Something a bit different . . . .

[Ideation 8,216]

I have not bothered writing up any trips out of late, for various reasons, but thought this one was worth it.

 

 

Well, they say a change is as good as a rest, don't they? I love my ferreting and mooching, and have spent a silly amount of happy days at it, but of late i've been feeling fecking bored, walking the same fields, woods, hills, day after day, season after season. Even if you are killing plenty of bunnies, it's just dull, looking at the same views and staring down the same holes, time after time.

 

So this week i decided to have a wee away day, and try to re-invigorate myself a little.

 

Tuesday night, i got my head down early and set the alarm for 3am the following morning. Up at 3am, and with the car packed, all i had to do was load in three of the jills, the dog, and make a flask of tea, and i was away, pulling off the yard about 4.15 am, in a warm, welsh drizzle (5 fecking degrees where it wa -3 the day before at the ame time!)

 

3 hours, 200 miles and a couple of sandwiches later i was at my destination, sunny sussex, for about 7.15 am. Parked up, greeted the in-laws, and got my kit together, then headed out onto the land. On route called Tyla off here and sorted our meeting point. As i had a little bit of time to kill untl he arrived i thought i would let the dog have an empty out and a bit of an explore.

 

Walking through the first field, the mist was still down, and the dog wa casting about in front. All of a sudden, the mist cleared and stood staring at us by a fence line were three roe. Off they went and before i could do owt, off went dog. Luckily he lost them at the next hedge / fence, and i managed to get him back. Thank god for that, can't be breaking no laws.

 

Carried on a bit and put up a few bunnys, and generally soaked up the views. Shortly, finn started marking a set strung a long a fence, so i thought i'd have a bit of sport and drop a ferret in, to try to get the dog a few runs. In she goes, and sods law, the first 2 rabbits bolted out of the wrong side of the fence. Then one popped up at the mouth of a hole near me and finn dived for it, a bit keen at the start of the day. The bloody rabbit flipped about and finn managed to get a mouth full of ferret instead, which he proceeded to rag out of the hole, until he realised what it was and spat it out looking horrifyed. Great thinks i, one f****d ferret, but with a shake she shot back down. Of course it then went quiet and i thought i'd get the dico carrot out to see where she was, resigning myself to a dig. I'd not turned the bloody collars on!!!! Half asleep wasn't i. So with that i had a good walk up and down the fence, then found a way through and went and had a look the other side. No ferret. I made my way back around to where i had started and had decided to having to drop another jill with collar turned on down, and then dig them both. However on getting back to where i was, there was the jill sitting outside the warren, on top of a dead bunny, whose eyes she was eating. Not 100% sure what happened there, but better than a dig!

 

At that point, Tyla called and i went to meet him. He had with him Willow, his collie based lurcher, and i must say a really stunning bitch. I'd never met Tyla before, but we had talked about linking up for a while, and this was a perfect opportunity.

 

After our brief hellos, we mooched on, the dogs running another rabbit to ground, which we bolted for them, and they missed as it dropped into the next door set. We bolted it again, and once again he cover hoped somewhere else, this one obviously knew the score.

 

A couple of mins later we got another nice mark in a banking and decided to drop some nets down this time. So nets on and ferret in and we waited. This time it was all a bit more text book, as four big healthy bunnys bolted into the nets one at a time, to be held by finn and then despatched.

 

As we took the net off, finn dissapeared as he does and when we spotted him, he was in a wee wooded strip, nose down a hole. We could see the set was a big un, and so we decided to stick down a load of nets and hopefully have a good hours sport out of it. Sods law, it was not to be, and after a lengthy netting up spell, followed by a cuppa and a sandwich each, we dropped down all three jills, only to be rewarded with a single bolt into a net.

 

So nets off, and as we were doing so, Willow, was intently marking a set behind us, so we thought it would be rude not to go and ferret it. We stuck a few nets down and stood back. After some time, two tough to bolt rabbits hit the nets.

 

At this point Tyla unfortunatly had to head off to get some work done, which was a shame, but it was really nice to meet a really sound bloke, who obviously knows his stuff, and i'm sure we will see each other very soon for another full day out.

 

So with 8 rabbits in the bag i was now one man and his dog once again. I stashed the rabbits, and decided to go for a wander and an explore.

 

I was getting marks and dragging the dog away, in order to cover ground and see a bit more of the land. But after a bit i came across a nice long set through some woods, by a ditch. I stuck some nets down randomly, left plenty of holes unetted, and stuck down a couple of the jills, immediatly one rabbit bolted and took off a long the woods edge, with finn in pursuit. I lost sight of him, as three more rabbits bolted by me, one more out of an unetted hole and off through the woods, and two into nets, which i grabbed and dispatched. I was just finsihing up, when finn reapeared with bunny number one in his mouth. Bonus

 

I lifted the few nets and walked on, again, ignoring marks, exploring the woodland and having a good mooch. The dog was working away well, putting rabbits up and running them through the woodland. I then found a nice spot, which appeared to be a few unconnected sets, together in the same woodland clearing. So i netted up various holes very randomly, and dropped the three jills at different points and just let them get on with it.

 

The first rabbit to bolt, the dog ran well into the woods, losing it in cover. The second came out into a net by me, which i scooped up. Number three and four bolted at the same time out of the same unetted hole, and made off at high speed, but in the direction of the dog (on his way back from the first bolt), as they came toward him, he clocked them, chose his rabbit and was on it, ploughing into the brambles with it and pulling it out. Then after a bit another hit a net, which the dog pinned, followed moment later by another, again into a net. And then it went quiet. Two of the jills were up and out and a scan with the carrot showed the third was still down there on a rabbit. I got the spade out to start to dig and as i got a foot down, out came bunny from a near by hole, into a net and the dogs jaws.

 

With 16 rabbits in the bag, i decided to call it a day ferreting wise, as to be honest i couldnt carry anymore. So i stashed 8 of them in the woods, and slowly made my way back toward where i had started, taking a different route and having a good explore on route.

 

I made it back to the car and dumped the rabbits, ferrets and nets. Then headed back out with the dog and a bag to collect the remaining 8 bunnies. It was getting dark but i managed to locate them and was back off homeward bound, when i discovered a long patch of cover that had rabbit proof fence dividing it. The dog was marking round the outside, so i thought i'd have some fun, and sent him in one end, while i went round the other side and started beating it through (well jumping into it and flailing about madly). This was more productive than i had thought it would be, and resulted in two catches for the dog, deep inside the cover as the rabbits panicked and ran a long the fence, not noticing the black shadow lurking about.

 

So with eight rabbits in a bag and two shoved in my pockets, i stumbled back in the darkness, and eventually found my way back to the inlaws and my car.

 

A lovely meal with the missus family later (complete with dog and ferrets running about the kitchen), who had never seen a running dog or ferrets up close before, and i was eventually on the road home. Another 3 hours and 200 miles later and i was crawling into my bed, ready for work at 8.30 am the next morning!

 

And what can i say, other than, i had a CRACKING day, it really did the job of revitalising me, and made me ready to crack on with it all. The aim was never to really catch much, just to have a good stomp around some different scenery, and do someting a bit different, so the 18 rabbits were a bonus, and not particularly hard work. And meeting Tyla was great, he is a really sound bloke, with a great attitude to life and huntng. Willow was a very tidy and steady bitch for her age, and i thouroughly enjoyed both of their company, i hope to spend many more enjoyable days in the field with him in the future!!!

 

atb.

 

Not many photos as i wasn't really thinking about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NEWKID 27,676]

As they say mate "a change can be as good as a rest" ,sounds like a long but good day

[irish stevie 32]

Great write up mate,and a cracking day bye all well done..

[dymented 2,220]

well done there lads

[Jamie m 668]

Great stuff ideation , I told u lined with gold mate ha ha lined with gold ,

[Ideation 8,216]

Cheers all!

 

Aye Jamie mate, funny thing, i was thinking about you saying that when i was there, Totally different world.

 

Where are you mate, sussex or suffolk?

[the loner 11]

a good bag there mate atb

[Ideation 8,216]

a good bag there mate atb

 

Cheers mate, if i had been taking it seriously, and having a days 'ferreting' rather than a mooch and explore, i reckon i'd have hit the 30 mark.

[Jamie m 668]

Empty your inbox ideation

[Ideation 8,216]

Empty mate!

[nighteyes 275]

nice write up of the day there good stuff

[Guest cookiemonsterandmerlin]

Great read but personanlly could think of anythink worst than driving so far for a days diffrent sport EVEN with meeting great company like you did .

 

ATB Cookie

[TOMO 26,963]

enjoyed that ,,good read,, sounds ike a cracking day

[TOMO 26,963]

Great read but personanlly could think of anythink worst than driving so far for a days diffrent sport EVEN with meeting great company like you did .

 

ATB Cookie

 

dont you like trying new places cookie or is it the driving a long way ??

[Ideation 8,216]

2.5 - 3 hours in the car, flies by, once you get the tunes on, the flask out and bite into a beef and stilton sandwich (with caramalised onion relish). And it is a small price to pay for walking fresh land you dont know like the back of your hand, and meeting a sound bloke. Will be doing it all over again in a couple of weeks I'll drive anywhere for a bit of sport and something different