The New Huntmastersbbs!: Porcupine Problem

This is topic Porcupine Problem in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.

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Posted by JeremyKS (Member # 736) on February 19, 2008, 07:04 PM:

I need some help in removing a problem porcupine. This porcupine is living near a old abandoned house and it is wrecking havoc on the trees. Any tips on how to find this sucker? I have seen them active in the daytime but would a guy have better luck trying to find it at night with a spot light? Any ideas how to get it?

[ February 19, 2008, 07:05 PM: Message edited by: JeremyKS ]

Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on February 19, 2008, 07:07 PM:

I find that setting a trap for a bobcat works well. My cat sets end up with porcupines. If I want a badger, I make a coyote set. [Big Grin]

Posted by JeremyKS (Member # 736) on February 19, 2008, 07:12 PM:

haha thanks for help [Smile]

Posted by smithers (Member # 646) on February 19, 2008, 07:32 PM:

I know absolutely zilch about porcupines but did find this. It may give you an idea...

Porcupines in search of salt, blah blah, encroach on human habitats, eating plywood cured with sodium nitrate, yada yada, tool handles, footwear, clothes coated in salty sweat. Porcupines are attracted to roads where rock salt is used and are known to gnaw on vehicle tires or wiring coated in road salt. Salt licks placed nearby can prevent porcupine damage.
Natural sources of salt consumed by porcupines include varieties of salt-rich plants (such as yellow water lily and aquatic liverwort), fresh animal bones, outer tree bark, mud in salt-rich soils, and objects impregnated with urine.

[ February 19, 2008, 07:35 PM: Message edited by: smithers ]

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 19, 2008, 08:43 PM:

I don't know how much help this is, but a majority of the porcupines that I see are at night. I have shot a few by mistake, at a distance they sometimes look like a badger. I don't know if they could be described as nocturnal but that's (usually) when I see them, so maybe a light is the way to go, but they don't respond to a call worth a darn?

Good hunting. LB

Posted by Okanagan (Member # 870) on February 19, 2008, 10:56 PM:

Make any sound like salt and you got him. :-) (Can't figure out how to put in a smiley).

If there aren't too many trees to look though, I've seen them up trees many times at night when we've come to a few trees in dry open country. Any dog I've ever had would find one also.

I'd be curious to see what happened if you bait a trap with something salty, like a piece of cloth wet with strong salt water. Put it in the back of a cubby set to guide him onto the trap pan. They don't seem too smart about traps.

[ February 19, 2008, 11:01 PM: Message edited by: Okanagan ]

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on February 20, 2008, 05:02 AM:

On a day that your wife has big plans, and needs you home to help. Take a dog on an early morning hunt, while promising your wife that you will be home soon.

The dog with find the porcupine on the way back to the truck.

Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on February 20, 2008, 06:31 AM:

Tims method works almost as well as a bobcat set. I have used that method also. Bring your pliers! [Big Grin]

Posted by JeremyKS (Member # 736) on February 20, 2008, 07:04 AM:

Well I have already used the dog technique, luckily he didn't get it too bad. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the porcupine that caused him pain. About a week later he treed one in our front yard and I got that one. Interesting note on the salt.

[ February 20, 2008, 07:05 AM: Message edited by: JeremyKS ]

Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on February 20, 2008, 07:30 AM:

Yep, porcupines love salt. They would eat up our wooden salt boxes used for cattle in a few years. Another thing they love to eat is feed grain for cattle. We had some feeders for calves and the porcupines would get into them and shit the feeder up. We would go out a few hours after dark and shoot the porkys around and in the feeders. Initially we though it was the work of just a few porcupines, but we ended up killing over 30 over several nights.

I'd go out after dark with a light and see what you can find.

Posted by Joel Hughes (Member # 384) on February 20, 2008, 09:08 AM:

I'm not much help, but I've seen a few pocupines while night hunting. I don't know if it was just my view of each one at the time or what, but I found it odd that not once did I see eyes reflecting. All I saw was a slow moving black blob? Like Leonard said, they most all made me think badger, but I never saw eyes.

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 20, 2008, 12:50 PM:

Yes, that's right Joel. I should have mentioned that, they don't lite up very well. If they do, I have not seen it? I have heard kangaroos are the same way.

Good hunting. LB

Posted by KevinKKaller (Member # 559) on February 20, 2008, 05:01 PM:

jEREMY dONT THROW THE HIDS AWAY THE qUILLS ARE WORTH pritty good money!
I would love to get a few porkies good Money
Good Luck on your hunt
Good Hunting Kevin

Posted by JeremyKS (Member # 736) on February 20, 2008, 05:45 PM:

ive heard that but didn't know who would buy them?

Posted by KevinKKaller (Member # 559) on February 20, 2008, 07:19 PM:

If you get a hid pm me and I will get you a name to ship to.
I wish I had more porkies thay are way more profitabole than coyotes
Good Hunting Kevin

Posted by Randy Roede (Member # 1273) on February 20, 2008, 09:16 PM:

Jeremy, you should find a culvert, hole in the ground or a tree that the porky is callin home. should be nearby, it will be a BO smelly mess with numerous droppings around the entrance.

Posted by TRnCO (Member # 690) on February 21, 2008, 07:08 PM:

Just a couple of years ago, we had porcipine problems at the treatment plant where I work. We called in the local ADC guy, and he set several live traps and used cut apples with a healthy dose of salt on the pieces of apple. Only took him a few days before we found a porcipine in one of his traps. He came and removed the critter, and his traps, and about a week later, one of my fellow employees found more fresh porcipine tracks in fresh snow. Well, I was the person on call that next weekend, and with the fresh snow, I was able to track the second porcipine to a culvert where I'd guess they were both calling home, and a .357 took care of the second procipine.
So as everyone has already said, they love salt. So maybe set up a little bait station with some fresh cut apples covered in salt, and once they start hitting it, go out after dark with a light, ya might find them on the bait. I'd guess that you're fast enough to run one down if'n ya do catch'em on the bait pile. [Big Grin]

Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 25, 2008, 06:35 PM:

S.D. had a porcupine problem yesterday. I took care of it with the 17 HMR.. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by JeremyKS (Member # 736) on April 02, 2008, 06:55 AM:

Well after many efforts of spot lighting and trapping I finally got one. None of my efforts paid off as she just showed up in my front yard with my dogs chasing it around. Hey Kevin do you still have a guy that will buy them or does anybody else know somebody that will buy the quills?

Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on April 02, 2008, 08:19 AM:

I gave mine to Randy Roede. Maybe he can help you out....

Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on April 02, 2008, 09:23 AM:

www.furbuyer.com

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