life size porcupine mount

[yorketransport]

Has anyone done a life size porcupine mount? The last porcupine I shot (the one in my avtar) had the neatest blonde color, and it made me want to do a full mount of the little guy. My buddy talked me out of it but now I'm curious if anyone has had it done. Or if anyone would actually do it for that matter.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I've never done one but I can.  Will probably have to keep a pair of pliers handy to pull the quills out of my hand when I go to skin it out. 

A customer has one done at his place and it is pretty cool looking.  Keep it up high though!  I could just see someone tripping over it in the middle of the night.

[bobcat]

That's a pretty good idea! I don't have much for mounted animals and don't ever plan to, but a porcupine mount would be different, and kinda cool to have. 

Michelle, how much do you suppose it would cost to do one?

[Huntbear]

Do you need a license to shoot one ?  I know where a big one is, saw him every day during elk season in the same wood pile.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Probably around $600 for a life size.  Shoulder mount your looking at around $325

[Rob]

All I can say is pack it out very, very carefully!

[Michelle_Nelson]

 

[yorketransport]

When we bought our house last year, the first thing I noticed was a ledge above the coat closet as soon as you come in the front door. My first thought was to put either a bobcat or a porcupine up there. Since bobcats are a little harder to come by, the porcuine would be a good start. I don't have any mounts, and probably won't have any big game heads done since my wife's not that crazy about hunting anyways. But a small porcupine up where the kids and pets can't get to it would be pretty cool.

They're considered either varmints or unclassified wildlife, so I'm not sure if you need a license or not. A small game license would cover you just in case. But there's no season or bag limit. I've shot 3 of them as part of an anual Easter Porcupine hunt. The blonde one is from this year the other picture is from last year.



As for packing them out, that's a little tricky. We suspended my first one from a stick with one of my boot laces, then carried it out 2 miles back to the house to skin him out. The other 2 I skinned in the woods and just took out some of the meat for porcupine stew.

If I were going to have one done, should I skin it and bring the hide in, or bring the whole critter in? It doesn't sound cheap, but it sure would be cool!

Andrew

[Michelle_Nelson]

I would suggest brining it in and fresh if possible.  Thawing then out would be a booger.

[Curly]

Hey yorke,

I'm assuming the porc stew tasted good since you skinned two after the first you tried.........but I have to ask......How did it taste?

[yorketransport]

The stew was not bad. It does have a distinct pine flavor to it. But with enough garlic, anything is good. The stew is much better than my failed attempt at roasted porcupine. I made that out of the first one that I got when my wife was about 6 months pregnant with our second kid. The smell alone made her so sick that she had to leave the house until the smell cleared. To be fair, I thought it tasted a little like turkey, with a hint of pine.

Eating them is sort of a sick twist that I added to the annual hunt. My Father-in-law likes the hunting, but not the eating or skinning part. I just can't bring myself to shoot something then let it go to waste. That said, I won't eat one that was shot in the body. Head shots only, and check that meat for quills! I've been told that eating a quill is a great way to end up in the hospital with holes in your stomach or intestines.

Andrew

[Curly]

Andrew, that is cool that you don't let them go to waste.  Good job.

[bobcat]

I wouldn't worry about them going to waste.

Leave one in the woods and something will eat it.

[Ray]

Michelle be careful what you volunteer for. I shot a porcupine before and if I do it again I might bring it by. 

[lokidog]

Porcupine tastes a lot like rabbit, though depends what they've been eating.  I would guess an early fall one would taste better than a winter one, fresh greens versus bark for dinner.....  I've eaten two, one fall archery and one spring turkey season, yummy!  Hassle to skin, weird flat body shape for hugging trees.  Soft if you pet in the right direction.   

Michelle, how much to tan an already skinned one?  Just a skin, not tubed, claws on.