Pop always said there would be days like this...
 

...but he didn't say there would be so many in a row! He liked to say that on days when you came home with an empty game pouch you got "skunked." Now you are probably guessing at what I'm about to reveal, but hang on, things get, well...better, or is it, worse?

A spate of nice weather days saw us afield after quail. The nice weather had me counting my birds before I'd taken a shot, sure that we would get some nice shooting on farms we knew held coveys. The birds were there...sometimes -- my luck and shooting skills were not. If you think this is report of great shooting and birds bagged, you should stop reading now.

Hunting wild quail as you find them is an endeavor in many things, none the least of which is luck. You just cannot plan on the birds being there, the dogs handling them well, decent shots presenting themselves, and your shooting skills not deserting you. We took some birds, but had slim chances, and I missed shots I normally would make, or at least that's how I remembered it. Some places where we had found birds in the past were birdless, but we found some new coveys for future hunts. Although we were fortunate enough to take our share of birds, we were "skunked" more often than not, and on one hunt Aspen was skunked for real (hey, Skunk Off really helps!). All in all, it was 21st Century wild quail hunting in the Mid-West at its unpredictably finest; which means, you win some and lose some.

I think Pop would understand that getting skunked is not so bad after all. We saw some beautiful country, burned off some calories, got to watch the dogs do what they live for, and made some memories. I got to carry another man's 100 year old gun and savor the experience. I was hunting wild birds on their terms. And I'll go again tomorrow.

Photos:
1. I thought we had a covey in the open on this point. When I moved in I saw a white-striped tail in the air, but too late. The skunk got Aspen in the face. The poor guy didn't know what hit him, and he hated the clean-up process. But you have to admit, it looks like a great point.
2. Aspen before we got the burrs from his ears, but after he'd had his first round of Skunk-Off. He's still banned from the house, but he's beginning to lose some of the "essence of the hunt."
3. There's a dog on point in there -- Alder is not daunted by heavy cover and most of our chances were in stuff like this -- and worse. The birds are where you find them, and it seems like during our recent hunts they were in the wooliest cover.
4. Who says Montana is the only big sky country? We live in what most would call one of the drive-through or fly-over states. It suit us just fine.

That’s a picture of Aspen that oughtta be framesd.





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Getting skunked can sure stretch out into many days. Several years back on an after a Christmas hunt Finn took a direct hit. There was about 5”-6” of snow and he was quartering just ahead he had hit 2nd gear and was steps into 3rd so I knew he was on something, but this time it wasn’t the pheasants we were seeking. I am sure the skunks aim was true and Finn took it in the mouth and the eyes. I had him hupped and on him in seconds. My first reaction was to pick up handfuls of snow and try and get whatever I could off him. I don’t know if that helped any or not. I do know it made him sick and he hacked up several times and had bowel movements within minutes. The hour ride home with the windows down wasn’t fun either, but gave time for me to phone my wife and send her out for supplies before we got back. We tried all we knew Dawn, hydrogen peroxide, tomato juice multiple applications. He still stunk a week later.

Brett, it sounds like your Finn got a big hit. I've carried Skunk Off in my emergency kit for several years and never used it until this incident. It really seemed to work, although nothing fully gets rid of the smell but time...and as you say, lots of it. Poor Aspen thinks he's been bad because he doesn't get to come in.

My first teaching job was at a small liberal arts college in rural Minnesota, and I ran a trap line before classes. One rainy morning I came to a trap and saw what I thought was a small, very muddy (the soil in the area was a rich, deep, black color) 'coon. I strolled in to finish it off and saw the tail go up a bit too late. He got me on the hand. I had to dash home and try to clean off the smell. I tried everything I had at hand, but nothing seemed to help. I made it to my first class after heavily dousing my hand with aftershave lotion. Needless to say, I did not get good course evaluations for that class.:crying: I've been thinking a lot lately about evolution and how skunks came to be. I'm still working on it.:banghead:

Gary
I am going to find some Skunk Off. Finn has had just that one experience with a skunk thankfully. He has also had a run in with a porcupine in Michigan. We got lucky, fortunately spring loaded pliers that I carry took care of that little mess. So far Finn’s house mate the Setter, Buzzy has only had a penchant for possum. He seems to object to them cleaning up under the quail and chukar pens. I can’t believe he hasn’t got bit. He doesn’t shake them just grabs them by the neck and brings them to me. It took a lot of juice to curb his enthusiasm, and the Boss wasn’t crazy about possums playing dead in the kitchen.

Try Gun Dog Supply for the Skunk Off. BTW, all of our dogs go for possums, and will retrieve them for some odd reason. (I have a warm spot for possums as they keep tick populations down.) We get turtle retrieves sometimes in hot weather. An old trainer told me that turtles smell similar to birds to a dog. How he knew that, I'll never know. Maybe he learned it on Facebook.:whistle:

I carry hemostats on a loop around my neck on every hunt. Great for pulling quills or, heaven forbid, closing up wounds to stop bleeding.

My buddy Fred with 2 brittanies and I took our 3 dogs to a large farm and planted some chukars. That was early afternoon, and some guys had been there that morning. Each dog took their turn, I had cash go last, we made a big circle down towards a swampy area. Fred thought the morning chukar might be along that edge in thick cover. Cash went on point at the base of a 20' pine tree. He wouldn't move, I had Fred on one side of the pine tree, and I tried to walk in on the other side. I jumped on the ground, made some noise, just as I was touching cash on his head, I saw something move under a low hanging branch, cash was on the skunk in an instant. I grabbed him and doused his one eye with water, and the front of his chest as best I could. I was already thinking of how I am going to get him home, luckily I had 2 big towels in the car. As I was picking up my shotgun, Fred said well would ya look at that, I turned and cash was on point about 20 yards away his eye was bloodshot pretty badly. Fred shot the chukar, I layed those 2 big towels on the seat and back of seat to help keep the smell off the seat. I called my wife, she gave him a bath, we ordered "de skunk" that afternoon. I keep it in my car now wherever I go.

It's clear that after the initial sting of the spray has passed, our dogs are ready for business as normal. As for us, well, I'm still cringing at the smell when I open the back of the truck to put the dogs in.

Hey, Ed, nice to have a pal (a.k.a. wife) help when the dogs get into trouble, eh?

My wife's stock just keeps skyrocketing up:) Dogs are her kids, she never had any kids. When I tell my friends my wife runs our dog almost every morning they just look at me like s-u-r-e she does:) 5 porcupines and a skunk so far, he almost jumped on a large deer that was bedded down, I don't think he will do that again. I was lucky it happened about 15 yards away. The deer nearly ran over my buddy. I blame a couple of his mishaps on myself, (like the skunk) I read him better now and its easier to keep him out of trouble now. All those porcupines and skunk were the first full year hunting, we both have figured stuff out better, this sure is a wonderful time in our lives with that bird dog.

Amen Brother!

Sounds like a man having just attended the Church of the Wild Quail. Welcome, Brother Mike -- another believer.:)

Count me as another true believer. Great thread, and great pics. That cover you called "wooly" is light stuff here. We do get into a covey of wild birds out in the open occasionally, but when we do we know we'd better get our shooting in on the rise, because they are going straight to the nearest, heaviest, thickest cover imaginable. Smilax and devil vines, bay bushes, brier patches and wild plum thickets ........ just to mention a few.

We caught these out in the open edge, but you can see where they're heading.

https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/61968_800x600.jpg

You have the perfect excuse for not shooting well ........you were carrying someone else's gun!!

Thanks for sharing the hunt, SRH

Stan, I've shot at wild Bobs over dogs in the South (notice, shot "at"). It's like hunting a tiny grouse with rockets attached. You earn every bird, but for me, it's still better to come home empty handed for the chance at a wild Bob.

Keep the faith, Brother! Always good to know there's another choir member.

New Millennium Bobs are where you find them, as Stan so aptly pointed out. Pop used to say Bob could not live where he had to "pack a lunch and pull a trailer," so you find them in some hellacious places to be sure. If you want a chance, you have to go in after them.

Photos:
1. We don't have the same clawing, clasping stuff I recall from my years in the South, and as Stan describes, but here on the edge of the prairie many things will stick you on the way into the ditch heading to a point. We've pulled long locust thorns out of dog pads many times...and a few out of our own hides.
2. There's a hard earned bird in my hand here, one from a covey that got up in the stuff you see behind me. You can't even swing the gun in a place like this, and generally you just hear the covey get up. It's not unusual to get up multiple coveys on a hunt and never have a chance to shoot on the rise.
3. BUT...we are still lickin' our chops at a chance to go again!