Bit of a reprieve.

[Brimmer 220]

Hi chaps, over the last 5 weeks, we have steadily been workng through some large warrens on some very steep slopes, its been good results, but after finishing off the last of the sets on Wednesday, it felt like rabbiting had become work rather than play, and physically yesterday and today i felt burned out.

Luckily the old feller felt the same way, so today we hit some easy ground on relatively flat ground, (probs still hilly to most, but not the 45 degrees we have been on of late.)

Me the old feller, the 2 runners and the same two jills. set off with and easy day in mind, and left the nets behind, gave the dogs something to do.

I have nearly forgotten how easy the old way we used to work was, a couple of ferrets stuck in a warren with no nets, any bolters get the dogs, and any stickers are dug out easy from the shallow sets, usually at worst 18" down, even let the old feller dig a 6" hole.

One of the dogs Robbie was leashed and held by the old chap as we bolted a rabbit, as his brother Jed took off after it, Robbie also took off, as i turned round i spotted my old chap flat out on the floor face first, like a human starfish! it took him probs 30 seconds to get back up, as you can imagine, i was sympathetic!

As we closed our way back to the motor around dinner time, we skirted the edge of a rocky crag, we let Robbie work this area, a little more thought in his actions, he stands less of a chance of harm than his desperate brother Jed, and clocked up the odd run and mark, as we closed in on the crag, right on the edge looking down, you knew Robbie had smelt something below, and started making his way down on the narrow ledges, he's very steady, so left him to it, and a few seconds later, squealing started from below, he had nailed a rabbit on a narrow rocky ledge, that i had to climb down to get off him, as it looked a little tricky for him to get back up with it. If only you could catch everything on video.

The morning had seen 16 in the bag, and was the easiest i have had all season so far, quite a lot of dog work, and the ferrets doing what they do.

The afternoon saw us drop onto the slopes, above where we have been spending the last month, still pretty steep, but good cover and work for the dogs, and thats basically all it was, ferreted the odd one, but all dog work.

The dogs soon started getting tired after quite a lot of runs and catches, but we were clocking up the tally with little physical effort from us.

One run saw them both on the tail of a rabbit uphill where they followed it out of sight over a barbed wire stock fence at the hilltop. I remember saying to my old chap, they didnt need that after a good few runs, he agreed, exhausted dogs and barbed wire dont mix, and 30 seconds later my worst fears happened, on return, Jed with the rabbit pinned in his mouth cleared the fence, but Robbie got something wrong, and hung himself on the fence up on the skyline.

I set off running up to him, but probs 100yrds away up a very steep slope, i dragged myself up with my hands as well as my feet, and it seemed like forever to get to the whimpering dog, all i could do was shout to him tell him to stay there as he struggled to get free, and it was not looking good, it looked like his inner back leg or belly was caught. poor bugger.

As i got to him, he seemed more calm, and had to lift him up level with the wire to find where he was held, i winced as i did this, but was relieved to see the skin behind his joint on his back leg had him held probs behind the tendon, painfull i know, but at least not the belly, i blindly reached underneath the suspended dog, and felt round and forced the skin off the barbs, dog freed. We both sat down, I was fooked. The old feller after about a minute shouted up to me, and i told him the good news, and the dog got up and made his way down to him. Bloody lucky escape.

We had another steady hour or so before the end of the day, and Jed clocked up a few more.

On the way back, about 50 yrds from the motor on the grassy track across the field, i spotted a rabbit led on it on its front, it looked dead, like it had been placed there for a joke. As we got closer you could see it was still alive and breathing, and the old chap went and picked it up, looks like a stoat had been scared off by us approaching, and cannot work out whether it was a stroke of luck for the dying rabbit us picking it up.

As it stands, it was no 35.

Another eventfull day really, if only we could have a camera running all the time instead of a split second!

 

[TOMO 26,113]

Great read as ever brim,,,, for the first couple of times we ferreted the bank me and vin have been dooing,,, we often herd the tell tail sounds of a stoat connecting with a rabbit,,, and we got to witness a bunny being ran to ground.... Later that day we came across a rabbit,, exactly as you describe,,, alive but only just,, and badly mauled around the neck,, it ended up in the bag as well,,,

 

 

[salt fish 67]

Good work mate and good right up

[Brimmer 220]

Great read as ever brim,,,, for the first couple of times we ferreted the bank me and vin have been dooing,,, we often herd the tell tail sounds of a stoat connecting with a rabbit,,, and we got to witness a bunny being ran to ground.... Later that day we came across a rabbit,, exactly as you describe,,, alive but only just,, and badly mauled around the neck,, it ended up in the bag as well,,,

Seen a good few stoat attacks over the years, but heard many,many more, they just seem to be playing with the rabbits, not engaging fully like a ferret does, but its rough play, thats drawn out over some time, nasty little buggers.

[broonball 38]

good read up mate, was the dog ok? feckin barbed wire .

 

i might have posted this a little while back but i had a stoat chase a young rabbit into a warren i was ferreting. i say in but actually me dog nabbed first the stoat, got bit n dropped it and went for the rabbit instead. my jill bolted the stoat twice from the warren before i got her out.

[Brimmer 220]

good read up mate, was the dog ok? feckin barbed wire .

 

i might have posted this a little while back but i had a stoat chase a young rabbit into a warren i was ferreting. i say in but actually me dog nabbed first the stoat, got bit n dropped it and went for the rabbit instead. my jill bolted the stoat twice from the warren before i got her out.

Yep dog was ok real lucky, did the stoat get away?

[broonball 38]

good to hear i left it in the warren. i had my jill and her two young out gettin some practice in. all three were in a small sett when it ran in there, i quickly got the two young out as didnt know what might happen. the jill would not come out, the stoat was bolted the dog just missed it and straight back in, the jill showed her face then and was straight back in after it, about 2 mins later it hole hopped and went down under some old corrugate at which point i lifted the jill. i think it could have gone on forever hole hopping.

[richie198 28]

great read mate love reading about your days out like to

get one or two like that

[21dangermouse 86]

Great read as ever keep them coming atb

[bigfatskinheadterrierman 10]

jez that was a stonking read .. like a magazin ..only better :>

[Brimmer 220]

jez that was a stonking read .. like a magazin ..only better :>

I knew it was a bit drawn out as it took me ages to write it up! A few more piccies could have cut it in half!

[ferretville 69]

Good read and canny bag brim , pleased the mutt is ok

[max abell 196]

Great read and nice bag of bunnies well done brimmer and helpers

[storm323 191]

Always a great read glad the dog wasn't hurt to bad !

[Moe 108]

another good report,well done glad to hear dog is ok,had a similar expieriance a few weeks back late in the day 2 dogs chasing uphill 1 dog over second dog totally misjudged the fence. jumped 6 feet to early and got wrapped up in the barbed wire,luckily only minor damage.