So I haven't caught squat this year so far
To early in the season and finding a track has been like finding a leprechaun

Picked up one 11/13 that had real poor underfur in the shoulders. Snow on ground and no other tracks around

Then this morning about a mile away this one with even worse underfur and almost bald tail. Same thing, snow on the ground no other tracks around

I have some properties still to set north of me Hope the fur is better

Looks like mange is rearing it's ugly head in your area.

besides the mange issues, have you typically caught a number of coyotes in your area in contrast to this year?

Yep. And tracks are not this herd to find usually

Went thru my area been bad for 4 years now hardly a coyote around me now. Good luck

Otter trapper where are you trapping in michigan. This is in NW Calhoun County

Going to start setting southern Barry county this weekend

Near gaylord. Some areas have plenty some don’t I am in farm country and it’s been bad fox were coming back but even them this year not many . Had mange bad here after 2011 and then lice was bad. I can drive 12 miles north get out of farm country and have a lot more. It’s weird not seeing coyote tracks

I should add I only trap without 8 miles of home or so but never had a problem prior to the plunge catching coyotes. All private ground as well no other trappers nearby

I assume you don't have wolves in SW Michigan

No wolves here

Seems to be a common situation east of the river. Lot of people saying they are not catching or seeing many this year. My area...slim pickins', as usual.

Dont feel alone, been extremely quiet in my neck of the woods as well. Been hearing about wolves in the area and the fox numbers seem to be up so maybe the coyotes are moving out?

Our coyotes have done the same thing here,a drastic downturn usually coincided with a parvo outbreak noticed first in coons.The coyotes here struggled thru a mange out break in the mid '70's,it reduced them but didn't decimate them.When distemper first arrived here a trapper friend took his snowmachine and I took mine and split up in what was always known as prime,typical U.P. style coyote habitat.He went one way,I went the other and later met up.I don't know how many square miles we covered but we stopped at every track that crossed the road.Neither of us saw 1 single coyote track that day!10-12 years later they rebounded big time but now are on the down turn again.And Parvo is back.

There is no shortage of yots at my old man's place in Clair close to lake George plan to get after them once deer season is over

It been slow here on our farm had traps out for about 2 weeks now 9 possums 3 coon. Getting ready to set a friends farm, he's been getting quite a few pictures of coyotes one is coal black which I hope to get.

My wife's family is from Houghton Lake and though I was raised and now live in Nebr. (trapped in Mich. when I went to school there) I can give you an opinion. Guessing you have a moderate amount of snow by now so the food base (from small mammals mice, voles, rabbits etc.) has shifted somewhat to larger animals (deer). In that area of Mich the deer yards (even the small ones) provide the coyotes with all their calorie needs without expending a lot of energy searching and chasing. . That behavior is somewhat ingrained through a few decades of survival in that north country. Would not be out of line to find the food source and then check for coyotes. If the deer are not yarded then the coyotes may still be following them waiting for that condition to occur (may not be in your trapping permission spots). Wildlife (prey and predator) does not venture too far from the grocery store this time of year and in farm country a crop change could cause the prey's numbers and usage to shift. Happens here all the time with a corn-soybean rotation causing the prey to concentrate where the harvested corn (food and more cover) occurs. This is No-till row crop country with none of your small grains or fall plowing taking place and the mice/ rabbits concentrate in the corn edge.... My Take.

I'm with you, MT. Not a yote in a trap yet, and tracks are almost as rare as a 4 leaf clover.

We don't have deer yards in southern michigan.

Also a couple if my properties have standing corn and still no tom littl coyote activity

I'll keep setting and take what ever I can get

Went and set some traps on two properties north of my house and found plenty of tracks. Only put a few traps out do we will see what happens. Can't be much worse

Skinned 2 yotes today. Some dick head killed one of them. But that's what you get when your trap public ground.

The beaver job Is another story. But I'll get Into that a little later.