Minnesota › Species › Porcupine
Unprotected
Minnesota Porcupine hunting, 2026-27
Porcupines: year-round, license-free, and the limits on how.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Porcupines are unprotected in Minnesota: no season, no limit and no license needed, though artificial lights and motor vehicles are still off limits.
Porcupine at a glance
- Bag limit: No limit.
- Methods: Any time, any manner except lights or vehicles.
- Notes: Unprotected.
DNR source page (as of Sep 15, 2026), checked October 28, 2026.
When porcupines are open in Minnesota
These are the 2026-27 porcupine rows; state game refuges, state parks and special hunts can add their own rules.
| Segment | Area | Limit | First day | Last day | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous | Statewide | No limit | No closing date | Year-round |
Fine print for porcupines
- No license required for residents or nonresidents to take unprotected species, including coyote. On WMAs unprotected animals only Sept. 1-end of February unless hunting a protected species.
From booklet p. 65, checked October 28, 2026.
Field rules for porcupines
Porcupines have no protection in season or bag, though the light and vehicle bans still apply.
Blaze orange or pink matters for porcupines only from the Nov. 7 firearms deer opener through the muzzleloader season, when it applies to everyone afield.
Minnesota has no Sunday restriction; every porcupine season runs seven days a week.
booklet shooting hours, blaze rules, validation and registration, checked October 28, 2026.
Legal gear and laws for porcupines
Porcupine: rules from the statutes
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Duty to render aid | A person who believes a shot injured someone must check and give reasonable help. |
booklet p. 16, checked October 28, 2026.
How chapter 97A groups porcupines
| Group | Species | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Small game (97A.015 subd. 45) | game birds, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, jack rabbit, raccoon, lynx, bobcat, short-tailed weasel, long-tailed weasel, wolf, re | No open season on lynx, wolf, cougar or wolverine. |
| Migratory game birds (booklet definition) | ducks, geese, mergansers, coots, moorhens (gallinules), woodcock, rails, snipe, sandhill cranes, mourning doves | Migratory waterfowl = ducks, geese and mergansers (statute adds swans, which have no season). |
| Unprotected wild animals (97A.015 subd. 53; booklet p. 32) | coyote, plains pocket gopher, porcupine, red/pine squirrel, striped skunk, woodchuck, unprotected birds | May be taken at any time in any manner except with artificial lights or by motor vehicle; no license needed. Booklet adds red squirrel and woodchuck. |
| Predators (97A.015 subd. 37) | wolf, coyote, fox, lynx, bobcat | Predator hunters are exempt from the small game blaze rule. |
From Minnesota Statutes 97A.015 and the DNR booklet, checked October 28, 2026.
Huntable species related to porcupines
| Species | Season | Where | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Squirrel | Unprotected | Statewide | All year | |
| Woodchuck | Unprotected | Statewide | All year | |
| Fisher | Trapping (north zone) | North Furbearer Zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 |
| Fisher | Trapping (south zone, fisher only) | South Furbearer Zone | Jan 2, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 |
| Plains Pocket Gopher | Unprotected | Statewide | All year |
DNR booklet, checked October 28, 2026.
Porcupine: common questions
Is there a limit on porcupines?
For porcupines, the only method limits are the bans on artificial lights and on taking them by motor vehicle.
Does posted land matter for porcupines?
Yes, trespass law covers porcupines too: permission needed on posted or agricultural land; may not return for a year after being told to leave; no discharging a firearm within 500 ft of an occupied building or livestock on another’s land without written permission.
Can I take porcupines on a WMA?
On WMAs, porcupines may be taken Sept. 1 through the end of February, or while lawfully hunting a protected species.
Can nonresidents take porcupines?
No license required for residents or nonresidents to take unprotected species, including coyote.
Can porcupines be taken at night with lights?
The rule that applies to porcupines: no shining while possessing a weapon; no shining from 2 hours after sunset to sunrise; no shining posted land or fenced agricultural land, residences or building sites from a vehicle.
Can radios be used for porcupines?
The rule that applies to porcupines: no drones or radios/cell phones to take big or small game (including recovery); radios allowed for unprotected animals; no electronic or motorized deer decoys; remote callers allowed for crows, furbearers and unprotected animals.
Do any days close for porcupines?
Sundays are open for porcupines, like every other day of the season.
What months are porcupines legal?
Every month is open. Any time, any manner except lights or vehicles.
What limits apply to porcupines in Minnesota?
No limit.
Must porcupine hunters wear orange?
Blaze orange or pink matters for porcupines only from the Nov. 7 firearms deer opener through the muzzleloader season, when it applies to everyone afield.
Other photos on this page: DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0); Ligocsicnarf89 (CC BY 4.0); mbarrison (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).