BC Parks, Porcupines, and Chicken Wire

So..having now read some the other Forum, Good Sam, I see that in fact there are some parks in eastern BC where that recommendation is made by BC Parks if you are leaving your vehicle for extended times. People that do the big hikes, for instance. Surprised hell out of me.

I shall stand by my thoughts tho..I have never seen any porkies bothering anything. And I am always rootin for the 'coons. Love watching those buggers slide around in the dark, just outside of firelight.


Gary Haupt

Read the 'sign' carefully...all of it.....






Gary Haupt

This is a first I heard of porcupines chewing rubber parts, (glad I carry spare front brake hoses, fuel line, and lower radiator hose LOL) as I have yet to capture a nice picture of one upon the ones I spotted as the closest one I ever encountered was on the Campbell Hwy. as it camouflaged in the terrain so perfect you cannot see it in the photo shot (12 feet away) - the ones in Alaska always ran off in time to where I could not get a good enough picture out in the open after spotting one.

The one rodent I had trouble with on my camper must have been a squirrel in 2012 at Tunnel Mtn. II campground in Banff, never did see it but it kept trying to break or chew its way in as everytime I went outside and shined the light in the noisy spots to find where it was - it kept quiet and laid low....after the 6th time the rodent was going back at it, I had to put the cat on the leash as we walked the perimeter around the camper a few times as the cat wanted to put an end to the noise as well as she waited for it to bust inside the camper.

Needless to say the noises finally stopped after the cat did its security check walking around the perimeter to let whatever know what's in store.

Sue, I am intrigued -- how could it be that deer are recent arrivals in the Yukon??

Amyway, my gut says that if Gary hasn't had a problem, this is nothing to worry about (except maybe if there is a sign that says it is). Gary has been practically everywhere that I would go, and to many more places, too.

Never heard of porkies chewing on rubber items in Alaska. They do like the glue in plywood though. When you put an outhouse out at a hunting camp, you need to put metal over the bottom three feet of plywood otherwise your outhouse will be full of holes next fall.

Bill

Maybe it just depends on local porky activity- much like marauding bears elsewhere, such problems tend to be localized.

I did see the following warning posted right at a Provincial Park site- looks legit to me!

Bugaboo Provincial Park wrote:
It is recommended that visitors protect their vehicle perimeter with a portable chicken wire fence to deter porcupines and other small animals from chewing on rubber brake lines and tires.

source

And evidently in some places, at least according to the below sign, there are even courteously supplied rolls of chicken wire provided that one's expected to reroll and stash again when leaving. Love it!

I've heard about it but never done it. Camped in many of B.C.'s parks too while we lived there and travelled through the Kootenays, Okanagan, Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Cariboo, Northern B.C. Never seen anyone else doing it either.

In Yukon there are porcupines now (didn't used to be, but then there didn't used to be deer or cougars here either). Just ask our dogs about porcupines; Ursa started her private collection of quills but the vet took and kept them all. Kodi found a few of his own, and I took those ones.

hahaha..holy smoke....that is too funny..actually laughed out loud. I have never, ever ever seen anyone here in BC, ever ever ever deploying anything against critters. I have never ever ever even seen a porkypine in a campsite, either. Now, raccoons are another story. They'll steal the food right off your plate in some places but they always do it with grace and style.


Gary Haupt