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Season Watch

Is there a fine for catching a porcupine?

By Charlie Mitchell,
Heidi Holtan
Published May 22, 2026 at 11:19 AM CDT
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Charlie Mitchell, beaming with delight, holds a porcupine in Canada on August 19, 2018.
Charlie Mitchell
/
KAXE
Charlie Mitchell, beaming with delight, holds a porcupine in Canada on August 19, 2018.

Co-hosts Heidi Holtan and Charlie Mitchell ponder the advisability of Charlie waylaying wildlife.

Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe!

We can all agree that hand-catching a live porcupine isn't smart, but is it legal?

Co-hosts Charlie Mitchell (phenology coordinator, not a lawyer) and Heidi Holtan (director of content and public affairs, also not a lawyer) wonder about wildlife law, learn about the cardinal family, and laugh at cubical butt rot.

We hear from North Shore Community School students, John Latimer, producer Mark Jacobs and Jonathan Schilling, a mycologist at the University of Minnesota.

Attributions

  1. Scarlet Tanager call by Jonathon Jongsma, XC241113. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/241113.
  2. Rose-breasted Grosbeak call by Jonathon Jongsma, XC133913. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/133913.
  3. The North Shore Community School talkback, John Latimer's phenology report, and Jonathan Schilling's report originally aired on KAXE.
  4. This episode was produced by Heidi Holtan and Charlie Mitchell.

Love the podcast? Have thoughts about wildlife law? Let us know! Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe!

Email us at seasonwatch@kaxe.org.

Tags
Season Watch Season Watch PodcastKAXENorthern MinnesotaPhenologySpring PhenologyMark Jacobsmushrooms
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Charlie Mitchell
Charlie Mitchell (she/they) joined KAXE in February of 2022. Charlie creates the Season Watch Newsletter, produces the Phenology Talkbacks show, coordinates the Phenology in the Classroom program, and writes nature-related stories for KAXE's website. Essentailly, Charlie is John Latimer's faithful sidekick and makes sure all of KAXE's nature/phenology programs find a second life online and in podcast form.<br/><br/><br/>With a background in ecology and evolutionary biology, Charlie enjoys learning a little bit about everything, whether it's plants, mushrooms, or the star-nosed mole. (Fun fact: Moles store fat in their tails, so they don't outgrow their tunnels every time conditions are good.)
See stories by Charlie Mitchell
Heidi Holtan
For more than two decades, Heidi Holtan has helped shape the sound of KAXE. Since joining the station in 2002 as a volunteer music programmer, she has worn many hats including the weekly book program, Realgoodwords, hosting the Morning Show, creation and host of the weekly call-in program Between You and Me, serving as Outreach Producer. Program Director, News Director and currently Director of Content and Public Affairs.
See stories by Heidi Holtan
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