wooly Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Got out for a short hike today and found my first ever porcupine here on the edge of a stand of big hemlocks. I've seen the sign around for a few years now but never laid eyes on one in the wild. He seems to be missing an ass full of quills to me, but I'm no expert on these things. Very lethargic critter that tried to keep his butt towards me every time I tried to get in front of him for a pic which I'm guessing is his best defense. Tough dudes to photograph that's for sure, and if he wasn't sitting off the trail not 5ft away from me I probably would have walked right by him without noticing. I didn't have much time to spend with him, so eventually we both made off in separate directions unharmed. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachunter Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Somewhere there's a dog with a face full of quills. There one of the slowest mammals I've ever seen. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampy Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Some perfectly awesome porky pic's my friend!!! Your many talents are way beyond us mere mortals. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wooly Posted March 14, 2020 Author Share Posted March 14, 2020 5 minutes ago, rachunter said: Somewhere there's a dog with a face full of quills. There one of the slowest mammals I've ever seen. Haha- I wasn't sure if that's just how slow they really moved, or if he was injured. I was actually hoping to find a few quills laying around just for my personal collection of animal parts, but I couldn't find any. I probably could have just reached down and plucked a few out of him, but I decided against that idea at the last moment,lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawdwaz Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 I’ve never seen one in NYS while in the woods. I may have seen one in Pennsylvania at one point but I’m foggy on that. Yes, weird critters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crappyice Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Haha- I wasn't sure if that's just how slow they really moved, or if he was injured. I was actually hoping to find a few quills laying around just for my personal collection of animal parts, but I couldn't find any. I probably could have just reached down and plucked a few out of him, but I decided against that idea at the last moment,lolSend Bionic!!!Awesome shots!!!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizCT Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 My first xbow kill! PA in 2011 (Halloween) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bionic Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 1 minute ago, crappyice said: Send Bionic!!! Awesome shots!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk STFU 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsdale Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 See them quite frequently in the Catskills hiking and hunting. They have made a nuisance of themselves on a few jobs I have done in those areas chewing on vehicles; cut both front brake lines on my truck when left over a weekend. @wooly If you want some huge african porcupine quills send me pm; found one in a poachers snare and saved a handful of quills. Ate some of one whole roasted ungutted in the ground buried in coals.....but thats another story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachunter Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 See them quite frequently in the Catskills hiking and hunting. They have made a nuisance of themselves on a few jobs I have done in those areas chewing on vehicles; cut both front brake lines on my truck when left over a weekend. [mention=233]wooly[/mention] If you want some huge african porcupine quills send me pm; found one in a poachers snare and saved a handful of quills. Ate some of one whole roasted ungutted in the ground buried in coals.....but thats another story.I tried to cook and eat one it was to greasy. How was the African version?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbyzerman Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 There like friggin squirrels in the catskills........ Id id see one dead on road in rhinebeck once............ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pygmy Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 Nice picts, Matt !! We have lots of 'em here in Dogpatch...I see them on the property often...Had one nibbling on my tower stand a couple of years ago...120 grain Barnes TSX @ 3000 fps are very effective on them.. Years ago, when I was MUCH younger and even dumber than I am now, I tried to kill one with a hand held 18" Japanese bayonet.. He retreated under a junked car and I went in after him on my belly...He started backing toward me swinging his tail like a club...I was very lucky to escape without a face full of quills.. I suspect alcohol was involved.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike103 Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 From the NYS DEC web site; The few unprotected species include porcupine, red squirrel, woodchuck, English sparrow, starling, rock pigeon, and monk parakeet. Unprotected species may be taken at any time without limit. A hunting license is required to hunt unprotected wildlife with a bow, crossbow, or firearm. Choot ‘em. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsdale Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 1 hour ago, rachunter said: I tried to cook and eat one it was to greasy. How was the African version? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Same. Slimy dark meat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneHunter Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Shot one once when I was 16 ..... why - because I was 16 and shot anything that moved then ! LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doebuck1234 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Very nice pics!!!!!have never seen one myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbuff Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 I've massacred more then I care to admit in the 80s and early 90s. I saw one a couple years ago on our property just walking along, he got a pass to enjoy another day Finding a nice porky tree is a great spot to sit. Their smell surely masks ours . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genesee_mohican Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Great pics! I don't think I've ever seen one, but get an occasional trail cam video each year, all at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattler Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 I've had to kill a few dozen of them in the middle of the night when one decides it wants to gnaw on the siding of my house. Every one I ever killed was eaten by something within two nights, leaving only some quills on the ground where it laid. The belly is the spot without quills that can be opened to get to the meat. A farmer friend once spent a hot summer's day replacing every rubber hose and belt on his old tractor, only to have the porkies chew it all to heel over night. They go for the salt in the sweat left on stuff. They can be dispatched with a large rock because they're so slow. Great for survival food if you ever find yourself starving in the woods without any type of weapon to hunt with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crappyice Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Nice picts, Matt !! We have lots of 'em here in Dogpatch...I see them on the property ...He started backing toward me swinging his tail like a club...I was very lucky to escape without a face full of quills.. I suspect alcohol was involved....I didn’t know they drank.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveboone Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 There are lots of porkies around. Usually you find them in trees, but they don't move much and when they do it is slowly, so are easy to miss. They actually are pretty amiable if you aren't bothering them. For years we used to shoot them on sight, but I leave them alone now. they are usually quite layered in fat. If you trim the fat off and parboil them, they are quite tasty on the grill barbequed...a lot like woodchuck. Come now, you have eaten woodchuck haven't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Man Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Only mammal a human can run down and kill. Considered survival food in many northern areas killing them there just to kill is frowned upon. Around here I remove everyone I get a chance to. Destroy timber in a hurry... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Real_TCIII Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Only mammal a human can run down and kill. Considered survival food in many northern areas killing them there just to kill is frowned upon. Around here I remove everyone I get a chance to. Destroy timber in a hurry...You don’t think I can run down a sloth?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizCT Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 You don’t think I can run down a sloth?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro I caught up to this one in Costa Rica for a pic. It took him/her about 7 hours to move 3 feet Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Real_TCIII Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 The manager of the office park I used to work in had one of these for a pet, he had videos of it wakeboarding behind his boat! The quills were huge Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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