# Porcupine Hunting?



## byronbaitskimmer

is it legal to shoot porcupines while out in the field? i have seen people who were grouse hunting take it upon themselves to make sure their dog will not have a run in with these critters and i did not see any mention of them in the hunting regs.


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## Adam Waszak

open year round with a small game license

AW


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## Bwana

I would hope as conservationests we would exercise some restraint in the Lower Penninsula as they have been decimated; at least in the areas I hunt.


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## NATTY BUMPO

Porkys can do a tremedous amount of damages on tree farms, around cabins and camps, etc. I've got one right now that has killed by girdling a significant number of young beech and hard maple trees; thats $$$$ down the drain for the future. A top quality hard (sugar) maple tree will bring $1000 or more on the stump as a sawlog. . And if your dog has a bad encounter with a porky, well, thats many $$$ as well at the vets.
No wonder some folks dont like 'em. And while we're at it, what role do they play in "the balance of nature" anyway???


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## bf281

Me and my family kill more porkies in a year than most people see in a lifetime. It started out with our dogs getting full of quills and our trees getting chewed. We decided we needed to lower the population a little bit. Now it has turned into an obsession and life mission. Maybe it's because we no longer have any deer or rabbits in our area. Or maybe we're just weird. As far as the whole balance of nature, we feed a lot of critters and save a lot of trees each year. At the risk of everyone thinking I'm absolutely nuts I'll also tell you that we eat the porcupine livers. I know it sounds weird but one day we were sitting around looking at a wild game cook book. It stated that porcupine livers are a delicase in many foreign countries. That was all that we needed to hear. Next batch of porkies we got we removed the livers and fried them up. They were excellent! Now we save up a bunch and serve them every year at deer season. It's a great way to initiate the new guys.


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## byronbaitskimmer

do you have to have a small game license? there is no mention of them in the game laws like there is for skunk and woodchuck "no closed season". if you do kill one and leave it in the woods is it considered wanton waste to be punishable with a fine. i know they do a lot of damage and i hear horror stories from gun dog owners but are there legal repercussions for an unlucky hunter caught by a c.o. in the field.


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## trout

Sounds like you need to learn how to do porcupine quill work.
Not too hard to do and a great wintertime craft.
Quill work commends top dollar too!


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## The Terminator

BF281,

Do you have porcupines around Lapeer. Until a few years ago I though they were only up north then I saw a road killed one in Hillsdale, just near the State Police station.

Good job on taking them out of action. They do no good to anyone since we have no Fishers in the lower LP.

The Terminator


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## bf281

If there are any porkies around here there are not many. If I find out about them there will be even less! I personally have not shot any southof standish but know there are a few. When I was a kid we had one killed in the road in front of our house near Dequindre and Auburn in your neck of the woods. My dad still lives there and hasn't seen one since.


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## Buddy Lee

Bwana said:


> I would hope as conservationests we would exercise some restraint in the Lower Penninsula as they have been decimated; at least in the areas I hunt.


After reading some of the posts in this thread I can see why they've been decimated. It looks like some people just enjoy the thrill of the kill. Being a conservationist is probably the furthest thing from their mind.


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## Bwana

NATTY BUMPO said:


> I've got one right now that has killed by girdling a significant number of young beech and hard maple trees
> 
> And while we're at it, what role do they play in "the balance of nature" anyway???


I seem to recall some people actually girdle a tree for deer management and maples are one of the favotite ones as they have little value for deer populations. It seems that when sun light hits the forest floor new growth shoots up that provides food for deer, grouse and turkeys (to a limited extent). That is something. 

I am not advocating not shooting any porkys. I am saying they have been significantly reuced in the NLP so maybe we should go easy on them and maybe we should think it through before we attempt to exterpate a species from an ecosystem.


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## Rasher

When i was a kid my parents had a cabin just outside millersburg which is near Rogers City, after the 3rd porch and several hundred dollars in t-111 siding we started shooting these things killed alot of them too. When we sold the place the real estate lady we had noticed some of the porky damage on the porch and in the following conversation stated that she and her family on occasion eat these things in fact alot of familys in that area do. I guess you cook them in the same maner you would a ****, skined one our once but didnt have the nerve to cook it.


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## 2PawsRiver

These are the kind of threads I read and I just sit and shake my head. Killing something just to be killing it, makes no sense at all. :16suspect


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## NATTY BUMPO

Bwana said:


> I seem to recall some people actually girdle a tree for deer management and maples are one of the favotite ones as they have little value for deer populations. .


You took the liberty to quote my post so I'll return the favor. And I'll ask you three questions:

1. Who girdles trees in the guise of "deer management"???? For what purpose??? I've attended many deer management seminars put on by MSU, MI DNR, etc and never heard of this. Never seen it posted on the Habitat forum here either. FYI, Beech trees are one of the most valuable trres in the Northern Forest, as a source of hard mast for many species and as den trees for many other critters. 

2. You said "maples have little value for deer" ??? Young soft maples (4' and under) are one of the whtetailed deer's very favorite winter foods as browse. (Again, MI DNR publications) FYI, that's what deer live on all winter.

3. What, exactly, is the porkys role in the "balance of nature" in 2005??? Maybe you can provide an answer this time???? And BTW I didn't say "kill 'em all" either!


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## Unregistered4

leaves me more than shaking my head, a little sick to my stomach. where does man figure into the "balance of nature", being that the porcupine is doing what it has to do to survive(eating bark off trees) and we are cutting down trees for profit. i guess we just don't like competition. how come when man makes something and it is destroyed, it's called vandelism but, when god makes something, and it is destroyed by man, it's called progress? i'm no tree hugger but, i still hate to see the killing of animals, because someone thinks it's their misson in life. and, has far as dogs go, if mine tangles with one(which there have been two close calls), do i shoot the porcupine for defending himself, it was my dog that started it, maybe he's the one that needs to be shot. as far as vet bills they come with the territory. sorry, starting to rant, happy hunting(or happy killing), brian.


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## bf281

I am sorry to hear that porcupine hunters "make you sick". What makes me feel queasy is sportsman always bickering because someone does things a little differantly than they do. As far as someone shooting them and leaving them lay just being blood thirsty, what about crow hunters, coyote hunters who do not save the pelt, or people who shoot prairie dogs? All these animals listed are considered nuisance animals. That's why there are liberal seasons on them and no bag limits. If they were not hunted their population would explode. Maybe you would feel differantly if you had a porky damaging your personal property. Maybe you wouldn't. As far as hunters decimating the population, I feel the biggest threat to the porky is loss of habitat. Furthermore, in the areas I hunt we take out alot of them every year and the population actually seems to increase every year. Well I've said my .02 cents worth. Not looking for a fight just trying to express another side of the issue.


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## Bwana

NATTY BUMPO said:


> You took the liberty to quote my post so I'll return the favor. And I'll ask you three questions:


I took the liberty of quoting your post because you asked a question in your original post that I answered. If you have an aversion to being quoted, then in the future I wouldn't ask open ended questions in your posts.



NATTY BUMPO said:


> 1. Who girdles trees in the guise of "deer management"???? For what purpose??? I've attended many deer management seminars put on by MSU, MI DNR, etc and never heard of this. Never seen it posted on the Habitat forum here either. FYI, Beech trees are one of the most valuable trres in the Northern Forest, as a source of hard mast for many species and as den trees for many other critters.


Enjoy the reading from Michigans DNR website regarding girdleing trees. I would also encourage you to purchase and read some Habitat Management Books. I especially enjoyed "Grow 'Em Right" by Neil and Craig Doherty and "Wildlife & Woodlot Management" by Monte Burch. Both reference girdleing trees for the primary benefit of creating Den and Snag trees and the Secondary Benefit of adding additional light to the forest floor to encourage new growth.

http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/Landowners_Guide/Habitat_Mgmt/Forest/Timber_Harvesting.htm



NATTY BUMPO said:


> 2. You said "maples have little value for deer" ??? Young soft maples (4' and under) are one of the whtetailed deer's very favorite winter foods as browse. (Again, MI DNR publications) FYI, that's what deer live on all winter.


You said "thats $$$$ down the drain for the future. A top quality hard (sugar) maple tree will bring $1000 or more on the stump as a sawlog" We were discussing a mature maple...not 4' maples that you were referring to in your reply. Are you questioning the food value of a mature maple for deer?

Also, I would encourage you to go th the habitat forum and start a thread on girdleing, why it is done, and uses the technique. I think you may be surprised.




NATTY BUMPO said:


> 3. What, exactly, is the porkys role in the "balance of nature" in 2005??? Maybe you can provide an answer this time???? And BTW I didn't say "kill 'em all" either!


I answered this with the girdleing issue. Sorry if you have not heard of the technique for Wildlife Management, but it is a valid technique.


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## 2PawsRiver

and your entitled to your opinion bf281, no different then anybody else, but five things.

1. Calling it hunting is like calling a college student that beats up on 1st graders a fighter.  

2. Eliminating pests is one thing, but to take an animal that has a usuable pelt or product and and not use it once it is killed, is wasteful and illegal, not that a porcupine does, but one of your examples does. 

3. Eliminating porcupines that are destroying your property is understandable, but to simply kill them when you come across them elsewhere is not.

4. Simply because somebody wants to call something hunting dosn't mean it should it be blindly supported by hunters. Who best to identify an unethicial act in the outdoors other then an outdoorsman.

5. Lastly if anybody kills a good sized porcupine and can skin it, I will pay to overnight it to my house. I want to try and make bobbers out of some of the quills and others can be used in flytying.


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## Unregistered4

bf281 said:


> I am sorry to hear that porcupine hunters "make you sick". What makes me feel queasy is sportsman always bickering because someone does things a little differantly than they do. As far as someone shooting them and leaving them lay just being blood thirsty, what about crow hunters, coyote hunters who do not save the pelt, or people who shoot prairie dogs? All these animals listed are considered nuisance animals. That's why there are liberal seasons on them and no bag limits. If they were not hunted their population would explode. Maybe you would feel differantly if you had a porky damaging your personal property. Maybe you wouldn't. As far as hunters decimating the population, I feel the biggest threat to the porky is loss of habitat. Furthermore, in the areas I hunt we take out alot of them every year and the population actually seems to increase every year. Well I've said my .02 cents worth. Not looking for a fight just trying to express another side of the issue.


bf281, maybe, i didn't make myself clear, i just don't understand, how it can be your "misson in life" to shoot every porcupine you see. i don't know where you have this over population of them, i know it's not in the north eastern LP, i've seen a hand full in thirty two years of hunting(living, not counting roadkill). maybe the reason you are seeing more in your area after shooting so many, it's their kin, and there coming for you:lol: . don't want to argue either, it's just the way you worded it "obsession" "misson", in reference to taking porcupines, knowing we(hunters) are not the only ones to see it in this forum. wasn't just refering to you, in my earlier post, that's why i signed off with happy hunting and happy killing, some of us hunt just to be outdoors and some hunt to fill their gamebag or tag. 2004, grouse-0, deer-0, woodcock-2, pheasant-0, turkey-0, for those of you that like to keep score. one of the worst years, bag wise, greatest ,memory wise, two new dogs, youngest son's first year grouse hunting.


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## trout

FWIW,
I saw many porkys in the UP and never shot one.
If I wanted to try and eat one I would kill it, or if it was chewing my house I'd kill it.
As far as lumber well we are going to lose any reaming beches in Michigan very soon, 40% have died in my area.
If we see a porky in the middle of the woods do we really need to just kill it?
I see many skunks and weasels that I don't think I'd just kill, Legal or not.

What we do know is that if a hunter posts what he does or doesn't do, he or she is also under the scrutiny of his or her peers.
The human damage to the eco system could hardly be matched by any natural occuring animal within a system, albeit invasive species.
To kill any (native) animal on sight for the sake of killing has never been considered ethical in the minds of many.

If you choose to do so, don't expect not to be scruntinized by the sportsmen here onsite.

Like I mentioned earlier, put the animal to good use and give it value and then you will respect it as a resource.


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## bf281

If you guys read my earlier post I stated that we do eat the livers, not just leave them lay. While I realize we don't use the whole animal, how many of us save all our deer hides or heart and liver or use the bones for crafts? I guess we just have to agree to disagree on this one and I do know that I will face some opposition when making posts about it. Such is life. What I don't understand is why certain people get blasted for shooting a few animals but we can have a post in the hunting forum showing 2 semi truck loads of dead fish that will not be used for anything but fertilizer and that is seen as cool. No disrespect meant to Neal. I have no problem with it but it is interesting to see how opinions differ on similar matters. Anyway, 2pawsriver, I would be more than happy to help you out but I don't know when I can get back up north again. It may not be for a month or so. To everyone else, have a good day and don't let this thread ruin your day. Lighten up a little.


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## Bwana

NATTY BUMPO said:


> 1. Who girdles trees in the guise of "deer management"???? For what purpose??? I've attended many deer management seminars put on by MSU, MI DNR, etc and never heard of this. Never seen it posted on the Habitat forum here either. FYI, Beech trees are one of the most valuable trres in the Northern Forest, as a source of hard mast for many species and as den trees for many other critters.


Check out the habitat forum. Some fella named fairfax1 started a thread on girdleing today at 1:05 AM.


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## Bluegill Bob

Sounds like people that dont live where we have porcupines think they are the warm and fuzzy little critters they watch on the cartoon channel. The closet PETA bunch doesnt think we should kill anything we dont use. How about woodchucks, coyotes, flies, mosquitoes they are Gods little critters also. I think the answer to get rid of them would be to start a QPM chapter and promote killing all the females and baby males. Then the members that live in the southern counties also would accept it. :evil: 


How about big game hunters? Dont they kill for the thrill of it, or do they eat mountain goats, cougars, tigers ? Would it be OK to kill porcupines if we hung their heads on the wall?

2PawsRiver, The porkys we have here don't have the big quills that they use to make bobbers but they do have a softer fur under the quills that might be good for flytying.


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## Bwana

Bluegill Bob said:


> Sounds like people that dont live where we have porcupines think they are the warm and fuzzy little critters they watch on the cartoon channel.


Because if they disagree with you they must just be ignorant city folk....right? What is the term I see thrown around the site...trolls...flat landers?  

Did you ever stop to think that by choosing to live in a rural area you might have to put up with some animals here and there? 




Bluegill Bob said:


> The closet PETA bunch doesnt think we should kill anything we dont use. How about woodchucks, coyotes, flies, mosquitoes they are Gods little critters also.


Because some hunters are not willing to shoot animals into near-extinction they are members of the "closet Peta crowd"....give me a break. I never said porkys didn't need to be thinned out in some areas. But in the NLP they have been shot-out in many areas and need to be given some reprieve. And to promote their slaughter in these areas for shizz-n-giggles is obtuse.



Bluegill Bob said:


> How about big game hunters? Dont they kill for the thrill of it, or do they eat mountain goats, cougars, tigers ? Would it be OK to kill porcupines if we hung their heads on the wall?


Tigers? I do not believe you have been able to hunt Tigers in many a moons....probably 25 years? No animals should be shot if the species is depleated from a particular area....even if they are wall-hangers.


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## trout

Bluegill Bob,
Nobody is saying don't shoot them, just questioning why anyone feels the need to shoot everyone they see.
I don't shoot every weasel possum or red squirrel, or crow that I see.
Mostly because I want to see other game at times.
PETA? I am surprised you would mention them in this thread.
Other members who posted here are no doubt vary good sportmen and conservationist.
In fact I read a sig that quoted Burton Spiller, that reminded me of what I really enjoy doing in the woods : Shooting


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## Linda G.

I would have never thought so, either, especially a cat, but at a wild game dinner in January I was treated to my first taste of, ah, are you ready...mountain lion. Really-more than 100 other people at that dinner also tried it. From a cat taken in Colorado. It was very good, albeit a bit rich. Sort of like moose meat. 

And I know some guys in Kansas who were so fascinated with the sight of their first dead porcupine that they took it and mounted that head on their wall...LOL

Geez, guys, it's been a long winter, hasn't it??


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## Jumpshootin'

If you are going to shoot a porky, please don't leave it laying in the woods for someones hunting dog to get into. Bury it or hang it out of reach in a tree. Those quills will get into a dog whether the porky is alive or dead.


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## Bluegill Bob

I made my post simply on the observation that it seemed to be that the anti porcupine killers didnt live where they have to deal with them or have never seen the damage that they do to a woods and homes. I could very well be wrong but I have never heard of a shortage of porcupines in the NLP, there sure doesnt seem to be in my area. I dont remember my advocating the eradication of the porcupines other than a tongue in cheek poke at the southern members feeling they have the answers for deer management for the NLP
As far as living in a rural area I live more like in the middle of the picky sticks close to BFE and I love it, thats why when I retired I moved here. I live in the middle of the woods in a log home next to the Manistee National forest; I have the White river and 21 lakes within a 5-mile radius of my home. I purchase more than a ton each of sunflower seeds and shelled corn every year and about 800 lbs of Niger seed. I dont think anyone enjoys watching Gods little critters and birds any more than I do, But when porcupines and Red squirrels get to my house they are on my hit list and I do take the time to bury them. Now let's all go take a chill pill.


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## trout

Bob I like your Sig, is a quote from an author?
I agree it's been a long winter and we need to chill.


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## Bluegill Bob

trout said:


> Bob I like your Sig, is a quote from an author?
> I agree it's been a long winter and we need to chill.


I received it in an E-mail once a couple of years ago with several other sayings but no credit was given to an author. After 32 years of truck driving I hope to live the rest of my life that way.


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## trailsend

Having a cabin in the UP i can relate to the damage a porky can do. We shoot em on site if they are on our property. I have heard them called the lost hunters friend ( mainly because they are easy to catch if you are lost). When i shoot one i roll it over belly side up so the critters can get at it quickly. They are very plentiful up here.


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## woodsrat

I bird hunted for alot of years with a guy who would bust out the .22 mag and shoot every Porky he saw. Got to the point where it was ridiculous. Took up alot of time we could have been in the woods hunting Grouse. Wasn't my cup of tea, but I guess it was fun for him.


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## BIGSP

it's not their fault my dogs are stupid and get into them. I could have kille 4 in the last 2 seasons but, I hate to kill something that I am not going to eat. Although I must say if they were around my cabin and doing damage then they are fair game.


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## john warren

i was taught never kill anything unless you plan on eating it.i have taken two porkies and they were very tasty,i also used the quills to decorate a buckskin quiver i had made. 
i'm not a preacher,but i'd like to say if you kill it, eat it. otherwise leave it alone.


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## Adam Waszak

Porky's we have not had any trouble with up north and we see a lot in the springtime. I leave them alone until they mess with the cabin then they will be in trouble. I say leave the porky's alone and focus on eliminating the raccoons and possums :lol:. I see a raccoon and beleive me he is about to do damage  

AW


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## Gobblerman

I'm a firm believer that if you kill something you should do it for food. Unless your life is in danger then don't kill it. Now with that said, if I had Porky's tearing up my house I would have to do something. If it's killing a few to try to balance out the population or doing something to the house and trees to protect them then do it. I do not agree with killing every one in site. Just my 2 cents.


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## Lunker

Skin and borax em and Ill trade a dozen flies or spinners in what ever colors you want per skin. PM if interested.


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## sparky107

I am kind of curious, how many people here have eaten ****, skunk, possum, coyote, fox, mink, prarie dog, crow, starling, english sparrow? I notice a few blanket statements that I personally don't think hold true. If you don't want to shoot a porky, then don't. Many animals that are killed are not killed soley for their food potential. That is a fact of life. I am not ashamed to say I have killed mice and I have never, to my knowledge, eaten one. You guys like to get together and bash on a fellow for having a different point of view than you do. Not every person shares the same hobbies and interest as you do. That doesn't make them wrong. If we all did the same things at the same time, the woods would be a pretty crowded place.


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## Unregistered4

what don't you understand about what were saying. were not saying never shoot a porcupine, all were trying to get across to a few people is, there is no need to kill something, just because you came across it out in the woods. if i was out hunting for grouse and someone i was hunting with, saw a mouse, and stepped on it, to kill it. i would not have very much respect for that person, as a sportsman, conservationist or a human being. seeing that they have such little disregard for any life, big or small. killing something just for the joy of it, is not hunting, i'm sorry, if you don't feel the same way a lot of us do. it's just a enigma to me, why it has to be explained over and over again. i'm done, have a nice day, brian.


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## BarryPatch

I run across porcupines regularly in Sleeping Bear NP. The forest seems quite healthy and forests have survived millenia in their company. They don't bother me and my dog is smart enough, and trained enough, not to bite one despite being given the chance on several occasions. If you eat them, fine. I don't, so I let them be.


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