Sundays outing

[stroller 341]

Due to a faulty keyboard i couldnt write this any earlier.

 

Sunday morning was as forecast damp to start off with but not too bad so me and the son took maggie and jet a fair few nets two of this years young and last years seasoned jill piled them into the car and off to rabbit valley.

 

By the time we got there half an hour later it was f*****g teeming down.Undeterred we wrapped up and ventured out.I decided to let maggie and jet hunt the fields before we got to the little wood there are some massive old warrens that hold a fair few rabbits and there is always a few of them sitting out and these big sets werent our destination today. The two dogs have way different hunting styles jet true to his sight hound blood stands and stares over the fields looking for oppurtunity where as mags is head down and off at great speed working the field like a pointer. I am not saying jet doesnt have a good nose but he doesnt use it like the little dog.

 

The young pup is mustard and as game as a banty cock she found a couple of sitters without too much hassle and ran them too ground without a catch but it burned off her early eagerness so we netted up a 10 holer and put in the young ferrets and the older ferret who had her late litter weaned off her 3 weeks ago she is a cracker of a worker and last year she was our saving grace as her two sisters where crap one wouldnt hunt deep enough preferring to sit at the hole mouths and the other was as slow as treacle both have been re homed as pets. last year was a bit of a disaster as we lost two excellent ferrets 1 too next doors dog and the other just dissapeared both got out due to a faulty door hinge on the court, any way i digress

 

The young hob is catching on to the game and a rabbit struggled to bolt with him hanging onto its backside. the older jill blitzed the warren and spooked two more into the nets both dogs covered well. We then tried a couple of smaller warrens with no nets and bolted a couple but with no success by either dog but maggies lack of inches meant she flew through low branches while the big dog had to run around.

 

Big jet didnt seem on form today he was a bit shivery whilst the little dog was bouncing higher than the torrential rain, we worked a few sets in the little wood and added 7 to our total but by now it was wetter than wet and the lad was for jacking so we decided on one more warren then an early bath. Ferrets duly entered and after a minute or two i heard squealing but couldnt work out if it was coming from a hidden bolt hole a few meters from the set or where it was coming from. The mystery was solved the lad spotted a rabbit thrashing around with a stoat attached!!about ten meters from us. Normally mr stoat could have kept his rabbit as i think they are the most beautiful of animals and have amused me greatly in the past from my seat in the tractor as they hunt the fields. but this lad was unlucky we were on a grouse moor and he had to go big jet delivered the coup de grace.

 

todays total 10 and 1 stoat

 

Maggie worked well and marked very well only 1 set had nothing in or did the ferrets miss it?? who knows. i need to work on her retrieve a bit more she isnt consistent whe the big dog is around and tends to be possesive of her rabbit this is just natural and a bit more practice will see the problem fixed. the team worked well as a whole very pleased with the young ferrets. sorry no new pics but a couple of old ones jsut to finish off

 

big bonny jet

 

and psycho bat lugs

[theferreter 311]

good write up mate sounds like you had a good day

[stealthy1 3,964]

Good write up

[matmorgan 49]

nice one stroller.nice write up.wish i was there minus the rain though.nice hounds.is jet a pure saluki?.well done and all the best.mat

[cúagusgiorraí 57]

Sounds like ye had a good day out. Never let the weather hold you back

[Moe 108]

good report mate,well done