What animal eats Porcupine ?

Porcupines get eaten by lots of things; about the only thing stupid enough to get a mouth full of quills is a damn dog. If you want some quills (some women around here use them to decorate moccasins and jackets) all you have to do is find one on the ground and toss an old wool blanket over it - it'll thrash around a bit and leave you all the quills you need, and go off to grow some new ones.

And yes, they are good to eat in a bind - they're one of the few things you can kill with a stick if you really need to. That in itself is reason enough to protect them. You just might have to eat his grandson some day.
 
I've eaten it several times. It was extirpated from Southern Labrador but in the 90's made a huge comeback. You are allowed to hunt them in Labrador now. It's like a tastier, more tender version of roast beef.
 
Hmmm.... Porcupines protected? When I lived in Saskatchewan there was a porcupine around every corner. In the fall or spring if you were out in the bush, you just had to scan the tree tops to find one.

Coyotes make snacks of porcupines, I've seen that. They play around til they flip em. That's why Porcupines go under a log or bush when threatened so they can't get flipped and played with. Also most farmers I know consider them a pest... I would bet the majority of 'pines are victims of a 22 mag from a combine or tractor....
 
H4831 said:
Porcupines are protected in BC.
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Really? That's wierd,(like seagulls being protected!)
I figured they'd be regarded as varmint/rodent like Raccoons. We shoot 'em when we see them because they cause damage to stuff in barns and camps.
 
My pupply loves them after I roll them around under the truck to remove those pesky quills.
 
Know how a porcupine keeps turning it's back to you when you get too close? Apparently fishers are so lightning fast they just keep biting at the porc's nose 'til it bleeds out. Ouch.

Fishers are pure hell on the red squirrels too...
 
I went back to see if there were any track's but couldn't find any . Had to have been something large enough to carry it off , asides from a few quills there is no evidence that it was ever there .
 
Legs in the Air said:
Know how a porcupine keeps turning it's back to you when you get too close? Apparently fishers are so lightning fast they just keep biting at the porc's nose 'til it bleeds out. Ouch.

Fishers are pure hell on the red squirrels too...
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They are pure hell on alot of animals.

We have a problem with them at my cottage. They killed peoples dogs and cats along our road. Supposedly attacked a couple people too, although I have never been able to confirm that.
 
The Fisher is the only predator that regularly kills and eats Porcupine. Other animals will kill the odd one in dire circumstances, but usually at a great price to themselves. I have several times shot coyotes with porcupine quills in their face, but usually only a half dozen or so. Whether the porcupine became a meal or not is questionable, since the clan canis is not very successful in porcupine encounters. The cougar has been named as a predator, but this would only be the case if the cougar was well experienced in attacking the porky, ditto wolves, an inexperienced predator could die of starvation if it received a snout full of quills from a porcupine's tail. The Fisher is relatively impervious to damage from the quills, and in fact, fishers have been found with quills in their internal organs like lungs and heart muscle without any apparent detriment to the Fisher. I have eaten young porcupine on several occasions, and it is usually quite palatable, although a bit stringy.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
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lister said:
Really? That's wierd,(like seagulls being protected!)
I figured they'd be regarded as varmint/rodent like Raccoons. We shoot 'em when we see them because they cause damage to stuff in barns and camps.
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I think seagulls are protected because it was the queen mother's favourite bird. Which shows me the queen mum was a bad ornithologist.

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Also, I read somewhere sailors would eat porcupines by lying them on their back and eating the soft underbelly. Didn't bother skinning or dequilling them.
 
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