Skunk Vs Dog. Skunk 1, Dog 0

ISAIAS MICIU (Photographer)

A couple of days ago 3 Elhew Pointers arrived to grace our kennels and to help us find the illusive California Quail in our area.  We spent the last couple of days letting the dogs run and get used to their new environment.  They seem to be adjusting without a hitch.

Today we took the two sibling pointers who seem to work very well together.  The bitch (Pearl) tends to roll wide and the stud (Whip) checks in once in awhile and stays a bit closer to the gun.   Towards the end of our hunt Pearl locked up tighter than a frogs ass on a particularly thorny bush and wouldn't budge.  Her brother, Whip, backed her with razor like precision.  However, the "bird" wouldn't fly no matter how I beat that bush.  The bitch wouldn't relent and finally dived headfirst into that damn thorn bush and nearly disappeared.  After about 15 seconds she seemed to be displaying what looked like 'terrier' like movements.  It was as though she was snapping at a squirrel!

I moved in for a closer look and saw something I wish I hadn't.  It was a young skunk posed to deliver his payload!  Before I could get the bitch out of the bush the skunk had done what it was made to do.  So strong is her sense of smell and so pungent was the odor of the skunk that poor Pearl nearly fell over.  She couldn't and wouldn't move!  I quickly grabbed her by the collar to get her the hell out of there and managed to avoid "most" of the spray.

The bitch trotted off but something was definitely awry.  She began to weave and nearly fell over three  or four different times.  Fortunately, the worst of the smell dissipated enough for her to stand upright without much problem.

One mud bath, two tomato sauce baths and two white soap baths later Pearl was no worse for the wear.  In fact, she seemed to appreciate our efforts to help her.   Tomorrow, we will head out to another great estancia to find more quail.  I hope to god there are no damn skunks!

Quail Hunting Argentina

The boys and I spent the week driving the back roads and hiking the foothills of Patagonia searching for California Quail.  These birds were introduced in Chile over 100 years ago and found their way into Patagonian Argentina where the climate, topography and farming create a perfect habitat.

What we found were coveys from 6 to 125 birds in size.  In our area of the world the quail tend to stay close to water sources and a tree called "Maiten". These trees produced a little red seed that the quail can't seem to resist.  The Patagonian steppe is ideal habitat for California quail which have multiplied into the tens of thousands.  These days it's a rare occasion to drive in our area without seeing at least a covey or two near the road.

In the coming weeks our first quail guests will arrive to inaugurate our new program.  We have located several dozen coveys on 6 different private estancias covering several thousand acres.  Perhaps the most surprising yet fortunate aspect of quail hunting in our area is that almost nobody hunts them.  The typical Argentine isn't an avid hunter and their isn't one single commercial hunting program within a 6 hour drive.  In fact, I know of only one other commercial quail hunting program in the entire country.  Now THAT is exclusivity.  I suspect that others will follow our lead over the next several years.  In the mean time we plan to enjoy hunting alone without competition.

Today, our youngest English Pointers managed to sniff out several coveys and pointed very well and steady.   Our U.S. bred and trained Elhew Pointers have taken to our "Andean Quail" without missing a beat. These incredible dogs are a pleasure to watch and to hunt over.

Your comments and questions are always welcome.