Porcupine Damage

[Scarecrow]

Porcupine got to 3 of my pears. 2nd year in a row. Last year I removed the cages on a few of my older trees figuring they were big enough to do so.
I reinstalled the 3 cages late March this year. I'm guessing it was able to climb up the cage and reach out and grab the tree. Once on the tree it was dinner time.
They not only stripped branches of all the leaves but chewed off A TON. The entire mid section of the tree is gone all but a few suckers that emerged from last years devastation.
Nothing left but the central leader and one or two lower branches that I guess couldn't hold its weight and it didn't feel like chewing them off to put them on the ground to eat later.
Should I prune these this coming Winter? If so how? The other 2 have similar damage. The picture doesn't really do justice. They look a lot worse in person.

 

[ruskbucks]

Great, another critter to worry about eating our fruit trees. I thought the bear, rabbits, and deer were enough.

 

[Apple Junkie]

If it were me, I think I’d start by pruning the broken limb off completely. Then the limb to the left, I’d prune back to where it is growing upright, cutting off the part that is growing horizontal. Lastly, I’d increase the diameter of the fencing you have protecting this pear so the porcupine will be much less tempted to use your fencing as a ladder (e.g. my cages are 3’ to 3.5’ wide). Just my two cents, good luck.

 

[H20fwler]

Now that sucks!

Leaves should grow right back just prune cut branches now and slap some TreKote on the wounds, plenty of year left for it to heal and get good growth.
The porky thing is crazy, must have been a smaller one.

 

[chummer]

I shoot everyone I see. They have reeked havoc on a couple of my mature trees. They eat from the top down