Bird Dogs & Training  |  09/27/2016

A Preseason Skunking


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The morning had started off just a bit too perfectly. A week of heat and humidity was followed up by two days of rain, Sunday morning broke sunny, clear, and in the 60s. Perfect conditions for a run to Minnesota’s northeastern sharp-tailed grouse cover for a little preseason bird dog training.
 
Five minutes from the truck, my two-year old shorthair Esky locked up into a staunch point. My veteran shorthair, Trammell, honored as I approached from Esky’s left. One young sharpie exploded to the air, followed by a second, and a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. We moved a little further into the wind and the pups pointed in unison on another pair of sharpies from the brood. A couple hundred yards further into the center of the section of grass, Esky locked up again. This time, her tail flagged. I should have known, but it’s August and there is still rust on this bird hunter’s brain. As I approached, Esky broke point and buried her head into a hole and the cloud of skunk hit her, the wind, then me.
 
Of course I’d taken the ingredients of my de-skunking kit out of my truck last winter, which meant I spent the next hour getting back to the highway, finding a grocery store, then a lake with a boat launch. Three de-skunking applications later, Esky smells like a flower. Unfortunately, as I write this nine hours later, my truck still smells of skunk and the stink will likely cling to me as I make my way to the Pheasants Forever office in the morning.
 
So, let my preseason skunking be a reminder for all my bird dog brethren. Get that dog de-skunking kit back in your truck.
 

Ingredients

  • 1 quart (2 pints) of 3% hydrogen peroxide
  • ¼ cup baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon dishwashing soap (with grease cutter)
  • Sponge
  • Rubber Gloves
  • Small bucket for mixing 

Directions

  1.   Mix solution
  2.   Wet dog down
  3.   Work in solution
  4.   Leave on 3-4 minutes
  5.   Rinse
  6.   Repeat steps 1 through 5 as necessary
NOTE: solution is unsafe to mix and store ahead of time.
 
One more tip, my radio partner “The Captain” Billy Hildebrand printed the ingredients and directions of this de-skunking recipe and laminated if for me to keep in my wallet. He did this for me after Trammell’s third skunking incident during her second season. I have carried Billy’s gift in my wallet ever since. His gift sure came in handy today!
 
 
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre and listen to Bob and Billy Hildebrand every Saturday morning on FAN Outdoors radio on KFAN FM100.3.