Porcupines

[riflehunter]

Ran in to 2 different porcupines 30 miles apart let’s say both pups are hurting. Anyone else see porcupines in the cattails around Moses lake? What is best way to get dogs to stay away? Rough day for sure


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[Milkman]

There out all over, mating season. Saw a huge one in 506. Pup on a leash ?

[Pegasus]

Some dogs never learn....had a chocolate lab that would always go after them no matter how many times he got stuck. I hate to count the times when I had to straddle that dog out in the field and yank those needles out of his nose and mouth. Not fun for him and not fun for me as he was a pretty large dog that was hard to control as I pulled the needles. Luckily I always carried a leatherman's tool with the needlenose pliers that did the trick. Wait until your pups find a skunk...

[Tiger1358]

Been trying to find porcupines on the west side for years, but never seen one. They taste really good. 

[Pegasus]

Been trying to find porcupines on the west side for years, but never seen one. They taste really good.

If you like eating leather boots you will love porkys.

[Platensek-po]

Is it legal to hunt them?

[Pegasus]

Is it legal to hunt them?

Only if you strangle them by hand.

It is legal, joking aside. Many do not kill them because they are a easy source of food if you are stranded and starving.

[Birdguy]

You can try some avoidance training, friend of mine had his dogs (GSPs) get into one twice. Big vet bills so he found a roadkill and staged it around the property. When the dogs engaged in scenting they got full shock and a very stern "NO!" He would put it back in the freezer and do it again a week or so later. After the third time they lost interest in them. Cannot say it was totally successful but they never got into another one  .

[yorketransport]

Been trying to find porcupines on the west side for years, but never seen one. They taste really good.

I’ve shot more porcupines in western WA than some folks will see in a lifetime. Walk old logging roads in the evenings and watch for them grazing in the grass or blackberries along the sides. I’ve had good luck walking through the alders with a set of electronic muffs or plugs in and listening for them too. They make a pretty distinctive sound as they shuffle along the ground.

You’re probably the first person I’ve heard who’s said they taste good through! They’re not bad, but definitely not something I crave. 

[Tiger1358]

Been trying to find porcupines on the west side for years, but never seen one. They taste really good.

I’ve shot more porcupines in western WA than some folks will see in a lifetime. Walk old logging roads in the evenings and watch for them grazing in the grass or blackberries along the sides. I’ve had good luck walking through the alders with a set of electronic muffs or plugs in and listening for them too. They make a pretty distinctive sound as they shuffle along the ground.

You’re probably the first person I’ve heard who’s said they taste good through! They’re not bad, but definitely not something I crave. 

I don't know how they taste here, but most countries in Eastern/Central Europe have "Indian Crest Porcupines", hunters mainly trap them in areas where the woods have wild fruit trees. They taste really good, but I haven't shot, nor seen one here yet.

[duckmen1]

I never see them in western wa. Unless they are roadkill. But have probably only seen 2 crossing the highway. But never out hunting. Eastern wa I see them all the time.

[salt n sage90]

Moses Lake/Othello cattails are thick with porcupine. If you plan to hunt there pack leather gloves and pliers. We had a dog get hit 3 times in one day last year. I had to wrench the dog off one so hard it tore the vermins back fat off. Luckily my old man is a veterinarian so when its really bad we sedate the dog at the truck and take them out.

A tip: when pulling quills have a bucket of water next to you, every time you pull quills out dunk the pliers in the water, the quill float off the pliers. Saves time.

Lastly, the quill in the roof of the mouth are the most dangerous, rather than festering out they can fester up and end up in the dogs sinus.
You will find quills a week or two after.

[SGTDuffman]

Been trying to find porcupines on the west side for years, but never seen one. They taste really good.

They’re all over the place in the SW corner of the state. There’s was a stretch 2-3 years ago when I saw 3 or 4 a day walking around down there, not unusual to see at all, and they don’t seem terribly concerned with people either. Me and a fat fella walked towards ea other till I could have bent down and stabbed him w an arrow. They’re in short grass along the logging roads at dusk and dawn, I see more of them on roads closed to motorized access.

[lokidog]

Been trying to find porcupines on the west side for years, but never seen one. They taste really good.

If you like eating leather boots you will love porkys.

Not true at all if you know how to cook anything but Top Ramen....   

[Ridgerunner]

My dog got into one picking huckleberries in late August.  That was one expensive trip to the vet. 

[Tiger1358]

Been trying to find porcupines on the west side for years, but never seen one. They taste really good.

If you like eating leather boots you will love porkys.

It's not the meat, you need to know how to cook it

[Henrydog]

My kid has a old IDI Ford with stacks.  Temps dropping in the low 40's he plugged it in last night.  When he fired it up at 5am this morning Porky a was sleeping in his front wheel well.  Quilled his brand new tire.  Great morning...but better than the dog taking them in the nose and throat.

[Sandberm]

Its easy to spot where one lives in the Columbia Basin if you know what to look for. Russian Olive trees with the bark eaten off the branches. Ive seen them high up in these trees munching away. Also, dirt paths that have a swept look, like someone took a broom and swept it back n forth as they walked backwards down the trail. I also found a porcupine den built in a little cave in the base of a basalt cliff in the Potholes area near a water source. I bent over and looked inside. He was 10 feet in at the back, his little eyes staring back at me. 

I haven't noticed to look in awhile, but when driving down Hwy 240 through Kennewick along Columbia park, look toward the river and the Russian Olive trees that grow amongst where the old campground used to be at the west end of the park. A lot of these trees have noticeable areas where the bark has been eaten off.

Interesting https://www.mspca.org/animal_protection/about-porcupines/

...Porcupines are primarily nocturnal animals who rest during the day in hollow trees and logs, underground burrows or in crevices found in rocky areas. They are most commonly found in coniferous or evergreen forests but have also been found in deciduous woodlands and among Creosote in North American deserts.

Porcupines are strict herbivores and virtually all species of trees found within a porcupine’s range are eaten. During warm months, porcupines eat leaves, buds, nuts, fruit, twigs, and green plants. During the winter, they chew through the outer tree bark to eat the tissue-like inner bark.  Porcupines have been known to strip or “girdle” tree bark from both the trunk and upper limbs with their two front teeth, which can sometimes kill the tree...

...Due to a diet low in sodium, porcupines may try to satisfy their dietary need for salt by chewing on wooden structures, tools, and other materials used in outdoor work or recreation. They are attracted to almost any object that has been handled by humans because of the salt found in human sweat.  Porcupines are also attracted to the glue used to bond plywood on wooden structures. Car tires and hoses may also be chewed on for their mineral content or road salt coating...