Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Coyote Mange

When I left the West for Maine and NH first thing I realized about the local coyote population was how much bigger they were. My late Brother bountied coyotes out west years ago and 35 lbs was average 45 lbs big, but in the NE they were going 55-65 lbs but they had mange. My neighbor who a vet and his son a DNR Officer told me the mange was something that popped up every couple of decades. I actually felt sorry for them as they turned orangish with lots of hair loss. I understand the mange actually kills them off. When I moved to Eastern NC these dogs started to get mange also. Question: anybody seeing a lot of coyote mange in their woods ?

Rick

The neighborhood I live in, in West Central Florida, has a resident herd of yotes, and most are covered in mange...

pathetic looking things they are.

I killed one that only had a thin strip of hair on the top of his head. Looked like a Mexican hairless Chihuahua.
I’m in southern New England
I’ve killed a few here , not a lot by any stretch
1-2 a year
a 47 lb was my biggest.

We see mange in at least a couple ever year. Of the 14 I’ve trapped so far this season, none have had mange. A couple of rubbed spots but no mange.

Kill a few Mangy Coyotes every year. Rio7

So anybody know is this mange thing an Eastern problem cause I never heard of it when I lived out West. I’m also interested in what the mange is.. is this a bug, mite type thing, an infection or virus I mean what is it ? No matter what animal or what you think of them I really hate to see one taken down like this. As many of you probably know the coyote was a sacred dog to the Navajo and Hopi as they were able to survive when nothing else could. They can adapt from meat, to insects to grass and plants since their digestive systems is somehow adjustable. Just spitballing on this but it’s true.

They are maybe one of natures cleverest animals and certainly one that we’ve never been able to control. As I mentioned before my late Brother hired on with a government ( maybe BLM ) in the late 70’s with an animal control crew in Nevada to control coyotes. They were paid by the tail. They often used pound cats staked out as bait which was very successful but a technique that would cause problems if known so a bag of cats had to be secret. He once told me that once a Coyote sees a rifle and hears it’s report they never forget. So long reach cartridges and scopes are the only medicine in Nevada anyway. He shot a Win 220 Swift and 22-250. He told me that one area North and East of Winnemucca had the smartest dogs in the state. Once they heard the rifle report they’d go down like hit then as my Brother or whoever approached with his rifle over his shoulder they’d take off and get away. Those Navajo’s knew what they were talking about.

Talk too much Rick

In the last 5 years I shot 3-4 (one this fall) that had mange pretty bad. Also found a dead pup in an machinery shed. I think it was last year I had pic of a black bear with mange on a trail cam. Seems like it's halfway prevalent around here.

here in north central nebraska we see some mange every year this year with a high coyote population I am seeing more with mange. Its amazing that they can survive with the temperatures we have had for the last week as today was the first day in 5 days that we have gotten over 10 degrees

Most common is sarcoptic mange. It is a mite that digs into the skin. Wild canines and felines can get it, coyotes for sure. There are medications for it if your domestics get it, wild dogs it’s pretty much fatal, and painful.

I’ve shot the western states from northern border to southern border and I’ve shot coyotes in all those states that had it. I came in a week or so back from a run in Wyoming and in Montana and some shot dogs had mange. I don’t recall a year where I didn’t see it somewhere. Coyotes spread it to each other by contact. Often it’s an indicator of overpopulation of coyotes in that area.

It’s a terrible slow death disease and yes people can get it as well if not careful. Scabbies is a form of it on humans. Early stages some people don’t recognize it particularly this time of year when coyote fur is breaking down anyway.

Osky

About 1/3 of the coyotes that I've killed so far this season have had mange from one degree to another.

Thank you for explaining this desease I learned a lot

Rick

You bet. The picture above is a crazy severe case, I think the coyotes in the northern states would have frozen to death before getting that bad.
The vast majority I’ve shot or trapped/snared that had gotten mange, it started at the base of the tail. There was a guy a few years ago who shot a coyote, real pretty as you walked up to it, but when it was picked up the opposite side was terribly infested and bare. That was a rare one for me at least that didn’t have damage at the tail but elsewhere.
Be careful if you have your dog nearby, keep distance, you don’t want it getting to it.

Osky

Not heard of a single case in this region (SE Oregon). Dry desert country with cold winters. So dry that we don't even do fleas or rats. Annual precipitation is about 12 inches.

Interesting. Skinning coyotes and no fleas at all?

Osky

I have seen mange on red fox here in Connecticut.

Osky:

No fleas. Not even on our domestic dogs. Rumor is eggs desiccate so they can't reproduce. Not the case in western Oregon with about 30+ inches of precip. There, flea invasions occasionally shut down public buildings.

I’ve shot two in western Ks and two in eastern Colo this winter, and hope to get out next week and kill some more. None of these four had mange, but I’ve seen it in both states in the recent past.

Running snares in the Eastern UP caught a wolf not real bad mange was dead....have caught and shot 30 coyotes not one has a spot on it....

In N. Oklahoma, I see coyotes with mange on a regular basis.

My son and I have shot 5 this year and all but two had severe mange. This is in SE Colorado. It has been severe for the last ten year plus.