Put up a large male coyote and when he came off the board he didn't have that papery crinkle feel; it was more like cardboard. Much stiffer than the smaller/younger yotes I have put up, especially in the neck / shoulder area. It was put up just like the rest in the same conditions. Is it just normal for bigger older yotes to have thicker skin ?

only had one like that ever , got a 1 dollar for it ,I wish I could asked why ,sold at fha

Sometimes they just feel like cardboard.

Had one that was dark almost black it seemed to have thicker skin and ticker hair buyer said they don’t dress out well so I sent it in to get tanned came back looking sweet no issues with it. I was kind of disappointed I was going for the ugly yote look but ended up with a wolf looking yote.

It is usually the red or darker, coarse yotes that are like that. The thinner skinned ones are always the better silky furred yotes.

It is pretty common. Lee is right about usually being reddish/darker/coarser hair. You can break that hide down some to reduce the stiffness by starting at the ears and working back through the body. They will still be somewhat stiff but more supple when the buyer pops the hide. I call them rugs. If your catching them you’re doing things right!

They make good yard darts! lol.

More people on here should be like those coyotes.

I skinned one in WA that had a hide that felt like a semi tire tube while I was skinning it. It was an ugly coyote, but a lot of WA coyotes are ugly. I have seen some dry boardy too. But nothing like that one.

They are always about like trying to scrape rubber bands! I call them rubber band coyotes. The thin skinned ones scrape like a yearling coon.

I’ll second that!

Could be that their starting to stop being prime unless its doesn't have shedding.

It was a slightly tawny/ brown tan color with black highlights, uniform in color , but had nice thick fur. Big male, went 40 lbs. Will the stiffness result in a downgrade ?

No, the fur length, texture and color is what decides the grade, but any damage and the primness also have bearing.

And seem as if that grade got tougher or maybe just went back normal this year ,,, I do not think that pushing a grade thing is going to be done much this year by- golly. A number 1 this year is going to be number 1.

Most of our Northern MN Coyote are like that. Can grab a dry hide by the nose and hold it straight out.