Porcupine down

[John Klingenberg]

Killed one a few days ago by the house. I usually leave them be, but this one had already ruined a shed wall. She was pretty heavy.
The trick to skinning one is to braise the sharp quills off over the fire or a propane torch before skinning. They're not a favorite meal but it's not bad. Boil a lot before frying.

 

[Ol' Red]

Yes. Even in areas where there was no law against it they were reserved for emergency situations by common consent & social pressure.

They are easy to kill and have lots of fat. Fat is important, some nutrients are fat soluble. If all you have to eat is lean meat (eg rabbit, squirrel, caribou) you will quickly succumb to vitamin deficiency.

Have you ever seen the 3 to 5 inches of fat on a caribou? Caribou fat is what gets many Alaskan natives through the winter. You are correct about rabbits and squirrels. Of course, I could live on my body fat for a while before I need a porupine.

 

[Charlielee]

View attachment 403734

When your dogs get quilled the best way to remove them humanely is to use scissors to trim the end of the quill. This will un-trip the barb that is keeping the quill stuck in the flesh, or skin. Trim all of them then easily remove them with pliers.

 

[Eric Musgrove]

I cant believe I just read through 9 pages of post about shooting some porkies, but heck I will add to it and hope it makes 10 pages, As a kid my dad and his friends and all us kids loved to hound hunt, like others said, anyone with a dog, is not a fan, some first memories are my dad trying to hold one of the hounds between his legs as he went to work with the pliers trying to get the quills out, him cursing and the dog whimpering, so of course none of use were fans, hadn't seen one in years.

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

When your dogs get quilled the best way to remove them humanely is to use scissors to trim the end of the quill. This will un-trip the barb that is keeping the quill stuck in the flesh, or skin. Trim all of them then easily remove them with pliers.

I have heard this before, but has anyone actually done it and found it to work?

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

Speaking of wild game we don't kill: we've stopped shooting javelina while hunting whitetails in South Texas.
Their numbers are down, possibly due to encroachment by the feral hogs. So we just enjoy watching the cute little
things even though they are legal game. They are good entertainment to pass the time while waiting for Muey Grande to show up.

 

[bowhunter123456789]

Same here , the numbers are way down for West Texas area. Coyotes are getting to be a bigger problem every year.

 

[billflangjr813]

I kill them if I see them. Wack them over the nose and they're toast. They're awful hard on the trees

Shoot them with that CM , it should be good for that!! LOL

 

[HunterMann]

Speaking of wild game we don't kill: we've stopped shooting javelina while hunting whitetails in South Texas.
Their numbers are down, possibly due to encroachment by the feral hogs. So we just enjoy watching the cute little
things even though they are legal game. They are good entertainment to pass the time while waiting for Muey Grande to show up.

Where I hunted in Texas last year, one of the neighbors was feeding them so a few were always hanging around the house. We saw them just about every time we drove in or out of the lodge.

 

[HunterMann]

For some odd reason dogs just can't resist a 2nd, 3rd etc. go around with porcupines or skunks. Go figure.

My previous dog LOVED skunk smell. He got sprayed as a pup and thought it was great. It was his only bad trait. Still miss that dog...

 

[VALKYRIETP]

My oldest son just did a crockpot porcupine, said it was dang good.
He would do it again.
T.P.

 

[HunterMann]

We see a lot fewer porkies since F&W re-introduced fisher cats to prey on them. The porkies like to eat the tops of the pine trees which stunts their and ruins the timber production value.

 

[jbronner13]

You must live in a wonderful place~! Several years ago I had a place in the Poconos and would get out of bed at sun-up to watch the deer in the yard stopping to graze, eat the fallen apples, and the corn I spread. About once a week I had a bear visit and snoop around.

Had a grey fox in the yard last night WITH another porcupine. Got a nice video of the fox eating crickets

 

[jbronner13]

Eats mosquitoes