FightTheBan 1,147 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Around these parts landowners and gamekeepers attitudes towards dogwork has not realy changed. Running foxes and deer has always been treated with a certain degree of contempt. What has changed in recent years is the number of people from the public who take it upon themselves to enforce the law. Mobile phones and busybodies are a bad combination and even when you are fully working within the law, as I always do, you often get hassle. We are getting it from all angles and I dont know whether its because there are more townies in the countryside or because highlighted media is portraying anyone with a lurcher, terrier or spade as a criminal. Either way it is not good. IMO daytime lurcherwork is a thing of the past if you have anything at all to loose. It is very sad as now most of the people doing the damage are those who have nothing to loose, or nothing better to do. As long as I have a bone in my body I will continue as I did before. Our terriers are our pride...you'll take neither away! FTB 2 Quote Link to post
sallie 67 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 FTB there are more townies in the country who dont have a clue never mind about the hunting ban, they move in to live the ideal and dont have a clue about land management,ditches dont get dug out and then they wonder why they are flooded, Devon banks dont get repaired and they wonder why it erodes away. the fox, badger etc end up as little cute animals that need protecting. When the deer eat there roses then and only then do they become pests. Its fighting a losing battle. Quote Link to post
Squirrel_Basher 17,100 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 I live in a heavily keepered area with several big estates round me ,big for the South anyway .The fox population has definately not decreased since the ban ,in fact i would say the opposite .This is however nothing to do with the ban or methods of control in general and everything to do with the fact that litters are stronger now than ever before .Why this is i dont know but all the keepers report very good cull figures and i myself shame of shames cull my fair share with a rifle .However come the end of shooting in February we will still get around 30-40 digs on the estates as per norm .Hunting has continued in the traditional way around me ,as it should and foxes are accounted for in hunt country as always but the general population is thriving .Deer are constant too . Quote Link to post
FightTheBan 1,147 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 FTB there are more townies in the country who dont have a clue never mind about the hunting ban, they move in to live the ideal and dont have a clue about land management,ditches dont get dug out and then they wonder why they are flooded, Devon banks dont get repaired and they wonder why it erodes away. the fox, badger etc end up as little cute animals that need protecting. When the deer eat there roses then and only then do they become pests. Its fighting a losing battle. We get most hassle from 'horsey folk'. Mostly middleaged women living off their dead husbands inheritance absolutely desperate for a shag and have nothing better to do that stick their oar in. Some will even jump a fence and try to escort you off the farmers land you have permission on! They are swiftly given a barrage of abuse and told to go and f**k themselves. Most are from inner cities, not country bred. They think the countryside should resemble the wind and the willows. FTB Quote Link to post
Ideation 8,216 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Some very good points here! We have noticed the same here, a dramatic drop in fox numbers, and all quarry really, since the rise in the number of shooters about. And also a rise in idiot townies moving from the suburbs to the country who split the land into ever smaller parcels, each badly managed. Even those who are ok with the killing, want it done with a gun not a dog (even rabbits). Quote Link to post
Guest busterdog Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 If your struggling with those wealthy middle aged women i'll come up and give you a hand, the more desperate they are the better it'll be . 1 Quote Link to post
FightTheBan 1,147 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 If your struggling with those wealthy middle aged women i'll come up and give you a hand, the more desperate they are the better it'll be . To be fair some of them are a 2 man job. Send me your CV by PM and i will get back to you... FTB Quote Link to post
hedz31 1,308 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 It hasnt changed anything i do since the ban,i have not altered what i do in anyway, my numbers on certain quarry are down and a few folk's i know that jacked in the dog's and now lamp the field's with rifle's are doing really well far better than me so i guess the only loser has been the fox i would say 75% of what i dig i let go anyway with a rifle there is no letting go and it most certainly become's a number's game with them,running fox with lurcher's on the lamp it was usualy the strongest fittest and fastest most cunning that get away which in my opinion only help's with a foxes gene pool and better quality animal's being born with a rifle even the best cant out run a bullet 4 Quote Link to post
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.