Porcupine down

[yorke-1]

I've shot a pretty fair number of porcupines over the years. They're considered "unclassified wildlife" here in WA, with no bag limit and no season. I treat them the same as any other game animal and I'll shoot however many I can use.

Properly handled and cooked, they're a decent game animal. You need to be careful not to get quills in the meat, that can be extremely dangerous to eat. The quills and guard hairs are worth a couple dollars an ounce, and the skulls always turn out pretty well when left in an anthill and get cleaned naturally.

 

[lyle2231]

View attachment 403738

After the critters are killed how do you pick them up? Is the meat ok to eat? Florida doesn't have 'em.

 

[Wallrat]

Don't agree killing something purely for some bizarre thrill gives all hunters a bad reputation! Protecting cattle is sincerely a pathetic excuse, Why not shoot everything in sight you know some bird may accidentally fly into a farm animal. The numerous excuses for thrill kills is farcical. I watched two young boys killing protected birds, their father stated how they were just having some fun, seriously!

You do understand that ranchers raise those cattle so that they can feed your family and theirs too…right? They may not get out to check on each cow every day. That's tough to do with several hundred head. I think you're being a bit tough on the man. My 2 cents.

 

[Montana'eer]

Generally I don't kill them when my bird dogs bump them and get quilled. Like my girl a few weeks ago- she was 'on point'. I suspected a porky was in there and by the time I could see it I crossed the plane of her nose. She pounced on it.

Normally I would NOT shoot in that scenario- try to remove the yipping dog away from the porky and remove the quills.

When you do shoot a porky in that scenario you could reinforce to the dog that's what you're hunting. They associate that gunshot with game their supposed to hunt. I don't want that. Same deal training a pointing dog- if they rush in you don't shoot- No bird. You want them to hold.

Porkys are just part of the hazards. And I say I'll take a quilled dog over a snake bit one any day.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

You do understand that ranchers raise those cattle so that they can feed your family and theirs too…right? They may not get out to check on each cow every day. That's tough to do with several hundred head. I think you're being a bit tough on the man. My 2 cents.

REALLY! saw a few posts that Ranchers are loosing their income $$$$ due to Porcupines sticking quills in the cattle's nose and then they can't graze to eat. First of all, Porcupines are not going to attack cattle and cattle are not going to chase a porcupines like a dog.
For the $100,000 prize show us where cattle die from being attacked by porcupines.

AND the discussion about DOGS getting quilled. The dog attacks the porcupine, the more quills in the dog's mouth shows the more the dog attacked the porcupine.

I had my best friend Tobias (my childhood dog) with quills in his mouth twice. The first time was about 40 quills, the second time was about 200. Spent about 1 1/2 hours with the vet pulling them out of his mouth, face and throat. The more the quills that hurt him the more he bite/attacked the porcupine.
This was MY FAULT. Should not have let Tobias roam at night. 75-50 years ago people let their animals roam OR kept them on a chain which was the cruelest way you have a dog. and still is.. We had a back porch and that is where Tobias got fed and slept. Never had him on a chain.
Today when I see someone having their dog chained to an outside dog house I want to grab that owner and chain them to a small box in the elements.
Now another option is HUNTING Dogs and how to keep them. Whole other discussion. Some hunting dogs are not HOUSE Dogs. I know that. Raised Trained hunting dogs for many years.

My good friend had his dog "Footsie". this dog got into porcupines several times and the vet turned my friend into Animal Control because he was not keeping "Footsie" from roaming.
This was 55 years ago when we didn't neuter dogs and let them roam. Tobias would walk with me to the bus stop 2 miles up hill every morning at 6:30am and then he would be at the bus stop to greet me around 3:00PM and we would walk back up the hill 2 miles to get home.
If your dog gets into a porcupine these days - you don't have control of your dog.
Porcupines don't attack dogs/animals- dogs attack porcupines.

If anyone of you ever came upon a porcupine you would agree with me that they are docile. They just try to walk away from you or just look at you. There is no threat. Big myth that they "SWOOSH" their body and the "QUILLS" fly into the air and stick into you or animals.
The only way you or an animal can get a quill stuck into you is to press against-Bite the porcupine.
As far as porcupines damaging property/trees-YES they do. It is a Porcupine's nature to climb to the top of a tree to eat the tender parts.

God forbid if you have a hunting cabin/house and porcupines get into it. They can destroy it.

Just seeing a porcupine in the middle of the woods, which is their home, and shooting/killing them just for the thrill of killing- YOU are not a Hunter!

 

[jbronner13]

REALLY! saw a few posts that Ranchers are loosing their income $$$$ due to Porcupines sticking quills in the cattle's nose and then they can't graze to eat. First of all, Porcupines are not going to attack cattle and cattle are not going to chase a porcupines like a dog.
For the $100,000 prize show us where cattle die from being attacked by porcupines.

AND the discussion about DOGS getting quilled. The dog attacks the porcupine, the more quills in the dog's mouth shows the more the dog attacked the porcupine.

I had my best friend Tobias (my childhood dog) with quills in his mouth twice. The first time was about 40 quills, the second time was about 200. Spent about 1 1/2 hours with the vet pulling them out of his mouth, face and throat. The more the quills that hurt him the more he bite/attacked the porcupine.
This was MY FAULT. Should not have let Tobias roam at night. 75-50 years ago people let their animals roam OR kept them on a chain which was the cruelest way you have a dog. and still is.. We had a back porch and that is where Tobias got fed and slept. Never had him on a chain.
Today when I see someone having their dog chained to an outside dog house I want to grab that owner and chain them to a small box in the elements.
Now another option is HUNTING Dogs and how to keep them. Whole other discussion. Some hunting dogs are not HOUSE Dogs. I know that. Raised Trained hunting dogs for many years.

My good friend had his dog "Footsie". this dog got into porcupines several times and the vet turned my friend into Animal Control because he was not keeping "Footsie" from roaming.
This was 55 years ago when we didn't neuter dogs and let them roam. Tobias would walk with me to the bus stop 2 miles up hill every morning at 6:30am and then he would be at the bus stop to greet me around 3:00PM and we would walk back up the hill 2 miles to get home.
If your dog gets into a porcupine these days - you don't have control of your dog.
Porcupines don't attack dogs/animals- dogs attack porcupines.

If anyone of you ever came upon a porcupine you would agree with me that they are docile. They just try to walk away from you or just look at you. There is no threat. Big myth that they "SWOOSH" their body and the "QUILLS" fly into the air and stick into you or animals.
The only way you or an animal can get a quill stuck into you is to press against-Bite the porcupine.
As far as porcupines damaging property/trees-YES they do. It is a Porcupine's nature to climb to the top of a tree to eat the tender parts.

God forbid if you have a hunting cabin/house and porcupines get into it. They can destroy it.

Just seeing a porcupine in the middle of the woods, which is their home, and shooting/killing them just for the thrill of killing- YOU are not a Hunter!

There's no hunting them really, you can simply walk up to one to dispatch them, there is no sport to it either, it would be like boxing a man with no arms or legs. The property damage is a real thing I think a lot of folks don't understand. Yes the dogs do "go after porcupines" and get quilled that way. The dog is watched very differently when I put him out as opposed to when the wife does and he's called back if he's straying to far or going into areas I know I have run into porcupines in the woods behind our place. But if I come home and they are in the yard over by the trees…..I am taking them out. Both times the dog got quilled it was still dark here "early morning" and it was in the yard and the offending party did not check the yard before letting the dog out…I'll let you all determine who the offending party was, she owns a nice X Bolt though.

 

[Wallrat]

REALLY! saw a few posts that Ranchers are loosing their income $$$$ due to Porcupines sticking quills in the cattle's nose and then they can't graze to eat. First of all, Porcupines are not going to attack cattle and cattle are not going to chase a porcupines like a dog.
For the $100,000 prize show us where cattle die from being attacked by porcupines.

AND the discussion about DOGS getting quilled. The dog attacks the porcupine, the more quills in the dog's mouth shows the more the dog attacked the porcupine.

I had my best friend Tobias (my childhood dog) with quills in his mouth twice. The first time was about 40 quills, the second time was about 200. Spent about 1 1/2 hours with the vet pulling them out of his mouth, face and throat. The more the quills that hurt him the more he bite/attacked the porcupine.
This was MY FAULT. Should not have let Tobias roam at night. 75-50 years ago people let their animals roam OR kept them on a chain which was the cruelest way you have a dog. and still is.. We had a back porch and that is where Tobias got fed and slept. Never had him on a chain.
Today when I see someone having their dog chained to an outside dog house I want to grab that owner and chain them to a small box in the elements.
Now another option is HUNTING Dogs and how to keep them. Whole other discussion. Some hunting dogs are not HOUSE Dogs. I know that. Raised Trained hunting dogs for many years.

My good friend had his dog "Footsie". this dog got into porcupines several times and the vet turned my friend into Animal Control because he was not keeping "Footsie" from roaming.
This was 55 years ago when we didn't neuter dogs and let them roam. Tobias would walk with me to the bus stop 2 miles up hill every morning at 6:30am and then he would be at the bus stop to greet me around 3:00PM and we would walk back up the hill 2 miles to get home.
If your dog gets into a porcupine these days - you don't have control of your dog.
Porcupines don't attack dogs/animals- dogs attack porcupines.

If anyone of you ever came upon a porcupine you would agree with me that they are docile. They just try to walk away from you or just look at you. There is no threat. Big myth that they "SWOOSH" their body and the "QUILLS" fly into the air and stick into you or animals.
The only way you or an animal can get a quill stuck into you is to press against-Bite the porcupine.
As far as porcupines damaging property/trees-YES they do. It is a Porcupine's nature to climb to the top of a tree to eat the tender parts.

God forbid if you have a hunting cabin/house and porcupines get into it. They can destroy it.

Just seeing a porcupine in the middle of the woods, which is their home, and shooting/killing them just for the thrill of killing- YOU are not a Hunter!

Edit: Thought you might want to see these.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Since you seem so determined to be outraged, it took me all of two minutes to find these.

WALLRAT
I stand corrected!
Been around livestock all my life (66 years) and never saw a Cow or Horse get Quilled.
Saw several dogs get quilled.
Amazing what you can find on the INTERNET.
Can't even imagine a Cow Attacking a Porcupine unless maybe there was a calf involved. All the Porcupines I ever encountered always tried to walk away.
Thank you for pointing this out. Any Ranchers on LRH Forum have Porcupines quill their cows or Horses?

 

[Wallrat]

Cows are curious, and their noses are at a very convenient level to investigate that waddling hairy thing over there. Notice…I don't say they're smart.

 

[LkeAF]

My dog has been quilled twice in the yard buddy, including quilled in the throat…..maybe you should read

If it happens again, the trick of cutting the ends off the quills to deflate them definitely helps them come out a lot easier. I've had to do it a couple of times.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I have seen several of them. Just left them alone. I have seen 3 in a small tree one time. First time I every come up on them. They didn't do anything, so I just left them there. My son has a dog that tried one earlier this year. So far that hasn't happen again. I didn't really want to take one.

 

[Ol' Red]

WALLRAT
I stand corrected!
Been around livestock all my life (66 years) and never saw a Cow or Horse get Quilled.
Saw several dogs get quilled.
Amazing what you can find on the INTERNET.
Can't even imagine a Cow Attacking a Porcupine unless maybe there was a calf involved. All the Porcupines I ever encountered always tried to walk away.
Thank you for pointing this out. Any Ranchers on LRH Forum have Porcupines quill their cows or Horses?

I was going to find pictures of calves to show you that got quilled in the nose. Calves or cows don't attack a porcupine, they just sniff it and it's all over. Last year my friend lost two calves because they could not suck. the quills get in the nose and work into the top of the mouth in about two or three days if not spotted. We pulled quills on three more during branding, so they were fine after that. we also have two cows that lost eyesight in one eye from a quill. we shot over 30 porkys in one night on the ranch. When in the mountains, I leave them alone.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

I was going to find pictures of calves to show you that got quilled in the nose. Calves or cows don't attack a porcupine, they just sniff it and it's all over. Last year my friend lost two calves because they could not suck. the quills get in the nose and work into the top of the mouth in about two or three days if not spotted. We pulled quills on three more during branding, so they were fine after that. we also have two cows that lost eyesight in one eye from a quill. we shot over 30 porkys in one night on the ranch. When in the mountains, I leave them alone.

I have been around Cattel, Dairy Cows, and had a horse farm. Only encounter with porcupines were with the dogs attacking them. I should have gone on the internet before posting anything!
YES I do agree that cows/calves push stuff around with their nose and I can see how they can get "QUILLED".

 

[Ol' Red]

I have been around Cattel, Dairy Cows, and had a horse farm. Only encounter with porcupines were with the dogs attacking them. I should have gone on the internet before posting anything!
YES I do agree that cows/calves push stuff around with their nose and I can see how they can get "QUILLED".

They are probably surprised when they find out it's not a big furry cat.