Porcupines

[Rustyiron]

I'm at # 9 (since spring) that died from lead poisoning. I don't go out looking for them beyond our yard. Anyone not familiar with them,

That's a newspaper that I put him on (taking him to the "train station") and a hard leather welding glove!
It's them or my dogs so as unpleasant as it is, it's a easy choice.
Anyone else with a bumper crop of porkies?

 

[Doofy]

I have re-located a few and dispatched a couple. I hate shooting them, they are one of the easiest animals to chase down and kill in a survival situation. I fully understand the dog vs porky problem and have pulled my share of quills.

 

[oosik]

I use to see them quite often. I've not had one in my yard in over twelve years. That was the last one I dispatched. I have no answer as to where they all went or why. I still train my dogs with old quills.

Years ago I had to put one of my dogs down. He just could not learn to leave them alone.

Likewise - it's been a very long time since I've seen "Porky damage" on my young pines. They would climb to the top of young pines and eat the tender bark at the very top of the tree. This damage was always fatal to the tree.

 

[WinterDeere]

Doesn't a dog usually learn to leave them alone after their first encounter?

 

[Doofy]

Never known a dog that could avoid a porky encounter, previously quilled, or not.

 

[oosik]

NO - some dogs NEVER learn. I had a beautiful, young chocolate lab that I had to put down after his third encounter. He actually went out and hunted the porky and attacked it.

 

[ArlyA]

NO - some dogs NEVER learn. I had a beautiful, young chocolate lab that I had to put down after his third encounter. He actually went out and hunted the porky and attacked it.

That is correct. Some dogs will get needled one time, and never do that again. Others do and do and do it again. Guess which ones are smarter?

 

[Rustyiron]

Doesn't a dog usually learn to leave them alone after their first encounter?

You'd think so!

 

[SuperiorLakeEffect]

This guy spent the winter living in a culvert under our driveway. Our dog is either lucky or knows not to tangle with porcupines, so I generally leave the porcupines alone as long as they leave us alone.

 

[gsganzer]

I have a black mouth cur dog that's been skunked 7-8 times. He could get sprayed another 100 and he'd still never back down. I dread him ever tangling with a porcupine, I expect he'd get quilled bad enough that it'd be fatal.