HARDCORE

These forest loners can wreak havoc with the
landscape if you don't control their numbers.
M
R
by Darren Warner
ecently I was doing a little
post-season scouting for deer
wlx-n I saw something that
made nx- do a double-take. A sund of
100-year-old oak trees had been
invaded, tlx-ir lurk stripped away,
leaving tlx- trees exposed to tlx- harsh
northern Michigan winters. Ilx- trees
were goners, and it brought a tear to
my eye to see tlx-m in such sad
shape.
Ilx- perpetrator? A slow-mov ing
rodent covered in 30.000 quills, whkh
takes on the shape of a ball to protect
it from predators when threatened. To
control porcupines effectively, it's
imponant to understand tlx-ir behavior
and I biological information. Before discussing
hunting strategies, k-t's take a
closer look at the animal ami why it
needs to lx- controlled.
The Particulars On Porkies
Often called porkies or quill hogs,
porcupines are second «>nly to Ix-avers
as the largest rodents in North
America. Adults can grow three feet
long from head to tail ami weigh
Ix-tvveen 15 and 10 pcximls. They're
found througlxHit much of tlx- United
States and live from five to seven
years. However, retired Iwology professor
I'ldis Roze documented one
prickly fellow that lived 21 years.
Aptly mimed "tlx- animal with an
irritating back' (Krethizon dorsatum). a
porcupine lus quills—actually hardened,
lurtx-d hairs—on every Ixxlv
part except tlx- nose, belly, ami inner
k-gs. A porcupine can't throw its
quills, as ccxmnonlv lx-lieved. Ixit
when threatened, it will often slap its
tail rapidly to defend itself, impaling
its f