by Dolus
Found the rule in the rulebook. I had to download the PDF to bring it up."Most omen cards (except the Bite card) are also items you keep, and they’re used like other items."
So the bite itself is not an item. Everything else is. So cards like the madman, while it can't be dropped, traded, or stolen, you should be able to pick up after somebody dies and drops it. Bite, not so much.
I've played this game dozens of times, and I generally don't have any questions thanks to the FAQ/errata. This one, though, I just didn't have time to read through the rules to find everything in the moment. Last night was the first time Bite counting as an item would have ever mattered and made a difference in a haunt.