How many of you people come across porcupines and shoot them. I ask because I was out with a friend walking some National forest land, and we came upon a porcupine. My friend asked if I had a gun, and I told him yea ( I had my S&W 22 Compact ) he said shoot it but I didn't. I shot one about 45 years ago and felt bad, if I shoot it I'm going to use it, and I shot that one and kind of thought why. So I've just never done it again. Just wondering what your thoughts are.
Porky's
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I have shot them while bird hunting to keep my dog from getting a face full of quills. If on the ground in front of my dog I shoot, if in a tree where the dog can’t get at it I don’t.
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370 Posts
Thats a no kill for me too.If I’m not utilizing a kill I see no point in it.I guess I’m getting soft in my old age
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I will kill them if they are in my trees because they do a lot of damage to them.
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16,750 Posts
They are tree eating rats. Shoot on sight.
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I actually find them to be funny little guys and I don't currently have any dogs that would get in trouble. I see no reason to shoot them if they stay out of my way and I theirs.
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13,279 Posts
Nope I don't shoot them.
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170 Posts
The Forester that helps us manage our land in the U.P. has told us to shoot every one you see. They are extremely destructive to the forest and also our dogs when hunting birds.
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552 Posts
Bird hunters with dogs shoot them. I have never shot one. They used to be all over our UP property. Even did some damage chewing on cabin, and outhouse. I have not seen one up there in many years though. It’s kinda strange. Never see raccoons up in our area either. Beavers are everywhere, and a problem flooding the roads.
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I do not know if any of you remember George Lyons, that was the General Manager of WZZM in Grand Rapids. He had a cottage on Lake Michigan. I went to do some work for him. He was replacing a T-111 door on his storage shed when I got there, for the third time, from porkies eating it. He had damage 4 feet up on the walls on the cottage from standing on the snow in the winter. He showed me where they were living under the cottage next door. I had a #2 coil spring in my truck that I lent him. It must be the glue that h they are after.
I stopped to get my trap that fall. He had caught 6 porkies over the summer. I killed one just south of his cottage. He was happy to repay me by sending a crew to cover the Fur Sale at Ravenna that January.
I almost lost permission to hunt a big piece of property when I did not kill the porkie i saw on it.
I stopped to get my trap that fall. He had caught 6 porkies over the summer. I killed one just south of his cottage. He was happy to repay me by sending a crew to cover the Fur Sale at Ravenna that January.
I almost lost permission to hunt a big piece of property when I did not kill the porkie i saw on it.
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552 Posts
No doubt they can do a lot of damage to wood buildings, and dogs. The shoot on sight mentality a lot of people go by is probably why I haven’t seen one in the UP woods in years. Some I saw while hunting were so big, at first glance I thought it was a bear cub coming through.
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1,194 Posts
Just remember: If they were so "destructive" they would've died out centuries ago after destroying the environment(aka they haven't, we have destroyed theirs).
Remember who was here first and that there was never a problem back then.
Remember who was here first and that there was never a problem back then.
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1,772 Posts
I shot one back in the 70s, a friend of my dad wanted the quills for tying flies. It was fun watching him trying to skin it. I shot another one last year before my Brittany added more quills to her snout than she already had. The rest my dog found last sason got a pass.
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552 Posts
The forest is their home, and they’re a pretty cool creature just doing what they do, they eat wood. Same as the beavers building dams, and flooding all the 2 tracks. You can’t just exterminate every animal, because you want to live in their house, and they’re inconveniencing you. Main part of being in the forest is seeing the wildlife. Who wants to live in, or walk through an empty dead forest? I’d love to see a porky walking through our woods again.
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14,949 Posts
After one of my boxers got quilled and developed arthritis in that hip I go out of my way to shoot them...
Everyone says when they see a coyote my deer hunt turned into a coyote hunt mine don't but put a porcupine in front of me I'll shoot it no questions asked
Everyone says when they see a coyote my deer hunt turned into a coyote hunt mine don't but put a porcupine in front of me I'll shoot it no questions asked
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1,194 Posts
Tbh that was purely coincidence that the arthritis developed in that hip especially in such a joint problem prone breed.
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5,444 Posts
Do I know you??? I let Porkies munch all the bark and twigs they wanted but when they started gnawing on my camp before it was even finished it was time to react. Long story short, shooting on site for decades did not solve the issue so after they eventually chewed through the T1-11 board and actually ate insulation (found it in porky crap on my deck) I threw in the towel and armor plated the camp with metal siding. They still climb porch posts to chew so they still die. I have two rules when it comes to hunting my property. 1) Have permission before entering. 2) Kill every porky you see. Violate either rule and I may forget to invite you back. FM
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