Highjumpers Leaves Us Short Of 50

[NEWKID 27,156]

Sunday was the day to hit SeanC's permission where last year we had bagged up, it was all planned, as many ferrets as poss, as many longnets, gate nets, stop nets etc as poss, and and the same gang as last year to hit it hard.

So black friday came and went leaving me with a sore head and a ruined (water logged) phone, luckily Mick was coming round so our arrangements were made, 7am meet just off the A38......At 6 am I'm over the playing fields with the dogs ( no dogs allowed today so an early run for them), nets loaded, 5 ferrets boxed, get to our meeting place early, and wait, and wait a bit more.... cursing the ruined phone I finally give up and head down on my own... ( I finally spoke to Mick today, fair weather lad )...

I meet Sean, Sam and Kelly ( sam's better half) at the gates and wait for them to open, at 8 we're in and loading Seans truck up with all the gear, Dave the manager of the place meets us and say's there's as many this year as last, he tells us he counted 36 along 1 hedge the night before... we decide to start there

with a man down Sean had to get stuck in and the camera was left in the bag for a lot of the day, I never realised he knew how to net up , unfortunately on the other side Sam was doing most of the netting, luckily as the day wore on we noticed Kelly took up most of the work load and the missed rabbits seemed to disappear from that side of the hedge.

with a few hundred yrds of net down both sides of the hedge, stop nets as well and a few run nets in the top a small army of ferrets were let loose ( this place is pickled in holes and fair deep), The challenge was set me and sean ( plus Seans border) on one side and Sam, Kelly and Dave on the other, which side would come out on top....

It didn't take long and Sam's side was up by a couple of rabbits, then another bolted but jumped the perfectly set long net well that's what sam told us and who were we to take the piss

the rabbits came in short spurts of action, you wouldn't see a ferret for 10mins or so and then out would fire 4 or 5 rabbits, up came the ferrets and off again to find some more, both Sam and Sean had brought young jills and they worked hard all day. All the ferrets were hard at it and the bag was slowly building.

We got to the corner at the bottom of the hedge, with our side on 13 and sams on 15, a small section of hedge needed netting, so we pulled the ferrets out and quickly closed the hedge in, 3 ferrets in this last small bit pushed another 5 rabbits out, all to our side ... 33 out of the first hedge. It was around midday now and there was talk of finishing whilst ahead, no lay ups, no digs and over 30 rabbits in the bag for the morning was a good way to end........ but we couldn't bring ourselves to leave, it was decided to try a hedge alongside a lane, same set up, but Sean hoped to get a few pics.... not an easy set up becuse of the concrete track but we secured the hedge as best we could and set a few ferrets about there business, I gave a young Jill ( this years) a run and she was a bit scatty and ended up nailing Sam ( sorry mate), luckily Kelly was there to give him a cuddle and reassure him he'd be OK...

Well it was action stations from the off on this bit, with rabbits bolting from both sides steadily, everyone was running about grabbing rabbits and securing dodgy nets. With only 2 rabbits going back on us we were pretty sure the hedge was finished by the time we'd reached the end.

Catch of the day for me was on this bit, where the little border had stood quivering by a hole for 5 mins, he knew, jumping into the hedge and pulling a rabbit out, with the ferret just behind.

This one had gone like clockwork and Dave commented on a good job done, it was around 2pm now and it was decided we'd knock it on the head. We knew we were close to fifty my guess was 51 ( ever the optimist) it turned out we were 1 short on 49.... there was talk of a quick net up on a bank to hit the fifty, but the thought of a lay up late in the day put us off so 49 it was.

The craic was great all day, and everyone got stuck right in, it was a real enjoyable day.

Big Thanks to Sean and Sam for having me down, and it was nice to meet Kelly who was as good a ferreter as any bloke.

Dave's asked us to go back down after New Years and take a few more and that will be it till next year on that bit ( it's almost a yearly treat ),

As my phone was Knackered I have taken no Photos so hopefully Sean will be on to add a few, (send them to my email if not mate and I'll put them up)....

Cheers

[the apprentice 178]

Well done, sounded like a good day, atb

[seanc 201]

Nice one Kev cracking write up but you never mentioned the fact that Kel and Sam went for a kiss and cuddle every time the nets needed to be picked up. Struggling to get these pictures on might have to email them to you

Edited December 23, 2013 by seanc

[TOMO 26,156]

Cracking day that,, especially as there were no digs,, well done mate

[NEWKID 27,156]

I didn't want to embarrass him too much mate, Dave looked really awkward on that side of the hedge as Sam and Kelly skipped along hand in hand to dispatch the next bunny

 

Cheers Tomo, it was as good as you could hope for on a big place mate, the rabbits are as green as grass though, it's an untouched place. It's a ferreters dream TBH

[NEWKID 27,156]

Send the pics to my email mate and I'll try and get them on.

 

 

have you got the one of Sam and Kelly's romantic dinner for 2

[jack68 628]

that was a real good read of your days ferriting be nice to see the picks, well done to all on the day sounds a good place you have there.....

[NEWKID 27,156]

Thanks Jack, hopefully Sean will get them through to me or up himself.....

[The one 8,477]

Sounds like you had a great day with nice numbers

[NEWKID 27,156]

The photos to add,

Run Forest

Success

get on boy

[NEWKID 27,156]

sam getting shown how to sort nets

[NEWKID 27,156]

The end of a great day

[seanc 201]

Nice one Kev, cheers

 

Sean

[cookiemonsterandmerlin 145]

Great day

[jack68 628]

Cracking set of picks there of the day out nice to see...