They're not that uncommon. I catch a few every year. I don't like seeing one in a trap. I know that 90% of the time they're going to be tough to scrape and damaged.

i catch bobtail coyotes at times




I SUSPECT they get shot off. Guy takes a poke out the pickup window with his ar or whatever at one that is already running or it jumps about the time he pulls the trigger. (legal in ks so long as you do not shoot across the road and landowner is ok with it. shoot out of the passenger window or drive over to the wrong side of the road to stop.) I think a lot of missing feet/legs happen the same way

I know when we raised fox sometimes the mother fox would eat the tails off her pups. That could happen with coon or for that matter any critter when It was just born. Some times mamma fox would eat her young.
We figured It was stress during the birthing period.

Hey Beav, I raised fox also for 15 years. Never had females chew tails ,they usually chewed the whole pup like you said. The most I had was 220 and worked a full time job also. Man they were a lot of work , but I don't regret having them.

If I remember that mother fox did that 2 years In row until we pelted her. I bet you didn't sell your fox carcasses to the local oriental restaurant. LOL

Some of the old sayings were that when mom eats/chews the umbilical cord, at birth, that the tail can be collateral damage. Boars fighting also was supposed to account for some damage and tail loss.All they would have to do would be to take a hard bight from a rival and that tail would eventually die and fall off. I suspect both situations come into in the natural order of things but can't buy the virus/disease eating tail theory. Frostbite on an exposed tail would go along with stubby ears and all the ones I have harvested w/o a tail exhibit that also. Nature is pretty tough on wildlife trying to make a living in old age as along with the shortened/tailless coons, I have harvested several wild ones that were showing a small bald spot and all were old males (truth) with worn teeth and medium poor coats. The coons I raised from kittens to old age lasted 8-11 years in controlled cages but would guess 5-6 years would be it for the wild ones.............. my take

One and done ! If the female killed or wouldn't take care of a litter she became a pelt . Nope , no markets like that back then ,around here anyway. Had all the fresh urine I wanted though !