Saturday Evening Adventures

wags · #1 10-20-2014, 11:23 AM

So Saturday evening some buds and my pup decide to hit the Dickson Dam. We arrived, parked, and headed to the spillway.

Shortly after arriving, and all of us with our hooks in the water, my dog starts barking at something and takes off into the trees. I call her, she starts to come back, then back into the trees. After a couple times, she comes back, and this is what I see:

This is my first time having to pull needles out, but there's only 3 quills. I grab my fishing pliers, hold her down, and pull them out. All seems good. Back to fishing.

After several casts, i'm retrieving my hook in, and see a fish trailing my hook. I stop, the gills flare out and boom - takes the hook 3 feet from shore. Nice looking wally, just under 5lbs.

We continue fishing into the dark, but not much else going on. Another buddy shows up, starts chucking streamers, and is pulling out Walleye and Sauger with almost every cast it seems. But the time has come for us to head home. We make the walk back to our vehicle, and my buddies are a bit ahead of me. I hear some commotion followed by "Dude, get your dog!". Well, she found another porcupine! This wasn't so pleasurable.

Spent the next hour or so in the dark trying to pull them out. Both my and my buddies tried to hold her down, but eventually everyone was exhausted. I had removed about 20, but still 10 or so remained.

The next morning, we rolled her in a blanket, and laid a towel over her head. Two guys held her down and I finished removing the quills.

Of course the question is - has she learned her lesson? Probably not, but it was quite an adventure! Now I await the date with a skunk!

Cheers

tam474 · #2 10-20-2014, 01:02 PM

I hope you cut the quills in half before pulling them?

Talking moose · #3 10-20-2014, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tam474

I hope you cut the quills in half before pulling them?

No bigee if he didn't. Some do, some don't. Talking moose has seen it done both ways.

wags · #4 10-20-2014, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tam474

I hope you cut the quills in half before pulling them?

No I didn't.

All the research I found said, grip and pull straight out. Nothing about cutting in half.

Out of curiosity, what does that do? Other than cut by half the amount you have to grab on to?

Edit: an excerpt I found:

6. Never cut the quills before removing. You may have heard or read advice about cutting the porcupine quill in half so it deflates and is easier to remove. Do not follow this advice: it can actually make the quills more difficult to grab on to, or even splinter them into several broken pieces

Djm2u · #5 10-20-2014, 01:24 PM

Nice fish. I feel for your pooch ouch. Mine has not got quills yet. But he has chased a striped kitty and came back with a new sent

Thanks for the info on not cutting the quills good to know.

I keep some natures own sent remover with me all the time now.

This is the stuff

Puma · #6 10-20-2014, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wags

No I didn't.

All the research I found said, grip and pull straight out. Nothing about cutting in half.

Out of curiosity, what does that do? Other than cut by half the amount you have to grab on to?

Edit: an excerpt I found:

6. Never cut the quills before removing. You may have heard or read advice about cutting the porcupine quill in half so it deflates and is easier to remove. Do not follow this advice: it can actually make the quills more difficult to grab on to, or even splinter them into several broken pieces

X2
I had a dog once that used to come in looking like Santa, and brought the dead porky with her, never learned, guess it was just too much fun.
I found a small pair of vice grip worked great. Set them it almost tight then pull away. The old wives tale about cutting the quills is false. Some people used to think there was a vacuum in the quills that helped them hold tight. Not so. I hope your dog learns, did you check inside her mouth for quills ?
Puma

wags · #7 10-20-2014, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Djm2u

Nice fish. I feel for your pooch ouch. Mine has not got quills yet. But he has chased a striped kitty and came back with a new sent

Thanks for the info on not cutting the quills good to know.

I keep some natures own sent remover with me all the time now.

This is the stuff

Thanks for the link - I'm sure it's only a matter of time

wags · #8 10-20-2014, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puma

X2
I had a dog once that used to come in looking like Santa, and brought the dead porky with her, never learned, guess it was just too much fun.
I found a small pair of vice grip worked great. Set them it almost tight then pull away. The old wives tale about cutting the quills is false. Some people used to think there was a vacuum in the quills that helped them hold tight. Not so. I hope your dog learns, did you check inside her mouth for quills ?
Puma

Hi Puma,

Yes, I actually had to pull some from inside. Checked, but doesn't look like any went deeper. I've been monitoring her and she's back to her normal self. She's eating normally as well. I think I got them.

Although, there were two on her bottom lip that the second time of pulling they were gone. I don't expect she got them out, so might be working their way through. We're watching to see if they expose themselves out the other side and I'll grab them then.

Cheers

Kim473 · #9 10-20-2014, 03:19 PM

Hope the pup lurnt the leson. Nice looking dog !

spinN'flyfish · #10 10-21-2014, 09:52 PM

hope the pup is okay....... Nice eyes any whites in there?

oilngas · #11 10-21-2014, 10:08 PM

From my experience I just get my humtin pal to smother the dog with coat as you did, and pull on the ears. That hold em still and just pull them. so the way u did it is the way we do it, but add the ear pull back.

wags · #12 10-22-2014, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kim473

Hope the pup lurnt the leson. Nice looking dog !

I hope as well. Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinN'flyfish

hope the pup is okay....... Nice eyes any whites in there?

She's doing great, thank you. There are whites in the RDR system. If you can get into a school you can yank them all day long!

Quote:

Originally Posted by oilngas

From my experience I just get my humtin pal to smother the dog with coat as you did, and pull on the ears. That hold em still and just pull them. so the way u did it is the way we do it, but add the ear pull back.

Good tip, thank you. I will definitely remember that for next time (as I'm sure there'll be a next time!)

spinN'flyfish · #13 10-22-2014, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wags

I hope as well. Thank you.

She's doing great, thank you. There are whites in the RDR system. If you can get into a school you can yank them all day long!

Good tip, thank you. I will definitely remember that for next time (as I'm sure there'll be a next time!)

sounds great, did you encounter any whites , hope you dont encounter porcupines next time......... had bad experiences with them

bwackwabbit · #14 10-22-2014, 08:09 PM

Tough luck for her but good luck fishing by the looks of it Jay.

Dogs have short memories for that stuff but she'll likely cut porcys a wide path from now on.

Love that spot in the fall.

Cheers.

wags · #15 10-22-2014, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwackwabbit

Tough luck for her but good luck fishing by the looks of it Jay.

Dogs have short memories for that stuff but she'll likely cut porcys a wide path from now on.

Love that spot in the fall.

Cheers.

Thanks Scott.

Definitely a favorite. Hopefully 1 more time before the end of the month. Still need that brown hehe.