We have a bumper crop of porcupines here. They keep multiplying every year. When I had the dogs, I would eliminate them from the property every evening till there were none to be a problem with the dogs. Since the last dog passed away 3 years ago, we have been dogless, so there is no longer a reason to "dispatch" them. They have become so used to us, that they don't even run away when we come home. I only wish that there was a natural predator that would keep their numbers in check. Ammunition is expensive today.
Ground hogs
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The only thing that gets them are Fishers, tough critters. They keep biting on a porcupine face and nose until their done.
I had one last week on the back porch sniffing around the grill.
We have an overabundance of Fisher Cat and they are not even making a dent on anything other than domestic cats and chickens. They also go after small dogs. I guess that they have to have all the easy targets removed before they will go after the porcupine.
Only had to deal with 3 ground rats so far this year. There a few more around at my neighbors place, under his shed I need to dispatch yet. Rabbits are horrible this year. Normally we'll go all year and not see more then 2, this year they have opened the flood gates. Haven't had a fence around the garden ever and I'm thinking real hard about putting one up because of them. Tree rats cleaned my mulberry tree out then moved on to the blueberry bushes. Been taking care of them too.
Same, every house in my neighborhood has at least 2-3 roaming around at any given point. We had two rabbit nests in our yard this year and have a family of regulars that hang out. It's gotten to the point where they don't run off into the woods when we are close by outside.
Yes they make good table fare though I don't eat them personally.
In my area Feral Hogs are so numerous that anyone wishing to have any could have a steady supply.
When I am unable to find folks that want to come and pick up a hog....then they get 'recycled' (Coyotes and Buzzards clean them up).
In the Summer Months (Texas Heat) it becomes a real problem to preserve the meat resource as the carcass bloats and starts to degrade very quickly. Trapped hogs the exception as they can be killed and taken immediately but hogs that are snared or shot very often end up in the bone pile.
They are a scourge that create damage like you just wouldn't believe. Being a land owner....I don't hunt them for sport or for the meat resource. I take no pleasure in killing them....it is just by necessity.
And though I've been trying to control their numbers now for a bit over 30 years, it is clear that it is a losing battle.
I started this ongoing thread about it more than a dozen years ago:
Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas
It never ends! We just got rid of one sounder, now (a month later)….there is a new group. This is just one area they have rooted up in the pasture (there are others): I have managed to get this group baited into a “lane” between our property and the neighbor. For...
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Knock on wood … have not seen them in our yard this year. A few years back had a heck of a time with them chewing on car wires. I recommend a 17 HMR. Fairly inexpensive and lower ricochet hazard if that is a concern.
Agree .17HMR would be about ideal and if using the 17gr 'TNT' (very fragile and explosive) the chance of ricochet is almost zero.
They are indeed! Tastes a lot like beef, dark and somewhat stringy.
These critters you speak of, ground hogs and fisher cats, I've never seen around here. Had to look up what a fisher cat was. Ground hogs only the proverbial Punxsuyawney Phil.
I see a few of these, mostly upside down on the side of the road.
I see a few of these, mostly upside down on the side of the road.
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Yeah, Armadillo....the official small mammal of Texas.
Here (Texas) not all of them you see on the side of the road are dead, some are just 'passed out'.
I read the other day, that a good number of Armadillos carry the bacteria that causes leprosy. Lot of dangerous wildlife in the south!Yeah, Armadillo....the official small mammal of Texas.
Here (Texas) not all of them you see on the side of the road are dead, some are just 'passed out'.
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In the Southern States about 1 in 6 of Armadillos carry the bacteria. BUT....it would be exceedingly rare for it to be transmitted to humans. It is not a very contagious disease to start with and more than 90% of humans are immune to it anyway.
In the South... your real concerns are from Tick and Mosquito borne illnesses.
Spread the word - southern USA is a hazardous place to live. (
Seeming to ignore that advice... Californians are moving here (Texas and Florida) by the droves. To us....THAT is the hazard.
I fly south for work every once in a while and the summer is miserable, y'all can keep it to yourselvesSpread the word - southern USA is a hazardous place to live
They've ruined our housing market in Michigan too, you're not the only ones lol