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Porcupines yea or nay?

Jaeger
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Jaeger Newbie

Jaeger

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How many of you hunt porcupines and why?

 

I ask because I seem now to be reluctant to shoot them. 

 

When Schatz got a face full of quills when she was a puppy I went on a porcupine vendetta.  (note to self: don't shoot them in the backyard with a shotgun, quills everywhere!!!!)

 

But now, several years later and having trained her to be wary of them, I am reluctant to shoot them.  

 

Yes, the pile of porcupine poop at the base of a tree looks like some one dumped several 50 lb sacks of kibbles and yes Schatz makes every attempt she can to eat it (mostly grass but I worry about disease).

 

Yes, I am very familiar with their taste for our treated lumber and plywood stands as well as the salt in our brake lines.

 

But when I see a family of 3-4 sitting quietly up in a tree looking down at us, I cannot bring myself to shoot them.

 

How do you guys feel or deal with them?

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airedale Grand Master

airedale

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When it comes to varmints and vermin for the most part I am a live and let live kind of person as long there is no personal conflict. The vast majority of the time I have no problems but when I do I take care of it.  For example a Fox that is killing my chickens gets shot, Starlings nesting in my chimney plugging it up get shot, Rats in the barn crapping up hay and feed get trapped, poisoned or shot etc. etc. for Coons Skunks and Possums.

 

I live and hunt in an area of the state that seems to have plenty of Porcupines, As long time hunter that hunts with various breeds of hunting dogs porcupines have caused me more grief quilling my dogs than I care to remember. I have also had a couple of incidents where my Cows apparently came up to Porcupines in the pasture and got close enough to get quilled in the nose. Any Porcupines spotted where I hunted with my dogs I would kill, any porcupines that are around my property I find I kill. They also have an appetite for chewing on odd things, I had one destroy several sheets of styrofoam insulation before I took him out.

 

I once caught a baby Porcupine and kept it in a pen and raised it to adulthood. It became quite tame and was always happy to see me and made a big fuss when he saw me coming at feeding time. I had an ulterior motive and that was to use him to break my hunting dogs off of the wild porkies using this captive guy and an electronic collar, and it worked out well for all involved.  After my dogs were well trained to leave the wild porkies alone I crated the boy up and released him in an area that I through he would do well and where he would not be a problem with someone's dogs.

 

Al

Edited by airedale
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airedale Grand Master

airedale

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Should have kept him as a pet

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Had he stayed the size of a small rabbit I would have considered it but this guy became huge, at least 30 lbs maybe more and with those long quills it made him look even bigger. Living the good life eating Rabbit feed and vegetable produce along with pine and hardwood branches put the fat on him. Big time mess maker also.

 

Al

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G-Man Veteran

G-Man

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I shoot.every one I can find, they girdle trees ,which is money out of my pocket in future timber harvest, as well as damaging many more that decreases value and allows rot to enter into the tree. My neighbor has even smoked them out of hollow trees and caught one or two on fire as well..

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fishuntrapper Newbie

fishuntrapper

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I don't target them so much but, if a see one I kill it. Then out comes the skinning rope and plastic bag I always carry, hang upside down and skin like a coon. No quills on the belly side. I keep all the meat I can. The wife makes a pot roast with the meat. She really likes the porkies, as do I. Save trees and get a few meals. Win-Win.

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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Do they taste like PORK, or chicken ? <<grin>>..

 

Back when I had dogs I killed every one I saw if it was in an area where it might affect my dogs.

 

Now that I no longer own dogs, porkies get a pass from me.

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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Porcupines are somewhat of a rarity around here. In all my years, I have only seen two and they had been killed along the road. However, I have heard all kinds of stories about the environmental damage, and the damage to boat paddle handles, and camp outhouses. I have heard that they regularly girdle trees. I also heard that they taste rather good too. So it seems that there are a couple of good reasons to shoot the little suckers. I have also heard that they make good wilderness survival food for those that are forced to spend some unwanted time in the woods because of emergency situations.

 

Now that is a whole lot of things that I have heard, but nothing that I know for fact first hand.

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Jaeger Newbie

Jaeger

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So guys, let's flip it.

 

Does anyone know what, if anything, positive these critters contribute to the environment?  I couldn't find anything on the DEC site other than they are unprotected.

 

I still worry about possible dog interaction, both direct and disease from eating poop.  And we do have quite a few fisher which are supposed to eat them (not doing a great job as I've seen 5-6 porcupine on one outing very close to the house ~ 400yds)

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turkeyfeathers Veteran

turkeyfeathers

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Wife is a vet. Recently been pulling a lot of quills out of dogs from WNY area. I've never actually seen one myself. Closest was chewing of hiking sign in Darien Lake State park and a roadkill on 219 just short of Springville. So my need to shoot one isn't there. Many years ago them bastids chewed up a bunch of saddlebags on my brothers and some of his friends motorcycles in ASP.

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dbHunterNY Proficient

dbHunterNY

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have yet to see a porcupine in the wild.  so no I don't shoot them.  I've seen both fisher and pine marten.  I know they eat turkey eggs but I've given them a pass.  closest I've had a fisher is on my boot.  actually took video of it.  made me pretty nervous but I coaxed it in.  wouldn't want a porcupine that close.

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G-Man Veteran

G-Man

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So guys, let's flip it.

Does anyone know what, if anything, positive these critters contribute to the environment? I couldn't find anything on the DEC site other than they are unprotected.

I still worry about possible dog interaction, both direct and disease from eating poop. And we do have quite a few fisher which are supposed to eat them (not doing a great job as I've seen 5-6 porcupine on one outing very close to the house ~ 400yds)

By girdling trees they are the loggers of the forest along with beaver, killing tops of pines forcing heavier growth which provides thermal cover as well as protective cover for game, when they girdle hardwood trees they allow light in so new growth can become established, as well as weaken trees so that bugs can infest them ,creating food for woodpeckers,and in turn allowing rot to hollow out trees to allow animal nesting and den cavities. Edited by G-Man
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G-Man Veteran

G-Man

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Not the thing you want done to valuable timber trees , but they do have a purpose. By the way they are the only animal a man can run down and club 100% of the time..thats why in wilderness areas they are given a pass as survival food..

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stoneam2006 Newbie

stoneam2006

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So guys, let's flip it.

Does anyone know what, if anything, positive these critters contribute to the environment? I couldn't find anything on the DEC site other than they are unprotected.

I still worry about possible dog interaction, both direct and disease from eating poop. And we do have quite a few fisher which are supposed to eat them (not doing a great job as I've seen 5-6 porcupine on one outing very close to the house ~ 400yds)

Could be why they are so abundant close to house...IMO I think fisher are very wary of humans and stay as far away as they can...we have quite a few around(fisher) and have yet to see one on any trail cam pics anywhere near the farm or houses....again just a thought

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stoneam2006 Newbie

stoneam2006

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d797d57f6a1b7d0128d244e77f0f8515.jpg

Spring turkey 2 years back when I was trying to learn how to hunt them with neighbor...could have picked him up...actually poked him with my 12 g barrel so shooting them isn't much fun for me....that would change if I had dogs and didn't want more fisher....

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Edit...pic is behind my house 4 or 500 yards

Edit again....the remind me of eore on winnie the pooh lol

Edited by stoneam2006
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