I got a porcupine… now what?
 

Hi everyone on the trapper forum, I've never spent much time on the trapper part of this forum as most of my reading is done on the hunting/guns pages.

Long story short, I've spent the better part of $2000 on vet bills when it comes to my 4 bernese mountain dogs and their amazing inability to stay away from porcupines. So I figured it was time to get rid of them (the porcupines). Yesterday I shot 3 porcupines and am unsure as to what to do with them next. I shot them in the head so to not ruin quills and guard hair, but was then informed by a native fellow that I should have "bashed" them on the head so that the skin would also not be destroyed (too late…) I dequiled the smaller one and still have a large one and a very large one to do. I'm located in Central Alberta near ponoka and am wondering where to sell the quills and hair, or is it easier to sell them whole for a little less and let someone else deal with the mess. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dustin

Get a hot wire fencer.
Put a dead porcupine on a stump in the yard and wrap it with hot wire.
Let the dogs sniff it and they will relate the smell to a zap on the nose.
Unless the dog is brain dead one zap should be all it takes.

Keep that baby and shoot some more. I buy them pigs all winter long.

Might want to look into the sale of dead wildlife. I can't remember if it applies to species like porqs

Porkies
 

Skin them and eat good meat better than rabbit if you were closer I would take them I never pass up a porky
:)

The guys over at Takidermy.net are looking for porcupine quills in the wanted section.

What a great idea. I have never heard of that. Not sure if it would really work, or where you'd get the "hot wire", but probably the best Porky vs Dog solution I have ever heard of.

I had a dog that chewed my hunting boots so I hung them from the fence.
She didn't want to get anywhere close to boots the next day.
Never touched boots or shoes again.
I can't imagine the feeling of a hot wire shock on the tip of my nose.

.....friend had a terrier that always got on the cupboard as soon as he left the house.

story is a little long, but he wired an electric fencer to two flat pieces of tin foil flat on the counter top and set up the video camera. dog jumped up and stood on one piece and stuck his nose on the other.....never did go on the cupboard again, and the video of it touching that juice with his nose was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

Yeh, i'm derailing,but thought it only fair to trade a tip. Dog, jumping up on door with front feet and marking/scratching door? hang some mouse traps on door.