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When I was a small boy, I was out in the woods with my father, saw my first weasel. Dad said that it was good that weasels were so small, because if they were the as big as cats or dogs it wouldn’t be safe for humans to be out in the woods. He told me that as tiny as they are, they kill the snowshoe hares that are four times bigger than they are.
 
In trying to catch a red squirrel that had taken up residence in my barn I actually caught an ermine in the have-a-heart trap. I didn’t have to hold him close to my ear, he was mad and ready to take me on. Now that I’ve typed this I’ll have to look and see if I can find the pic.
Jim


Jim

I've been trying to trap a porcupine which is slowly eating my cabin but all I've got so far is squirrels (black or grey around here). Fortunately he/she only eats plywood which I am gradually covering up with pressure treated lumber or steel mesh that he/she only takes small samples. Fortunately the plywood is mostly restricted to the outhouse and storage shed.

I worry that once every last bit of plywood is covered he/she will move on to the oak trees which I planted (seedlings) about 40 years ago. He/she has already killed a 30 year old Japanese Maple, completely stripped the bark from ground level up about 8 feet

This creature has been chewing for about 5 years, I was shocked to find out that they can live for about 20 years on average (might outlive me If I don't catch it)!

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I’ve only seen porcupine chew up local pine trees. Did not know they munched on hardwoods. I helped a friend catch one and used an old apple as bait.
There was a program on Maine public radio today called ‘Maine Calling’ and it was all about porcupines. I didn’t catch the whole show but it was interesting. You might be able to find it on line.
One thing I learned was ‘What do you call a group of porcupines?’




A Prickel.
Jim

I don’t know if you can hear it from this but this is the show.
 
I've been trying to trap a porcupine which is slowly eating my cabin but all I've got so far is squirrels (black or grey around here). Fortunately he/she only eats plywood which I am gradually covering up with pressure treated lumber or steel mesh that he/she only takes small samples. Fortunately the plywood is mostly restricted to the outhouse and storage shed.

I worry that once every last bit of plywood is covered he/she will move on to the oak trees which I planted (seedlings) about 40 years ago. He/she has already killed a 30 year old Japanese Maple, completely stripped the bark from ground level up about 8 feet

This creature has been chewing for about 5 years, I was shocked to find out that they can live for about 20 years on average (might outlive me If I don't catch it)!

View attachment 144158

Plywood is like Black Tar Heroin to Porcupines, they love the glue. You can bait traps with it. Spread some on the ground around your place you want to keep safe and then shoot or trap them. They love car wiring and rubber brake lines. Out here people chicken wire their cars before leaving them to go hiking. Insurance has written off new cars with no wiring harnesses left. Loggers out here squish them because they can destroy a piece of equipment overnight.
 

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I’ve only seen porcupine chew up local pine trees. Did not know they munched on hardwoods. I helped a friend catch one and used an old apple as bait.
There was a program on Maine public radio today called ‘Maine Calling’ and it was all about porcupines. I didn’t catch the whole show but it was interesting. You might be able to find it on line.
One thing I learned was ‘What do you call a group of porcupines?’




A Prickel.
Jim

I don’t know if you can hear it from this but this is the show.
We have a big problem with these guys every year at work, they can cause some damage. They chew not only the plywood boxes around metal fee boxes, or the 6x6 composite material framing walkways, leaving 5” of GRK screws exposed but the metal signs too. We have to remake or replace a handful of signs every spring. I guess it’s job security for the sign shop, but what a pain.

P.S. we cannot shoot or trap them, or Natural Resources department would have a fit
 
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