Todays Adventure.

[Ideation 8,216]

The plan for today was for me and johnnyboy to head over the water into deepest, darkest Somerset, to meet up with hounddogg31 and do a bit of ferreting. Got up early doors, to find a frozen world. Didn't manage to set off on time as i had to defrost the car, ferret watr x 2, chicken water and food etc, so i was a bit late picking up johnnyboy, who was suffering a good few degrees colder. Anyway, we hit the road with the usual team of dogs and ferrets and the 100 miles flew by. Soon enough we were pulling in behind a landdrover with two lurchers in the back, that had to be our man. Straight off the bat, the sight of two very tasty looking lurchers was a good omen, we later discovered they were, skye ; a collie/grey x whippet bitch and Archie a collie/grey lurcher to lurcher bred dog. We made our introductions, and were happy to see that hounddogg a expected was a great bloke. We jumped back into the motors and headed to todays farm.

 

As we pulled across the frozen fields, we could see rabbits sat out and about, hounddogg dropped his two from the landy, and they had a stretch, but no joy. The rabbits down here are rapid and the ground was like iron. We unloaded and continued our chat, as we headed up the hill to what was our first warren of the day, which ran a long a fence line and throgh some thick cover to one side. We netted up everything we could find. It's interesting to note thet HD does not put pegs on his nets, and just has nets, letting the dogs to their work. Just before we started ferreting, FInn threw a bit of a wobbler, and realised how many rabbits were sat about above ground in relative proximity, as he now had a good view from the hill, and proceeded to run about a dozen to ground atr various points around the farm, however soon enough, we were rolling my three jills into the depths, and johnnys wee jill into the cover. It went quiet for some time and and then the rabbits started to move, hitting the nets at regular intervals, in fairly short order, we had eight bolt, seven being taken in the nets and, pinned by the dogs, and one doing a very good ninja impression and somehow managing to avoid the canine wall of death, and get away. Next years breeder.

 

During this set, we were joined by HD's mate Simon, who was clad in his best leisure wear He claimed he had been to the gym and had got locked out. A blatant lie, he was either geared up for some serious athletic rabbit jumping on, or just trying to impress us welsh.

 

It started snowing.

 

We moved on, and netted up a warren finn and luna had pushed one into, and all the dogs were marking. One bolted fairly quickly, and then it went a bit quiet. After a while i saw the tail of my wee poley jill at the mouth of the hole, and then her arse and back legs. She was jerking backwards? I went over to have a look, and she was dragging a still alive rabbit out of the warren by the arse After a bit of searching by the ferrets, rabbit number three was evicted.

 

Whilst we were doing this, HD's lonsdale wearing, eagle eyed friend Simon had spotted a wee two holer in the hedge, netted it up and dropped my white jill in. Sure enough, his hunch was right, and the days tenth rabbit hit the net.

 

At this point the famer / farmers son Daniel appeared to check progress, and decided to stick around for a while and try a bit of ferreting We made our way to a hedge and nettted up a llong it's length, after getting a few marks from the mutts. We spread ourself a long the hedge, entered the ferret team and waited. Soon enough rabbits started to pop out at regular intervals, most being netted, two managing to skip the nets, one of which escaped into a warren further a long, and one of which was neatly picked up by HD's dog Archie. By the end of the hedge, we had taken another eight rabbits, and avoided a dig to a collar which we found just inside a hole

 

We denetted and mooched a long. into a stream bed, by the time we pushed our way through a hedge, behind the dogs, they were already marking two warrens ahead. x had now left us, so we split in two, with johnnyboy and HD, aided by Daniel, taking the first, and me taking the second, the dogs floating between us, quite quickly, one bolted for them, but was missed by a bolt hole and dropped into the cover, escaping the dogs, and soon after, one bolted for me and was netted. Then we both had a rabbit turn at the net and go back down. I got a mark and started to try to chip away at the frozen ground, sinking half a hole, before the rabbit moved, i then went to get a bigger shovel, as i was walking back, HD noticed a rabbit lying out on top pf my set, not in a net, but being held by my wee silver jill, who had her teeth locked through the top of its head Unfortunatly HD and JB couldnt retrieve their rabbits. So two nil there lads

 

 

After lifting the nets, we found all of the dogs already excitedly marking another two warrens, one small and one large, on a verticle bank of the stream, with lots of low trees and bushes. We netted up the holes both, the one only a few holes, the other like swiss cheese, very close together, and HD like a true man, offered to go down into the stream, to JB's delight, while JB and I gaurded the top. We did the smaller of the two first, and quickly bolted two out, which were taken. We then dropped the jills into the larger warren and soon enough after a period of silence, while they worked their way up through the levels, we heard the tell tale rumbling underground. A fairly intense period of action then followed, a rabbits bolted all over the set, in rapid succession. WIth all being taken. HD pulled off some great, and quite wet, leaps, and all of the dogs pulled their weight, leaping down the bank, grabbing rabbits we couldnt have got to in time. A stand out moment for me was when one rabbit bolted into a net, and as i was untangling it and despatching it, a second bolted from the same hole, tried to run a long the bank past me and i managed to grab it's back legs! Finn also marked a dead rabbit arms length down a tube. By the time we were done, we had another eleven rabbits in the bag.

 

At this point, we were at the edge of our permission, with plenty more to ferret inside, however the dogs had run a rabbit over the boundry and to ground, and as you do. . . . we ferreted it. Two more in the bag. While HD and I were doing this, JB was netting another set, which unfortunatly led to a kill, and a dig, to a ferret, but a rabbit we couldnt reach. The ground was like bell metal, so it was a slow procces.

 

We thought we would try one more adjacant set, before calling it a day, and soon enough had our final days rabbit in the bag. However we also still had ferrets to ground on a bunny. Who should appear, but the owners wife, complete with massive husky. At this point HD mentions they are antis Anyway, we make our polite apologies, recover the ferrets, and make like a tree.

 

On the way back we ran into one of HD's friends and his son, armed to the teeth, funny place Somerset

 

Anyway, a very good day, in great company. We met a really sound bloke, who im sure we shall share a good few outings with in the near future. All of the dogs and especially the ferrets worked well, at one point my jill came out with ice clinging to her fur from the frozen water underground, and the rabbits were all big, strong specimens. Gem banged up here leg. HD's dogs were both very impressive, probably some of the best we have encountered, and were also lovely hounds And a very respectable end tally of 36.

 

ATB.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2012 by Ideation

[DeepEarth 104]

Great report Jai, looks like it was definately worth the trip down!

[tegater 789]

Some great pictures and a fantastic write up as usual.

 

Love the rabbit tree and the rabbit through the spade handle photo.

[johnny boy68 11,726]

"A good day out, in great company!" can tend to be a cliche but it does apply to yesterday, hounddog is a cracking bloke with some useful dogs, his bitch Skye especially impressing me, steady and a real sharp bitch around holes, she reads whats going on underground and is a real biddable bitch.

 

Even though this was pest control/rabbit clearance we still had a good craic with great banter, all in all a top day with only a few bunnies missed though that was down to not knowing the ground.

 

@ Ideation 2-0 getting competitive now are we? They were breeders we let go.

 

[irish stevie 32]

Well done mate,excellent write up again and a great haul in good company atb.stevie.

[malc1 544]

well done lad great write up brill pictures glad you had a realy good day atb malc

[weasle 1,119]

Nice one lads,A friend had a old defender and they really do make a bit of travel feel like a adventure.

[marshall298 0]

Great report and good piks mate

[bunnykiller 0]

Good write up and some cracking photographs all the best

[staffyspen 43]

well done lads,

sounds like a cracking day!!

another great write-up mate!!

[Jamie m 668]

Looked a grand day out lads , I let three breeders go myself Saturday : ) a bag of three reduced to two by some young kid watching through the fence , telling me all about when he's at high school guna start out with his mate asking about all the gear to , so long as hd finds his own permision lol

[Ideation 8,216]

Cheers guys

 

And Jamie - that's the future there mate.

[hounddogg31 5]

Ideation & Johnnyboy68

 

A massive thank u for coming down & braving the elements. Even though u knew there was a severe weather warning after Johns misses called u still stayed till the end. Had a great day, rekindled my love for ferreting!! U guys were really professional with great dogs & ferrets. Would u like to do it again this Sat? Will get my wife to bring us some lunch.

[hounddogg31 5]

Ideation & Johnnyboy68

 

A massive thank u for coming down & braving the elements. Even though u knew there was a severe weather warning after Johns misses called u still stayed till the end. Had a great day, rekindled my love for ferreting!! U guys were really professional with great dogs & ferrets. Would u like to do it again this Sat? Will get my wife to bring us some lunch.And what a great write up

[Ideation 8,216]

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself matey, it was really good to meet you, you are a really sound no nonsense bloke and i feel we will share some good hunts in the years to come We can def do saturday! Could do wed as well if you were free? (Just give me a text). BY the way i've been raving about your dogs, especially skye for a few days. I really like that bitch, considering she hadnt been ferreting some some time, she was spot on. Would be keen on looking at her pups if you ever bred her. Hope all is well. Jai.