Thanks guys.

I am not sure what caused the injury. There is a flap of skin that balled up and healed in a knot, then the stump. Could be a trap, fight, not sure. It was a largish bitch and otherwise in good condition so it wasn't getting behind because of it.

The old government trappers used to say the cripples were the most difficult to trap because they had a chance to learn. Maybe this one had never seen a snare loop before.

Some years ago I took a long shot at a coyote and mostly took the leg off it. I tracked it in the snow for a mile or so and lost it.

About a week later, we were all eating breakfast and saw a coyote stalking some deer in my hayfield. Getting the spotting scope on it, I could see the front leg swinging, attached by a thin piece of hide.

Could it be?

I might add, I'll take any shot presented by a coyote. Shots I won't take at a deer or other worthy game animal I'll take at a coyote. I don't worry about merely wounding if I have the remotest chance of connecting on a yote. They are a scourge.