting.
Evelsizer says there is a $400 reward provided by the Iowa Wildlife Federation for anyone who catches a gray fox that can be used for this study. He says the fox will be released on the site where it was caught. The DNR is also working with Iowa State University on a pilot project this winter in northeast Iowa, using cameras to track gray foxes to determine what areas these species occupy. He says other regions may be surveyed in the future, depending on how this study goes.
