DIY Lift Net Plans

[gollum 1]

 

The bits. (for 50 yards)

100mm long screw in eyes

new poles

3mm braided nylon

guy lines

tent pegs

2mm galvanised wire

2 x 3 foot long stakes (50mmx50mm)

 

The pieces.

 

Cut your poles to about 30" in length, straight cut at both ends no sharp point required. (I used plastic electric netting poles which had an eye formed in the steel pin at the base, but hazel would be as good if not better)

 

Drill a hole in to the top and bottom of each of your poles. The hole should be in the centre of the grain and drilled along the length of the wood. Make it 1mm narrower than the diameter of your screw in eyes shaft and the same length.

 

Screw a screw in eye in to the top and bottom of the pole so that the eye is flush with the cut. Align the eyes so they both face the same direction. Repeat for all poles.

 

 

 

Drill a hole in to the top of each of your 3 foot stakes. (make it 1mm narrower than the diameter of your screw in eyes thread)

 

Cut your 2mm wire in to 150mm lengths and then bend these in to hoops so that the legs are about 20mm apart.

 

 

 

The rigging.

 

About 5 feet away from where you will place the first pole (travelling in a line with the net) drive in a stake. Screw in the screw in eye to the top of the stake.

Attach one end of your 3mm braid to the screw in eye in the top of the stake and run out 50 yards under tension to use as a guide to set your net straight.

At far end insert the other stake, attach the eye and secure the braid. Attach a guy line to this stake and insert its tent peg in to the ground in line with the net heading away from the net and stake.

Tension the guy line so that when the stake is pulled from the opposite end of the net it cannot move from vertical.

 

Return to first stake and 5 feet or so along the line, Insert anchor pin and pay out a yard or two of net.

 

Put first peg in position but instead of forcing it in to the ground, feed a hoop of wire through the screw in eye and drive the two wire legs in to the ground to anchor the base of the pole.

 

 

You should be able to freely rock the pole from lying flat on one side to flat on the other, ie 180 degrees of rotation about the hinge (the wire hoop). The orientation should be so that the hinge operates in the same direction as you plan to lift the net.

 

Clove hitch top line half hitch bottom line to pole.

 

Work your way along the net inserting poles every 5 yards in the same way as the first. Try to get the top line tensioned so that the poles are all straight when tensioned.

Once all poles are rigged to the net and ground, place your end anchor pin in to the ground leaving enough slack to allow for the net to flip 180 degrees from lying one side to the other.

 

 

Thread the braid through that was used as a guide through the screw in eyes in the top of all the net poles. Tie it to the stake that has the guy line attached and feed it through the eye of the stake at the end you will be pulling from.

 

 

Now, pull the 3mm braid and the whole rig will flip up to vertical.

 

Tie off the 3mm braid on to a tent peg maintaining enough tension to keep the rig more or less vertical but leaving enough slack to allow you to cant the poles over to 65 degrees or whatever angle you prefer to get the kill bagging sweetly.

 

Starting at the pole nearest to where you tied off the braid, attach a guy line to the screw in eye at the top of the pole.

Insert the tent peg on the OPPOSITE side to the one in which it leans. i.e. if the net leans towards the hedge, the peg should be on the meadow side.

Adjust the guy line so that the pole can be leant back to your preferred angle.

Work your way down the net attaching guy lines every other pole and setting the angle as you go.

Untie the 3mm braid at the pulling end, and lie the net down on the same side as the guy line pegs.

Pull the 3mm braid again.

Now the rig will pop up past vertical and set rigid at the angle you just set with the guy lines.

Tie off the 3mm braid again, but this time tight so the rig is solid.

 

Move both stakes so they are in line with the top line at its new leaned back position.

 

At this point you will probably notice that the top line tension could improve.

Attach a guy line to the first and last poles and set pegs exactly in line with the bottom line of the net. Using a combination of adjustment to the top lines clove hitch and tension of the guy lines, adjust your top line tension so that the line tightens up across the net to your satisfaction. Bear in mind that you want the net to lay flat on the ground, if you overdo it with the top line tension the net will try to sit up at each end. You may need to make adjustment at each pole to get them all perpendicular to the ground but its simple and quick after a couple of practice runs.

 

 

The pics are from 100 yards that I just tried out yesterday, the mechanics all work fine, whether it will catch rabbits I can't say.

 

Good luck to all, and keep me posted if you try it out.

 

HH.

 

G.

 

Ps. The white top and bottom lines and poles were all I had to hand, camouflaging would no doubt improve things.

Edited September 6, 2009 by gollum

[ellir0305 9]

that looks good chap, i have an idea for a new design of lift net system which i will try out once i get my net of martin.

 

if it works i will try a similar step by step so anybody can try it lets us know if you get any rabbits

 

atb rob

[ellir0305 9]

.

Edited September 6, 2009 by ellir0305

[netrigger 568]

Looks like a lot of thought has been spent on that set up, well done to You and I hope it all works out for You..

Regards..

[Fat-Ferret 857]

 

Brilliant, really good design, and cheap as well - I have seen a lot of other designs and they have been time consuming and expensive to make - This is the best yet...

[gollum 1]

Thanks guys, appreciated.

 

Well I tried it out on Sunday night, ran out 50 yards at the corner of a field I know is heaving with em.....

Rigged at 5.30, lifted at 9.30pm.

 

Catch......0!

 

The field was empty when I arrived, not sure if a fox had been round before me, or possibly one of the shooting lads but there wasnt a bunny in sight so it was more of an exercise to see if it lifted ok, which it did.

 

It could be that I disturbed them so much with the rigging that they decided to lay low for a night, or maybe they didnt like walking over the net......but then again, surely they would walk around it to feed...?

 

Going to try just laying it down and sitting in the truck to watch how they react next time.

 

I'll keep you all posted.

 

 

HH All.

 

G.

[pegandgun 52]

Your trouble is the rabbits wont walk over the net laid on the ground.The rabbit is a cute animal thats why hes such a good serviver.You notice all other nets used in this fashion are drop nets.There are two reasons for this,firstly as ive said they wont walk over the net and secondly if left long enough the rabbits would chew holes all over the net.I admire you for trying though all the best...P&G

[Fat-Ferret 857]

Your trouble is the rabbits wont walk over the net laid on the ground.The rabbit is a cute animal thats why hes such a good serviver.You notice all other nets used in this fashion are drop nets.There are two reasons for this,firstly as ive said they wont walk over the net and secondly if left long enough the rabbits would chew holes all over the net.I admire you for trying though all the best...P&G

 

P&G I have to disagree, I have seen this type of net work several times without problems

[gollum 1]

Thanks P&G, I had my doubts about this too, see http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/index...howtopic=110752

 

Good points there made by several folk.

 

I was going to try just laying a net down and watching the rabbits reactions but my best spot for observing was taken over by a permanently pi**ed off bull. Gave up waiting for farmer to move it on so rigged up the system anyway. Its so cheap and fast to make that it's no loss really if it doesnt work but I was hoping it would

 

Hi Dottydoo, try this mate http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/index...ic=51785&hl

 

 

HH all.

 

G