rob190364 2,594 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 I'll put a proper write up on my Polish escapades when I get back but I just thought I'd put a quite summary of my first outing as it was a bit of an eye opener to say the least!! There's a big patch of scubland on the edge of a big forest on the outskirts of the town when my mrs is from so I thought I'd go for a walk there in the first instance to see if there was anything about. Ultra quiet place, plenty of deer tracks and branches where deer have chewed the bark off so I'm thinking I'll keep the dog under relatively close control to see if we come across any small deer or foxes to let her have a pop. Loads of tracks, plenty of scent about by the way the dog was acting but actual deer spotted after an hour of walking. I'm starting to thing lamping the surrounding fields might be a better option as there's a bit too much cover for them to keep out of sight here. Down an embankment we go and there's a big field with quite long grass and a big patch of reeds 3/4 of the way across. On the embankment there's plenty of small hoof marks so I'm thinking there might be one or two small deer hanging around the reeds so off we go, quietly approaching. As we get to the edge of the reed beds the dog picks up a scent and bang, in she goes. Almost instantly there's a bit of a commotion and something runs in a circle in the bushes and then makes a run for it in my direction. Bingo (I think!!)...........until I hear a rather loud and unmistakably boarish grunt and the sound of hooves that doesn't really indicate that a little munty is about to break cover. Sure enough, bursting out the reeds and heading worryingly in my direction is the biggest f'ckin boar I've ever seen in my life. I'm not exaggerating here, based on the size difference between this and my old 50kg mastiff, it was easily 150kg, if not more......and it was f'ckin shifting!!! My natural fight or flight instinct was back in the UK looking for it's passport!!!! I just stood like a f'ckin moron with his jaw hitting the floor as this thing ran towards me and then thankfully spotted me and changed directions and ran up the embankment. What's that in the grass behind it....oh shit, it's my f'ckin dog!!!! I've got to give her 10 out of 10 for bravery, she's 20-25kg max thankfully the grass was far too long for my dog to make up much ground and to my relief the pig got away and back comes my dog. Only instead of running directly to me she heads back to the reeds and as another pigs starts running in the reeds I shout my arse off at her to come back and thankfully the recall training works and back she comes. On with the lead, dog buzzing with excitement, me thanking my lucky stars she didn't catch up with it and cursing myself for not thinking things though properly....off home we go so I can have a beer and rethink our strategy. A FOOKIN CLOSE CALL!!! 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lab 10,979 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 :laugh: ..................that'll be 1 pair of Xmas boxers ruined already then mate......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millet 4,497 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 :laugh: ..it hink you would of seen the world's greatest athlete if i was there.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
asanley 1,009 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 Scary mate ! I remember reading a similar story by Whin , only he killed it with his bare hands and wore it as a hat . 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trappa 518 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 Bloody hell! definately clean boxers on when you got in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob190364 2,594 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Just a quick write up on my visit to Poland, I didn’t get out quite as much as I wanted to as one night after having one too many Polish lagers I got up for a slash in the middle of the night and had a pint of water forgetting the fact that they advise you not to drink their water, so I had the shits for quite a few days, bah! But I did get out a few times…. After the first episode with the wild boar, we had to tread very carefully. They are bloody everywhere so daytime mooching was hard work. Having seen a couple of the really big boars making a run for it I honestly don’t see what individual dog, or even two or three dogs could stop one of them in full flight, a smaller one maybe but the proper big ones are like feckin rhinos when they’re running!!! One of the strangest parts of the trip was the glaring absence of rabbits. It’s well weird walking hour after hour without seeing a single trace of the humble bunny. There are a few there apparently, but not that many, at least not in that part of Poland. And I was out a various different times of the day and night and didn’t see a single one, or a burrow, or any droppings, scrapings….nothing! The other strange part of the trip was being in vast countryside in the middle of the night on the edge of a forest, knowing there are animals that are bigger than you! Couldn’t help but think what the reaction of one of the big f’ck off boars would be if I accidently stumbled across a family of them with young!!! I spent a fair bit of time not really 100% sure what I was looking for and whether whatever I found would actually give me an opportunity to give my dog a bit of work. I know there’s plenty of deer around, but with a relatively small, young, inexperienced dog it would have to be a small or young deer for me to give her a go (at the moment). Initial searching was very promising, plenty of deer tracks, and quite small hoof prints in the mud, but what will be more down to my poor tracking/stalking techniques a lot of the time it felt like they were watching me from a distance. The biggest problem was the fact a lot of the land I was on was on the edge of a forest. When I did find deer they were always too big to take the chance on. Disappointingly I didn’t see a single fox either, I know there are foxes around and I’m told there are quite a few as well. Next trip I’ll be taking a fox caller with me I think and will be travelling a bit further a field to see if I can find any. Now we get to the point where the action starts. I went for a wander right across the edge of a forest, plenty of deer around again, but all in the actual forest rather than on the surrounding fields. At this point I was just really looking for foxes more than anything and again, not 100% sure what else I might stumble across. Then as we come out of the forest there’s three quite large fields and on the other side some scrub land. As we’re making out way across the fields towards the scrubland I noticed a hare in the distance, it was the first one I’d seen so far on this trip, only problem was it was a good 100 meters away and it had seen us and was making its way up the field towards the forest. Tilly was off the lead and spotted it and with nothing really to lose I just let her go, she made up 50 meters on it before it properly put its foot down and after a good 150 meter chase she managed to turn it just before it made it to the edge of the forest, it sprinted into a patch of long grass at the base of a pilon and Tilly flew into the grass after it and almost instantly the hare comes out the grass tare arsing down the field towards me, 3 or 4 of seconds and the hare’s opening a gap and still no sign of Tilly…..f’ckin gutted! Then out of the grass she comes and I’m not joking she ran down that hare like she had a rocket up her arse!! I was proper gutted that I didn’t have my camera with me because they were steaming right towards me, it would have been an awesome clip! 30 meters from me and she turns it again and they’re now heading towards a heavily ploughed field. I wasn’t quite sure which one would have the advantage on a field like that….but I was soon to find out on this occasion!!! The gap was probably about 25 meters at this stage and as the hare hit the ploughed field and the gap was closing rapidly Tilly hit the field and stacked it big time, and I mean double somersault and landed on her back facing the wrong way. I can only assume she was so focused on the hare she didn’t notice the change in terrain and just lost it big style. As the hare disappeared through the scrubland she was looking round totally disorientated. Bloody lucky in a way because it could easily have ended up in tears! We went through the scrubland to see if we could see where it had gone but it was nowhere to be seen, reluctant to give her a free reign to follow any scents with so many boar around we headed back in the fading light. I was fookin buzzin even though she didn’t catch it, first time I’ve ever ran a hare (apart from an accidental chase when Tilly was a pup) and it’s such a buzz, a proper test of a dog! The next day Tilly was a bit stiff but it just so happened to be my babys first birthday so I wouldn’t have been heading out anyway so she had a good rest. Predictably the next 2 days before heading home were spent looking for hares. Over those two days we were out a couple of times and ended up running another two hares. She’s probably not the ideal dog for hare coursing as she basically goes at them like a train but it’s bloody good to watch, she was blowing out of her arse after each one but of the three hares in total she managed to catch one!! This one popped up out of the grass with the dog running loose so it didn’t have much of a head start if I’m honest, but it gave her a bloody good run, twisting and turning all the way to a hedgerow and then turned her back and too about 4 or 5 times before she finally lifted it just as it turned to run back into the open. Next trip with the dog will be in the summer so I’ll spend a bit of time just wandering round getting to know the land a bit better and looking at the land in the surrounding areas of the Czech Republic. Then we’ll be going there for six weeks in September so that’s when the real fun starts!!! Tilly will be over 2 years old by then aswell so no need to hold back so much, happy days! (thanks for reading my f****n BIG WRITE UP FOR JUST ONE CATCH!!!!!!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GrCh 856 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Glad you enjoyed it mate, was their any signs of wolves or other predators? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob190364 2,594 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Glad you enjoyed it mate, was their any signs of wolves or other predators? I didn't see any signs of Wolves bud, I know they have them there but I don't think they're in that part. The part I go to is the SW corner where Poland meets the Czech Republic and Germany, I think the Wolves are in central Poland? not 100% sure of that though.....again, all the more reason why lamping was a bit twitchy!! What I did notice though, anywhere where there's a river or stream there's shit loads of trees that have been virtually stripped of bark. Presumably beevers?? Didn't see any though. I'll be there for a month in summer and 6 weeks in Sept so I should know more about what's out and about by then. Back for a week next month without the dog aswell so I might go for a few wanders on my own with the camera to see what I can find. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GrCh 856 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Glad you enjoyed it mate, was their any signs of wolves or other predators? I didn't see any signs of Wolves bud, I know they have them there but I don't think they're in that part. The part I go to is the SW corner where Poland meets the Czech Republic and Germany, I think the Wolves are in central Poland? not 100% sure of that though.....again, all the more reason why lamping was a bit twitchy!! What I did notice though, anywhere where there's a river or stream there's shit loads of trees that have been virtually stripped of bark. Presumably beevers?? Didn't see any though. I'll be there for a month in summer and 6 weeks in Sept so I should know more about what's out and about by then. Back for a week next month without the dog aswell so I might go for a few wanders on my own with the camera to see what I can find. Sounds quality mate. My luck i'd bump into a pack of hungrey wolves lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
secretagentmole 1,701 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Next time see if you can get a license whilst you are over there, there is nothing like the morning breakfast Vodka before saddling up and boar hunting! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Attack Fell Terrier 864 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Bang on Rob, I hope you had a good'un pal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mooch. 177 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Good write ups mate. It must feel great hunting without the shadow of the hunting ban hanging over you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Duncan 802 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Crackin read Rob, I really enjoyed it immensely It must be a mixed feeling, taking your dog hunting in a place where the quarry can be dangerous to man or beast, or where the hunter can become the hunted Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jf1970 328 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 The best write-up i have read on here for a long time, really enjoyed that rob, how do you go about getting the dog over and back, do you have a passport for her? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob190364 2,594 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 cheers lads, yeah bloody brilliant hunting without daft rules. yep pal, rabies jab then blood test few weeks later then passport issued 6 months later, cost 150 quid but worth it. then its just tapeworm jab 5 days or less before coming back. Whole process is proper smooth, they don't even check the dog on the way out and its a quick scan of the microchip on way back in and thats it, sorted! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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