Not to plan!

[Ideation 8,216]

Today, with Johnnyboy broken, the plan was to take out the two young lads Tom and Jake (14) and let them do a bit. Tom has been coming out us a lot and Jake has been out once before, although has showed good promise.

 

Anyway, met the lads at about 9, but had a flat tyre, so had to sort that before we got going.

 

We headed up to a farm which we have hammered, taking about 300 rabbits off this season, so i knew there wouldnt be a huge amount about, a bit of a clean up really. The plan was to give the two young lads a crack at doing the work, and me just to stand back and set them on the right path when needed.

 

Parked up and cast off the dog, who quite quickly marked a nice little four hole set around a tree, nets down and one of Toms young ferrets in, and after a little bit of waitng the days first bunny hit the net and was pinned by the dog.

 

We carried on, putting up a few pheasants and pushing a couple of bunnys out of cover and into more cover (it was like bloody spring today).

 

Dropped into a gully and then got another decent mark on a big old set on a banking with a lot of debris, cover around it, probably about 40 holes. Netted up, which took some time as the lads are not exactly rapid. Then dropped in my two older jills as its a deep old set. Within a short space of time two rabbits bolted in my area and the dog pinned the one in the net and then caught the second as it shuffled out of its net.

 

Then the day started to go a bit wrong. . . .

 

A rabbit bolted by Jakes foot, and i could see it bouncing about in the net, the dog was engaged, with the second rabbit to bolt by me, and i could see Jake standing there looking at the rabbit bouncing about well netted, and i must have shouted about ten times, grab it, and grab the rabbit NOT the net. What did he do? Grabbed the bloody net and yanked, spilling bunny straight out. It then hot footed it to the next set and dropped in.

 

So while the lads took down the nets on the bigger set i laid the half dozen nets on the next set than went to give them a hand. Back to the netted set, we dropped down Toms other young jill and that was that. We wasted a good hour and a half maybe two hours trying to dig out the fecking rabbit, which was wedged right up in some roots. Needless to say we didnt get it, and that pretty much killed our day.

 

Once we had given up we mooched on a bit more and eventually got another mark from the dog, the lads netted up, unfortunatly not using ideal nets on certain holes, and a light weight small net was put on a bolt hole in some cover. Out comes bunny at high speed, under the cover, the net tangles and out comes bunny. Dog has unfortunatly flown under the cover to try to get at the rabbit and got stuck for just long enough for the rabbit to exit the other side an get a decent head start, he just missed it as they bother crashed into a pile of cover. Should have used a heavier net.

 

At that point it was time for the lads to go, so we headed home.

 

All in all, not the best of days, they should really have had the five rabbits bolted instead of just three, as the hard work had pretty much been done. And if they hadn't missed the one (and thus had the dig) they probably would have scraped up a couple more with the extra time. Still, enjoyable company and the dog and ferrets worked well.

 

However a valuable learning curve for the two lads, who have now learnt to forget everything and just jump on the bunny, and that some nets are not suited on some holes. And for myself, i have come to appreciate what a valuable thing experience is, especially when it comes to a ferreting partner. Don't think johnny and i have missed a half dozen rabbits that we have bolted all season.

 

Atb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[darbo 4,776]

its all good learning experience for the lads. you learn through experience and also making mistakes, which then can be rectified in the future.well done for taking them out. as you say they are on the start of a learning curve which they can only benefit from.

[malc1 544]

it could all boil down to the teacher jai haha well done carnt catch them all

[Ideation 8,216]

I'll tell ye now, the teaching them lads have had has been flawless

 

Simple as, the lad didnt want to get bit. But after the abuse (in a jovial fashion) that he got, next time a bunny jumps up near him, he will belly flop on it if he has to!

 

The dig was just unlucky.

 

And the last rabbit missed, well, to be fair to the lads i should have said something about the net, but i thought i would let them get on with it, and hoped the dog would kill it before it got to cover.

 

And malc - you know me mate, i tried to track the litter fecker down, but couldnt find him, you know what i'm like, never leave a bunny behind thats felt the net!

[malc1 544]

I'll tell ye now, the teaching them lads have had has been flawless

 

Simple as, the lad didnt want to get bit. But after the abuse (in a jovial fashion) that he got, next time a bunny jumps up near him, he will belly flop on it if he has to!

 

The dig was just unlucky.

 

And the last rabbit missed, well, to be fair to the lads i should have said something about the net, but i thought i would let them get on with it, and hoped the dog would kill it before it got to cover.

 

And malc - you know me mate, i tried to track the litter fecker down, but couldnt find him, you know what i'm like, never leave a bunny behind thats felt the net!

i know im getting as bad now hate them getting away

[malc1 544]

lee said dont get throwing your dolly out the pram haha

[Ideation 8,216]

I mate, i was waiting for lee to pipe up

 

It was pretty much a run through of what happened with her last time we were out mate, me standing there shouting at someone while they watch a well netted bunny de-net itself

 

The thing is, i don't mind them escaping, i dont get payed per rabbit, and i kill enough to have way more than i need. I can live with rabbits getting out of missed holes, or puttiing them out for the dogs and running them and missing.

 

What i hate is, them escaping when they have already been caught, and felt the net on their backs. Cos that's not down to the bunny being a good un, it's down to failing on the part of the people. All the animals have done their bit. And i will usually hunt those ones down with a fury

[malc1 544]

I mate, i was waiting for lee to pipe up

 

It was pretty much a run through of what happened with her last time we were out mate, me standing there shouting at someone while they watch a well netted bunny de-net itself

 

The thing is, i don't mind them escaping, i dont get payed per rabbit, and i kill enough to have way more than i need. I can live with rabbits getting out of missed holes, or puttiing them out for the dogs and running them and missing.

 

What i hate is, them escaping when they have already been caught, and felt the net on their backs. Cos that's not down to the bunny being a good un, it's down to failing on the part of the people. All the animals have done their bit. And i will usually hunt those ones down with a fury

lee said if you do less shouting you will stop putting them off doing there job

[Brimmer 220]

Easy on the young one's Jai, if they get the back of the hand to early, they will grow up like me digging everything!

[Ideation 8,216]

Hey i'm getting bad press here

 

I'm not shouting in a nasty way, just in an instructional manner. I can't help that i happen to swear a lot

 

I'll tell you what though, that lad will jump on the next rabbit he sees like a tramp on chips

[johnny boy68 11,726]

You bully !!

 

I've always said mate to let them learn from there mistakes sometimes the dissapointment of losing rabbits gets them more focused, you know yourself mate when you watch something happening from a distance it seems to skip around in the net for a lifetime, though in reality it was going flat out for the young lad.He will learn soon enough, where you end up going after over Dennis's?

 

Perhaps I can be ferried round on the quad next week can I.

[Trev Smilerface 38]

Love it ....absolutely love it!!! Cant beat the youngsters coming out and learning the tricks, and the do's and donts of ferreting. Wish there was more like them round my way rather than off smoing the reefa's and messing all the time. Great past time nice skill to have and a good old bit of countryside ....cant think of nothing better me'self.

 

Fair play to ya for taking under ya wing........now clip the fecker round the ear for not jumping on the missed rabbit :tongue2: :laugh:

[Ideation 8,216]

JB - we decided to look at the edge of the maize and the gully on that farm, then a quick mooch about the horse paddocks next door.

 

You are right about the time delay thing.

 

I'll stick you on my back next week if i have to mate!

 

TS - To be fair to them they are great lads, and it's a pleasure to teach them. But i heard the one ask the other 'do you think he will let me come again'