Foul play: Hunting dog's encounter with skunk can simply stink

The golden retriever's nose was glued to the ground, inhaling a fresh scent, it's tail waving excitedly. Bo was on the trail of a pheasant — we thought.

Suddenly he turned and raced back to his owner, Mike Porter, then rolled to the ground, rubbing his face in the dry grass. "Skunk!'' Porter shouted, along with a few expletives. "Bo got nailed.''

This wasn't a huge surprise for Porter, 60, of Minneapolis, a longtime hunting buddy of mine. If there's a record somewhere for number of times a hunting dog has gotten skunked, Bo is a contender. The incident last fall was his seventh such encounter, impressive for a 9-year-old dog.

Cleary, getting blasted in the face with skunk goo doesn't deter Bo.

"He's a docile dog,'' Porter said. "He doesn't get in fights with other dogs.'' But he's tangled with three raccoons — and those seven skunks. "He just goes crazy,'' Porter said. "I don't get it.''

Skunks are just one of the hazards bird hunters and their dogs face each fall. Raccoons also are problematic. As are porcupines. But skunks are a pain in the rear.

And some dogs, like Bo, seem to have a knack for finding trouble. I've hunted over a Springer spaniel and three Labs over the past 30-plus years, and have had just one run-in with a skunk.

"I've got one that just can't lay off 'em,'' he said. "You'd think they'd learn.'' But they often don't. Porter once shot a skunk, and Bo immediately ran in, grabbed the dead critter and shook it, covering himself with skunk stink.

Dokken said he doesn't train his dogs to avoid skunks, though it can be done with an electronic collar, just as hunting dogs in rattlesnake country can be taught to avoid snakes.

Scott Rall of Worthington, an avid pheasant hunter who trains his Labs, said if he has a dog with a penchant for finding skunks, he'll find a road-killed skunk and train the dog, using an electronic collar, to avoid the critters.

"Once they learn to like killing skunks, they will pursue, track and kill them,'' he said. And get sprayed in the process. He discourages his dogs from pursuing any mammals, including mice, rabbits and skunks. "Nothing good can come from that.''

Raccoons present a potentially more serious encounter for hunting dogs.

Lori Naumann, who works for the DNR's nongame wildlife program, hunts ruffed grouse with her English setters. Earlier this year, hunting near Detroit Lakes, one of her dogs encountered a porcupine. "It took four or five people to hold the dog while we pulled the quills out,'' she said.

Some bird hunters can recognize when their dog is on the scent of something other than a bird. Others can't.

"I'm always leery when a bird doesn't jump when the dogs are hot and are in one spot too long,'' Porter said. He'll usually call his dogs off, fearing it's a skunk and not a tight-holding rooster.

Many pheasant hunters — Porter and I included — don't hunt without taking along a skunk deodorizing kit. We use the oft-cited and highly recommended recipe: A quarter cup baking soda, quart of hydrogen peroxide and a squirt of Dawn dish detergent. We also bring along a pail to mix the concoction, a sponge to apply it and disposable gloves. It works. The old suggestion of using tomato juice doesn't.

"All you end up with is a dog that smells like tomato juice and skunk,'' Dokken said.

Skunk pelts, which averaged $5 apiece last year, are often used for trim on clothing.

The Department of Natural Resources tracks the population trends of skunks by using annual scent station surveys. Officials place scented discs along specific routes around the state and then count the tracks from animals attracted to it. Skunks are among the most common critters to show up. Their populations fluctuate, and have been above average in the farmland region for the past few years. They can be found everywhere, though fewer live in the state's forested regions.

Not surprisingly, skunks have few predators, but owls and eagles are among them.

And sometimes hunting dogs.