Moll. 1,770 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Recieved a phone call last night, would we like to go ratting, let me see, would we? We were up at 4am for the long but worthwhile drive to meet with the very kind for asking us...Peter the beater, Danny; and Ethan (the greatest rat collector in the world) From there we went to a huge shooting estate and met with Will and his young bro Aaron (2nd best rat collector in the world) The gamekeeper had requested people to sort the rats. Between us we had 2 plummers, one patterdale, one border, one whippet, one lakie x Fell and one pat x border. And what a day I have never, and im not exagerating NEVER seen as many rats in my life, they were everywhere, the rat equivalent to Woodgas rabbits. They were bolting everywhere, digging seven's from one stop end, watching them running all over the tracks eating the food the gamey had put down for the birds. Danny did a better job than the terriers, his skill at coursing then spading the little bleeders was a sight to see, and Will!!!.... He was crouching down with the whippet waiting for bolters. One bolted about 6ft in front of him and headed for the cover, still squatting down, he managed to extend his right leg and kick the rat back in the direction it came from, straight into the jaws of Judy....it was amazing to see. The dogs worked like little trojans, all of the rats were marked, by them and dug by them and the lads, or caught bolting, no smokers or JCB's to make life easier, ive got two sore and knackered terriers here tonight. Anyway, enough ramblings, here are some pics from today.... The dry stone walls were a seething mass of rats, we used the ferrets to bolt them... The motley crew in action The whippet was a godsend for some of the bolters... Dog vrs rat... The end of the day, over 129 rats And two very happy rat collectors If anyone ever tells you you should tuck your trouser legs into your socks...believe them, ive had an experience i will never forget today, lets say my bath tonight was the best one ever, its funny how dirty you feel when a rat almost got into your knicker leg! A huge thank you to Peter for thinking of us, it has to be the very best days ratting ive ever had, none stop action, with very good company and dogs Even got dinner in a heater beaters staff room, i could get used to luxuries like this. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** An amazing day, cant really think of any other way of describing it! Peter the beater, Nikey, Millet, Ethan and myself went back to the farm to do some ratting. The rats were bolting literally from everywhere. Again all of these rats were taken by dog or man, no smoker, no machinery, only dogs and spades digging, and by god they worked very hard today. I dont think (apart from the pup) any of the terriers are anything else but sore and completely knackered. At one point, every dog had a rat in its mouth at the same time... I have never seen rats so chunky and healthy in my life, they eat the bird food which has wormer in it, this one is next to my size 6, broad welly... A sequence of 5 shots, this rat was a real fighter! Your turn next! And yours... At the bottom of the shot, making a bid for freedom.. More shots.... Just got hold... One tug and out you come my beauty... Nell wasn't sure at first, all the shouting and sticks waved about.. She soon settled and was having the time of her life... A lot was caught above ground, dogs went into the cover bushing and others caught as they tried to make a run across the tracks, or they simply sprinted up the tracks to the rats sitting under the feeders... This is what happens when you dont keep hold properly! The reason why they need controlling, the bare patch of field runs the whole circumference around every field, farmer is NOT happy.... Your turn in a minute... Gorgeous... He is really keen, keeps forgetting to let go of the last one before trying for the next... End of day, in excess of 163 rats, 163 in the picture, more were killed in the cover out of sight. Bringing the total for 2 days ratting to 292. For anyone who wishes to count the rats A massive thank you for another invite out. I have had the time of my life MOLL. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 1 Quote Link to post
Moll. 1,770 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 What a day, fast but frantic. Stated off on the journey to the ratting ground, we stopped for a wee in some public toilets and danny's gorgeous lurcher spotted a wounded deer by the side of the road. Poor thing died quite quickly afterwards, lets hope we found it quickly and its suffering was minimum. Pics are not as good as i would have liked them to be, more people and more dogs mean more numbers caught, but it also means more people standing in front of the camera, and more action going on in all different places, i can only be in one place at a time.....today it was mainly in the pickup keeping warm...another reason for less pics A big bunch of people and dogs today and it was time to do the dry stone walls....hard work for the lads but they bolted thick and fast, rats running everywhere.... Took Nell for more socialisation. Tried a couple of rats, which she spat out quite quickly, much prefered to run around like a loon with her new pal... The gorgeous Penny, without her we would have missed quite a few bolting for cover... The old devil Molly, has not been ratting for a very long time, she is old, nervy and arthritic, boy did she make up for it today, she is in nearly every picture...lol. More pics.... Love this pic, all lined up... My fav pic of the day... Some improvisation... This rat decided up the stick was better then under it! I absolutley love the 'GET OFF MY BLEEDIN RAT' look on Terras face on this pic... The weather apart from being baltic was sunny and dry, the dogs worked well, we all had a good laugh and finished quite early. Then at the end of the day, the keepers wife had made us a brew and home made venison pie...god it tasted like the best ever. Days like this are one in a million, not only for the numbers of rats but the most generous and fantastic company. The ginger pussy wishing he could have caught as many...lol. 161 in total. Yet again a massive thank you to Peter for getting us the invite, wish i could do more than the tuna suprise as payback. Moll.x. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Out again today with P.T.B, the gamekeeper he works with, and friends (nice to meet you Sean). Today we had 3 patterdales, 2 plummers, 2 borders, a whippet and my 3 mongrels...Lakie x fell, Border x Pat and another oldie brought out of retirement for the day, Jazz my crippled bull x grey lurcher. My excuse for not so good pictures this time, it was quite dark and overcast, a warning of the impending storm, so flash had to be used for most of the shots. This time we left the dry stone walls and concentrated on the sets along the edge of a field. Due to the strong winds we used the chainsaw to smoke a few of the sets, instead of the new purpose made one. But it was mostly good old fashioned digging......i love watching the boys work Snatch the whippet was a newcomer today a young lad who could'nt understand the fuss about rats and why there were no rabbits, after a while he was in the thick of it. Jazz was a godsend catching the bolters, at least she is still quick enough for rats and did it in her usual 'plough through everything and everyone' bull fashion. It is so good to see the old & knackered dogs light up again This one bolted and ran straight into the smoker... My favourite shot of the day The gorgeous border Willow.... 'Double Dutch'.....now named as he has to make sure everything has been killed twice And the rest of the pictures. Poor Doris could hardly see by the end of the day with her mud dreadlocks... This rat was hiding in the thin branches of a tree... End of day tally....128 rats. I was going to say another huge thank you to PTB and friends for a wonderfull day out, but after the constant insults about my age, photography skills, and my large muffin. And then he would not talk to me in the afternoon when he found out i had forgotton his favourite biscuits at dinner time so hinted i wont be invited back out.....i just might not bother Thank you for making an old woman very happy Moll. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Quote Link to post
Moll. 1,770 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 The first ratting trip of the season today and the gods were watching down on us today. Glorious sunny weather, and rats in their hundreds. Apart from the various humans present, we had Millets Plummer dog, Rip. Woodgas Terrier, Blaze. PTB Border, Willow. My old lurcher Jazz, Terrier, Terra and whippet, Boo. Logans lurcher, Penny, and the gamkeepers two black terriers. Rats running everywhere... This had to be one of those..."OHH SHIT" moments, judging by the rats face in the bottom right part of the photo A frenzy of sticks, boots, dogs and people And Logans fine art of rugby tackling rats Why is it mine are the only ones to bleed like buggery.. Nearly three hrs later and still pouring Still think she needed a transfusion Peter Most of the dogs today were of veteran age....up to 12yrs of age. Without the lurchers we would have only had half of the total, they are a god send for the bolters. Woodgas girly 'ooo noo dont touch me' rat dance :laugh: One of the biggest does ive ever seen Next to a size 11 boot.. Boo was neither use nor ornament, he tried.. Sally got sick with him messing about, so showed him the correct procedure He tried again... :doh: This time Terra stepped in...you can almost see the look of distain for Boo's inadequacies on the other dogs faces His conclusion was he did'nt like getting bitten very much, and decided he would much rather try and hump Terra all day! The rare lesser spotted tree climbing rat, expertley sniffed out by Jazz And another moments later.. Terriers expertly held to prevent rats bolting into cover... Just stunning! Smokin Somethings definately here.. Rat kebab This shot had absolutley nothing to do with me A fabulous family day out. End of day shot, 263 rats in total, approx 60 belonged to a smaller group of people, the rest were ours, over 200, our best yet. Followed by a huge pot of tea and home made cake provided by the gamekeepers wife...days just dont get much better than this. Words cannot express the gratitude i feel to the people who make it possible for me to participate in days like these, so a massive thank you is all i can give.. Moll. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Another brilliant day at the shoot, ratting yesterday with PTB the gamey and his beating crew. This time the terriers where nearly out numbered by other breeds. We had 3 x patts. 1 plummer, 1 lakie x and 1 Border. Also there, 4 lurchers, a Visla and a Bavarian mountain hound, mind you the visla, one of the lurchers and the hound did not really participate in the ratting! We had a bit of temper from a young 6mth pat, his first time out ratting with the gang, and all rats, rat holes....infact everything was his, if any of the other dogs dared go near he would have them. Needless to say he went home at half time with the face of a seasoned digging dog. Several people and children. You never hear the kids complain they are bored, cold, want to go home. They absolutley love it, a good healthy way to spend a Saturday imo. Again the lurchers were a god send, why more people dont take them ratting ill never know, we would have lost as many as we caught through bolting in the heavy cover without them. Anyway here are the pics, a dull day so not as good pics, most of them turn out blurry when the light is poor. There were quite a few tug of wars through peoples legs... Jazz with a mouth full of rat Waiting... Kids accounted for a few with sticks The 3 blacks.. Big sets.. The old gummy girl can still suck a few to death Sams first trip out with the rat pack.. What you looking at mate? Is the coast clear? Nope! Took the idiot Sidney for some socialisation, he spent the day mooching about, playing with the visla and rolling on dead rats. This rat obviously knew Sidney was not a threat! A bloody brilliant day, with brilliant company and even better dogs End of day shot, 140 rats in total. Moll. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Quote Link to post
jayjay 264 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 some cracking photo's there....looks like you were kept busy for a good few hours too, they are some lumper rats.... bet you had some good sport, all the best, jay. Quote Link to post
x38 179 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 thats one big rat ....... Quote Link to post
Moll. 1,770 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 We were told today not to expect as many rats as we have had previously. They have been keeping well on top of them with poison, plus the severe weather had taken it's toll. Never mind, even about 40, which is what i expected, would still be a massive amount considering. So it was 6 terriers, 2 lurchers age range from 11mths to 11yrs, 3 of the terriers are deinately pension age now. It was messer the B&T border terrier, Cilla the brindle lurcher, Rudie my lurcher and little Keepa my bully terriers first ever trip ratting, so that only left 4 experienced terriers. It was the coldest day ever, it snowed lightly just about all day, no feeling in your fingers and toes except for pain, but we were all buzzing for the first days ratting of the season. We went to one small patch of dying cover crop, with a few nice open sets. Keepa and Rudies first rat was a half dead one, they both mouthed a bit, after that there was no looking back. Rudie and Cilla did a superb job catching the bolters in the cover, without them many would have been missed and today we hardly missed any at all. All of the terriers without exception did a brilliant job, but personally i could not believe my little Keepa, she was born to rat, totally focused to the point of refusing food, and that dog NEVER refuses food. Several hundred times she had rats and other dogs attatched to her face and never even batted an eye. The estate is thousands of acres, and it all needs ratting but we never left that small patch of crop, less than an acre. Most of the photos are not properly in focus, mainly due to the dull wet conditions coupled with non stop actioni but i hope the photos will show the totall brilliance of today, the excitment, rats bolting everywhere, all the dogs having rats at the same time, humans running like loons. Here are erm...one or two photos The lurchers are a god send... Poor gorgeous Cilla. I did mention the humans ran about like loons. Biggest tongue comp entrant. Fancy laughing at my poor boy getting bitten...nasty man. Keepa learning to mark.. To say she was keen is a bit of an understatement She will learn to not get bitten...i hope! Two at once...that's just greedy. Gooo on kay, who needs dogs! Strike! Airheads. The rest of the pics... Poor Gilly.. Poor Keepa. How bloody brilliant is the keeper of that huge estate, not only does he allow us to take totally novice dogs, and lurchers, but his Mrs provides us with a warm fire, hot cuppa and home made cake afterwards. A huge thank you to PTB for again getting us an invite...Peter, i love you And another huge thank you to Nikey senior & Nikey junior, and the lovely gent Kay for fabulous company, a fantastic day out, and superb craic. Todays result.....my best ever score yet.......... 253 rats in total. Had another look through the file with different eyes (less tired) and found more goodish photos...enjoy. Quote Link to post
Moll. 1,770 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 62 more rats. ........Than last time, bringing our best ever total yesterday, too......... What a day, freezing cold, snow, sleet and rain, but absolutley bloody fantastic. A couple more dogs joined us, 2 young pups who went along for the experience, and they loved every minute. Two more borders, one had to be kept on the lead though as he had a bit of a passion for running off and hunting up the pheasant, not a good idea on a shooting estate And an old boy who's passion was to run on to the next set before we had finished the one we were on, and bark continuosly, although he did account for a fair few rats. Another new addition was Nikeys young JR bitch, who worked like a demon all day, allways in the thick of it and totally unreconisable by the end of the day. And his bonny black lurcher bitch, another demon, very little got away from her. Mucker, Keepa and Rudie the virgin ratters from last time were totally focused, you would never believe it was only their 2nd ever trip ratting, they were like old pros. I cannot believe more people do not take lurchers ratting, in fact if their noses were half as good as the terriers you would only need the lurchers. The old soldier. Apart from his passion for the younger ladies (well it is nearly valentines day) again he never missed a trick, totally on the game and totally trustworthy, never a false mark from this old boy. peekaboo's.... So many bolters each dog had a rat whilst more bolted past.. A rare sight on these days out, a rat alive.. Untill my idiot spotted it! Bolters..... Next to his foot... Get off the bleedin phone, i'm sure she can wait till later More bolters.... Some good movers and shakers amongst the men folk also :laugh: Sorry Pete but thats a bit of a gay look Sequence of 3... other pics My fav shot from the day.... And the 2nd fav..... eod shot...315 rats accounted for. Then onto the gameys house for home made cakes, tea and to chew the fat. These are the very best days of my life ever. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Edited July 27, 2011 by Moll. Quote Link to post
Moll. 1,770 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 We have been spoiled the last two trips, with lovely open sets in open fields, today was the turn for the harder rats. 3ft digs, dry stone walls and sets on steep banks, under trees and roots. The smoker was needed several times. There were lots of new faces and novice dogs today, i think it was fair to say, more people and dogs than there were rats. Boo came for his second trip, his first he was a young dog and was only interested in romancing Terra the whole day. This time is was Keepa's turn, he did grab one rat and did chase another, but that i am afraid was that, he is definately a lover not a fighter, and in the words of PTB 'that whippet is officially useless' Massive runs to and from the feeders... My fav shot of the day.... And 2nd fav... Rest of the pics... The eod shot...... Does not exist, the Keeper forgot and took them to the fire bins before we had a chance, so you are gonna have to believe me when i say we got 3,5708 rats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 actually, including some younsters, but it does bring our total for the three trips to a staggering 670 rats accounted for. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** What promised to be a wet rainy day, turned into glorious sunshine for our last ratting trip of the season/year. We were a couple of men short, Nikey seniour and PTB were away showing their cocks to strange men down south, and they were a big miss, for the pee take more than their work Took Jazz this time as this was probably Jazz's last trip out, her health is poor, but i wanted to make sure she had one more time, although to watch her today you would never believe it, she was in the thick of it as usual and caught some really good bolters, she looked so young and healthy when her face was dirty hiding all the grey. We had a brilliant relaxed day, only 78 caught but they were from the walls and deep sets again. Some pics... Mad old Jazz... The guys reckon Keepa can breath through her bum as her head is always deep in the ground...lol. Spot the rat... The total for this season..... 812 rats. Moll. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Quote Link to post
k9delboy 138 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Brilliant post, Del. Quote Link to post
Moll. 1,770 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) Well you might think a post with 73 photos is a bit much, but considering i took 661 it is significantly less than it could have been Please forgive the poor quality, the old camera is well overdue a service. One of the things i love the most about ratting is watch men turn into little boys again! I'm not saying a word about this pic Keepa is not daft cuddling up to the gamekeeper of the estate Plenty of tracks. It has only taken 3 seasons ratting for Boo to finally decide he would have a go, Fair enough he only caught any rats which actually ran towards him, but catch and kill he did And as per usual, he spent the rest of the time trying to hump poor Keepa everytime she was busy The best of the rest. No end of shot photo as the rats were needed as bird food. But one taken in his garage before freezing....118 rats. Edited July 27, 2011 by Moll. Quote Link to post
LUMPHAMMER 324 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Some very good pictures there & some very good numbers of rats dealt with Quote Link to post
LUMPHAMMER 324 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 The white bull terrier looking terrier looks a cracker ! Quote Link to post
k9delboy 138 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Brilliant post, Del. Quote Link to post
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