# Porcupine scare



## Thomas Dow (Aug 11, 2007)

I was out hunting pheasants with my lab Josey this weekend in north central North Dakota. While nosing into heavy cattail cover I saw her jump back and trot out into the stubble field. As she turned around I saw right away that she had porcupine quills in her nose/muzzle. Fighting off panic I called her to me to investigate how bad it was. Luckily she only had six or seven in her nose/muzzle and three in her front paw. They were not deep at all so I was able to remove them quite easily.

I was used to seeing porcupines up in Alaska, but wasn't expecting them here. Are they common? There was only one tree in sight and it was more like a shrub. Just curious.

By the way, Josey is fine. She acted like nothing happened. Can't say the same for the sticker pig though.


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

Why shoot the poor little bugger? I hate hunters like you.

There is no need for that!


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## Thomas Dow (Aug 11, 2007)

1. This is from the North Dakota Game and Fish website.

Hunting - Other Species
Prairie Dog, Skunk, Rabbit, Gopher, Porcupine
No season. Open year around.

2. I realize now that I made it sound like I shot the porcupine. It was a dead porcupine. My dog was charging into cover to investigate the smell and must have ran into the carcass. Which led me to ask my question..are the common in the area, or did this one somehow wander to a treeless area and die.

3. Had it been alive I would have shot it. No apologies. I shot one in Alaska and ate it. Not bad tasting, but a little chewy. I breaded it and fried it like a chicken leg.

Thanks for turning my honest question into a morality debate.


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## Britman (Dec 18, 2002)

Central and western ND is full of them nasty buggers, not sure about the eastern part. My buddy lost a dog a few years back to one, and I have pulled a lot of quills in my day.

If I see one he won't make it long :sniper:

Nothing worse than going in to flush a bird and finding a porky. I make no excuses for reducing the population!!


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

I'd shoot it also if I thought my dogs were going to get into it.

Porkys are common in the western parts of ND and most of montana, I've never seen one in the South eastern ND area where I always hunted.


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## Thomas Dow (Aug 11, 2007)

Thank you for the info Britman.

I spent 3 years up north chasing grouse and worrying about my lab having a run-in with a 'pine, only to come the most treeless area around and have her get stuck by a dead one in a cattail slough. I was thankfull it was already dead or it would have been worse than a few in the nose.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Carry a hemostat for quill removal. The ranchers in western ND do not like porkies because of the cattle getting quills. You'll find them miles from any trees out there.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

What do they eat if there aren't any trees


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## Thomas Dow (Aug 11, 2007)

Carrying a hemostat is a definate now. Actually I am going either make or buy a fist aid kit with the basics that I can carry with me in a backpack. This time I was lucky and was able to pull them out with my fingers/teeth. But it got me thinking...what if something worse happened and I was a mile from the truck?


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Bob, I've seen them eat bark on buck brush, Juneberry, Buffalo berrry, choke cherry, etc, and no doubt some are just traveling from one watershed to the next.


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## Booster (Sep 8, 2003)

ruger1 said:


> Why shoot the poor little bugger? I hate hunters like you.
> 
> There is no need for that!


 :withstupid:


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

Call me what you will Booster. I don't kill just for ****s and giggles.

I live in Northern MN. Porcupine are everywhere, yet I've never felt the need to kill them. My dogs find them all the time, yet I still don't kill them. Or have to pull quills out of my dogs faces. I guess I'm just dumb for training my dog to leave them alone and focus on birds.

If you take them home and eat them, great. But I'll bet Cut Em is the only person you've heard of who's shot a porcupine and ate them. So you are guilty of waste. I'd happily turn a person in for that.

Cut em, my apologies. I wasn't aware it was already dead.


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## Thomas Dow (Aug 11, 2007)

ruger1,

No biggie. The beauty of our country is everyone has the right to voice their opinion.


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

ruger1 said:


> Why shoot the poor little bugger? I hate hunters like you.
> 
> There is no need for that!


Ruger, of course we kill for ****s and giggles. 
Oh, we cloak it in poetic terms, and such, but the bottom line is we kill because we are hunting and we are hunting for the sport involved in the taking of wild animals. We aren't doing it so much to eat them as to enjoy the splendor of the outdoors and watch them fold up when we shoot them. Look at the pics of the ducks, geese, pheasants and such. Did our forefathers take pics and boast of uncanny skill at bagging game? No, they shot it and ate it. We shoot it for the sport and because the state says we can and because (hopefully) we enjoy the flavor and texture of wild game. 
We don't need to go hunting. We do it because it's fun to walk 2 miles to flush a rooster and watch him fold up when we drop the hammer. If we were truly hungry we'd wait in some advantageous spot and when they came out to feed we'd whack the whole flock!

As for porkpies, I wouldn't just go out of my way to shoot one, but if Bill the Chessy run into one and got quilled, then the porky would go! 
Good choice to those who say blast him.

My opinion,
Dan


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## ND decoy (Feb 1, 2003)

I don't like shooting animals just to be shooting them. But there are two exceptions to this for me, porcupines and skunks. My dogs mean a lot to me and if by shooting every skunk or porky that I see on my farm saves my dogs some pain then I am ok with that.


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## kevin.k (Dec 31, 2005)

ruger1 said:


> Why shoot the poor little bugger? I hate hunters like you.
> 
> There is no need for that!


Are you kidding me, go join PETA, do you even own a dog?


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

In the land of trees and water, porcupine's might serve a purpose. Here, they are a nuisance. My dogs are my family. Since experiencing something like this, thirty odd years ago...............








I make it a point to shoot every porcupine I come across, while hunting with the dogs. No apologies. 
Burl


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

Kevin, why would you say something nasty like that?

Of course I've got a dog. She finds at least 1 porcupine a year. I haven't had to shoot them and I haven't had to pull quills.

I see no need to kill for no good reason. If you want to, whatever. I don't kill rattlesnakes when I come across them either. I suppose you guys would kill the snake to?

No wonder people look down on hunters.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Ruger1 I suggest you walk away from this one. I like others will shoot them on site when I can. I do it for a couple reasons, but it is not done out of fear or loathing.

I have the same feeling for skunks ,raccoons and badgers as well. Once you see the damage they can cause to livestock and the amount of disease they spread you develop this attitude. It most likely came from growing up on a farm and seeing first hand the result of a growing and expanding population of these critters.

Now in regards to snakes, I leave them alone if they leave me alone.

I leave all this thought going into next year, *Shoot each and every porky,skunk,badger and raccoon you get a chance!*


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## AdamFisk (Jan 30, 2005)

> Kevin, why would you say something nasty like that?


Probably because of comments like these.



> I hate hunters like you.





> No wonder people look down on hunters.


Like somebody said, this is America and you can say whatever you want. But I will take a shot in the dark and say you offended a few people with comments like that. We're all big boys here, however, we can take it.

I wouldn't hesitate for a second about shooting a skunk or a porcupine. Burl, that picture is enough evidence on why they should be shot, IMO. It may not be your dog that gets it, but it could be somebody else's down the road.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Watch a dog slowly die in agony from a rattesnake bite. I dont hate or fear rattle snakes, but they are bad news for bird dogs.

I dont shoot predators of any kind that are not a threat to my dogs or me, on the other hand I have no problem if farmers ect shoot them.

We all have our reasons.


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## roostman (Jan 20, 2006)

ruger1 said:


> Why shoot the poor little bugger? I hate hunters like you.
> 
> There is no need for that!


I would have to also say skunks porkies and racoons are fair game around the dogs, shoot them on the spot if out hunting. I do think your comment about " I hate hunter like you" is some what harsh and you should probably quit while you are hehind.


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## Thomas Dow (Aug 11, 2007)

Fellas,

I started this post with a question about porcupines in ND. I didn't mean for it to be such a heated debate.

Adamfisk said we are all big boys and can take it and he is right. I know I can take criticism. I get it enough from my wife (just kidding honey).

Anyway, we all hunt and kill for different reasons. I try to promote hunting in a positive way, but don't get me wrong, I've done my fair share of shady things in my younger days. I think as long as you are legal you are entitled to kill whatever you want.

I don't want to seem like a softy and say "can't we all just get along" because the fact is we are all different. I embrace that.


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Cut em said:


> Fellas,
> 
> I started this post with a question about porcupines in ND. I didn't mean for it to be such a heated debate.
> 
> ...


The only thing heated, my friend, is a gun barrel when we see one.

It's one thing to go out and blatently kill an animal for the sake of killing it. But if your dog gets quilled, the porkies gotta go.

During our escapades out and about for ducks, geese, and roosters, Bill the Chessy hasn't run into a porky yet. I hope he don't. But you can't expect a dog to just walk away. They aren't like that and I think I'd be suspect of one that did.

Shoot'em and save a painful experience for your pup. :beer:

Sincerely,
Dan


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

I think Cut em has gotten the answers he was looking for and everyone has had a chance to voice an opinion.

I think we'll let this one go.

LOCKED


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