A hemp net with mesh 2 1/2" between the knots

[ianrob 2]

Hi Guys, five or six years ago I knitted a hemp net to a size and type that my Father used in the 1930's through to the 1950's. It was hemp and had mesh which measured 2 1/2" between the knots. It is only 140 yards of net to 100 yards set, but catches by sort of snaring the rabbits. It obviously is for big rabbits, as anything under full grown goes through it without breaking stride. I just wondered if anyone else was familiar with this style of net.

[andy mecca 5]

am i right in thinking full mesh would have been 5"

[ianrob 2]

Yes Sir, 5" mesh, it does kill rabbits and was once a common size. Now I suppose if rabbits were plentiful and you only wanted the big guys , whether for selling or consevation purposes, though I suspect conservation is a recent issue, then it works. One thing I noticed using it was, most adultish rabbits struggle to get through it, but if you grab the net instead of the rabbit, the "something to pull against" that they seek, can free them. You must grab the rabbit not the net. The big guys are trapped pure and simple, but rabbits you'd expect to catch can escape.

[andy mecca 5]

NOT A NET FOR PEST CONTROL THEN MAYBE JUST USED TO TAKE A CERTAIN SIZE FOR FOR PERSONAL PREFERENCE OR A CERTAIN MARKETABLE SIZE. I ONCE HAD A BUTCHER TELL ME HE ONLY SOLD THOSE VACUUM PACKED RABBITS SUPPOSEDLY BROUGHT IN FROM CHINA AS THIS WAS THE SIZE PREFERRED BY HIS LIMITED CUSTOMER BASE FOR THIS MEAT

[R_Oldroyd 17]

Currently making a 2 1/2" net in 4ply for longnetting at net. The net you have sounds to not have enough bag in it. If you reduce the length of the 100yd to say 75yd the bag would really tangle your rabbits up.......or add a bit more to it.

 

A good net to use on the cold dark winters nights.

 

Regards Roger.

 

Seem to be quicker to make than a 2 1/4" nets i use when ferreting.

Edited October 12, 2007 by R_Oldroyd

[netrigger 568]

Well heres my tuppence worth regarding mesh sizes, imo a 5" mesh is a little to big for a rabbit net,,!! sure it will hold the odd Bunny but that size of mesh would be more suited to a Hare or Two,, Now iam getting personal here on past experience regarding mesh sizes for Rabbits,, You have got to take into consideration the type of twine thats on offer,,

I.E. a nice 3ply Hemp twined net will suffice as a 4ply net !!! made up in a 4 1/2 " mesh will kill no problem!! why you may ask ?? becuse there is no stretch in natuarall fibres,,!! know if you want to get into great detail regarding twines and there make up !!!!

[ianrob 2]

Currently making a 2 1/2" net in 4ply for longnetting at net. The net you have sounds to not have enough bag in it. If you reduce the length of the 100yd to say 75yd the bag would really tangle your rabbits up.......or add a bit more to it.

 

A good net to use on the cold dark winters nights.

 

Regards Roger.

 

Seem to be quicker to make than a 2 1/4" nets i use when ferreting.

I think that the idea with the large mesh is that you don't need much bag. They hit and are stuck.

[ianrob 2]

Regarding hares, the traditional size of mesh for hares was 3 1/4" knot to knot. I know the 2 1/2" is big, but it works differently. It was a poaching tool, and anyone who has tried to lug about 200 yards of wet 4 ply hemp in 21/4" mesh on a wet and windy night will tell you that it's extremely heavy. By increasing the mesh size thus increasing the nets "stickability" virtually no bounce offs. You can reduce the net to the minimum, ie the 14:10 ratio of a mesh open to closed, you have a net with slightly reduced catching quaities at just over half the weight.

Leaving an experienced young lad on the net, as the field was corded in would reduce the escapees, as any full grown rabbit even the smaller ones struggle to get through as the bounce of the net give nothing solid to pull against. As mentioned earlier though, you must grab the rabbit and not the net, as this frees any smaller ones in an instant as they have solid resistance.

 

I would like to add that I have 2 1/4" hemp nets too that I use and a 2 1/8" nylon net, and an old cut down 4z 2" nylon net. I have a twenty yard hare gate net in 3 1/4" and two square mesh gate nets in 3 1/4".

[mole catcher 1]

Of course all things netting come down to a personal choice but, i myself have made and used hare nets of a 5.5 inch to 6inch full mesh (not knot to knot) choosing to stick to a 4.1/8, 4.1/4 or a 4.1/2 full mesh for rabbits. At the moment some of my nets have a 4inch full mesh and they work a treat. On the smaller mesh nets i cant say i have seen anymore or less bounce offs that some rabbiters seem preocupied with. all nets will give you bounce offs just at night you wont see it happen.

 

on the subject of the larger meshes your talking about, round my neck of the woods we seem to have smaller lighter built rabbits, not much gurth to their shoulders. this is proberbly due to the poor eating from the rough set aside their on. with this in mind i think i would struggle to hold a rabbit with the bigger mesh size your talking about. but your up north and im down south, geography playing more a part than some realise.

[netrigger 568]

A 5" full mesh is in no way a killing net for Rabbits,, and i cant see the oldschool of years gone by useing sutch a mesh size,, after all the longnet in the past was the bread earner for a lot of guys, it put food and cash on the table ,, !! personally i cant see the point in setting a net or nets of a 5" mesh for a Bunny or two and i doubt it very much if the longnetters of years gone by would use such a mesh size!!! 4 1/2" mesh max for a good killing net!! depending on the material the net is or has been constructed off!!! then again what the fek do i know ?? iam new to this netting game!!..

[ianrob 2]

In some ways I agree. I always used nylon nets, up till about 10 years ago. I then found a library book called "net-making and poaching tales" Which gave me a lot of the info I use, and with such authority, it described making all types of purse, ditch, and drag nets for partridges, long nets in hemp, silk and best Irish linen. Gate nets in square mesh and a lot more. The book advised 21/2" for rabbits or smaller as required for smaller rabbits.

My dad had always insisted he had used 21/2" with 140 yds set at 100 yds. So I made one. First drop through the day on rough ground in August, I put 5 into it and got 4, a big buck and 3 milky does. I thought that was ok but I wouldn't use it with any confidence in the summer in a serious way. It is heavy still, and I prefer my nylon nets for handyness if it's a damp night, and my 50 yarders with 21/4" mesh for ferreting in combination with purse nets.

Try as I might I can't get a copy of that book now, and the title is correct. I've tried the library, they no longer list it. I tried Tideline books and Amazon, with no luck, even Google doesn't know. It had a picture of a bald man knitting a net on the front, and had a lot of b/w illustrations. It explained in the clearest way I've ever seen how to make square net.

[netrigger 568]

watch this space Mate regarding square meshed nets

[R_Oldroyd 17]

Round these part of the woods its hard longnetting at the moment. The wind is not windy enough and you can be heard miles off. So by the time the weather improves to net at night the majority of the a rabbits are big ones anyway so a 2 1/2" knot to knot seems fine for nightwork. This type of net is not what u use for ferreting until after xmas and then only for a short time because rabbit being rabbits!!!!!!!

 

And you are right it has to be hemp or a natural material because it doesn't stretch.

 

Do you not think that rabbit sit quite in a net at night so don't struggle as much as when ferreting so the mesh can be bigger by a massive 1/4" knot to knot.

 

Thats what we are talking about at the end of the day......I think that these maximum mesh size of 2 1/2" should not be written of especially if you are only intrested in netting rabbits at night...

 

I have often seen rabbits caught in a well bagged net with more than just one mesh holding it in place by the head and shoulders so quite simply they are f****D......

 

I they do get thought upto theirs hips on an adult bunny from time to time. By the time they get to this point they are so knacked anyway so dont stuggle any more.....

 

So you lose one or two. I bet you still go and do the same set again and again when the weathers rights. Two or Three week later that rabbit won't slip the net.

 

And before for any you say as pesties say we are not in the game of losing rabbits i am sure sure you use different nets for different ocassions and a 2 1/2" is one of them.

[netrigger 568]

So rabbits caught in a net in the hours of darkness dont struggle?? !! i give up !! you and yours stick to your rabbit friendly 5" mesh nets!!! ...

[Ricky-N.p.p 0]