We Don’t Always Find What We Look For
By Barbara Haupt

When we head out with gun dogs, we usually have a specific goal in mind: looking for grouse, woodcock, pheasant, even waterfowl. We know what we’re looking for and sometimes we find it; more often than not, however, we also discover a memorable something we weren’t looking for. And there lies a very large reason we take to the field; we look forward to that element of surprise -- the unknown that awaits us every time we step into the field. The unexpected we encounter can run the gamut from downright scary to idyllic and everything in between.

Sometimes the unexpected is unpleasant like porcupine and skunk encounters. Who hasn’t had them? Once my dog encountered a skunk and a porcupine BOTH on the same day. I recall taking him to the vet’s office where we were met with sympathetic "Awwwww’s" over the sight of the quills. The "Aww’s" quickly turned to "Ewwww’s" when the odor hit them.

For the odiferous skunk, most dog owners have their favorite recipes. In lieu of the usual tomato juice I once was forced into using Ragu spaghetti sauce with mushrooms. It worked just fine, but the poor dog went around for several days with little pink mushrooms caught in his coat.

Recipe for Skunk Wash – a good one
Mix: 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1 cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon liquid soap and use immediately. Comb through fur then rinse with water so the peroxide doesn’t bleach the dog’s hair.

A couple of years ago on Mother’s Day, we were doing some late afternoon dog training using pigeons we had trapped in town. I dizzied a bird, planted it, and went back to the truck for the dog. By the time we returned, both the dog and I watched the pigeon fly out of the field, into the nearby hedgerow. It wasn’t the plan, but what the heck, I cast off the dog, and we went hunting. The dog disappeared heading for his mark. Within seconds I heard him yipe then start some pretty intensive growling. I started running toward the sound, hollering "No!! and "Here!!", knowing full well we were in for some kind of trouble. The growling and scuffling continued for a few more seconds, and then I heard my dog coming out through the brush. I was prepared for an injured spaniel and/or one covered with quills, but not for what I saw. He not only was covered with quills, he was also retrieving their dead owner – not the greatest Mother’s Day gift. The poor dog’s mouth looked like raw hamburger it was so perforated and torn by broken quills. It took three trips to the vet and a depleted wallet before that problem was completely gone.

A really scary encounter? I know a twenty-nine pound cocker that flushed a bear at the beginning of a bird hunt -- right when everyone was getting their gear together from the truck and not paying attention to the dog. No, he wasn’t steady to the flush either; he chased that bear – right past the truck!!

The other extreme? Coming across the remnants of an old homestead where hybrid apple trees harbor a multitude of grouse is the stuff dreams are made of. We may take a grouse – or two, if we’re really lucky, then take pleasure in sitting on a log savoring the site, and the experience, while chomping on an apple. Of course, that dream discovery can turn into a nightmare if there is an old uncovered well in the area. Please cover or mark them if you ever find one before moving on. In our ventures, we have found several.

What about the scat and tracks we observe every time we go out? They aren’t what we’re looking for, but we do take the time to give them a closer look, interpreting what they have to tell us. Their story and the knowledge they divulge can be fascinating, even enlightening. We mentally store it in our scouting file for future use.

From tracks and scat, we learn animal identification, habitat, diet, population density, and size. We estimate when the track was made, see what animals are nocturnal, also which are active in certain types of weather. We picture in our minds the animals that left their signature and deduce something about their lives. It’s entertaining to suppose these things and, what the heck, the animal isn’t there to dispute our suppositions.
The hours we spend in the field with our dogs are something to be savored, and when gun dog people get together, those memories surface and the tale swapping begins. One tells of the memorable double flush, another the grand slam, and another the long trip to nowhere for nuthin’. When we hear hunting tales, it’s the unexpected discoveries that pop up just as much as the bird and shooting stories. When I asked some of our spaniel friends to share their examples of the unexpected, here’s what they told me: