Keeping The Farmer Happy

[chrismdd 787]

Last April a shooting and fishing friend of mine got me some permission that wasn't right on my doorstep and needed a ten minute drive to reach. It consists of four big wheat fields and a hay field and in the last fourteen months it has provided us with around two hundred rabbits to the airguns and ferrets as well as around forty or more woodies to the airguns whilst decoying.

 

Even though it has in this time suffered a bout of mixy it soon bounces back and so driving up to take a look it became evident that rabbits had been at work over the last month nibbling back the wheat, just look at this damage:

 

 

This is one area that we didn't get round to ferreting during the winter. The hedge on the right drops down a fifteen foot bank completely covered in brambles and ferns with wire sheep netting at the top. This will be top of our ferreting sorties this winter as the damage done by the rabbits is all along this side of the field.

 

So set-up the S410 and put out fern makers at 30, 40 and 50 yds. Then it was a case of settling down and lying in wait:

 

 

Wasn't long before the first bunnies came out just beyond the 50 yd marker so one and a half mildots over and it dropped with barely a twitch. Over the next hour and a half rabbits came out in ones and twos and a total of seven were taken although one managed to kick itself through the sheep netting and ended up lying ten feet down the bank stone dead but out of reach.

 

The rabbits were all fairly young and taken from 25 yds to the 56 yarder. Three were taken for the ferrets and the others were left for the fox:

 

[toby63 1,236]

nice shooting pal ?

[David.evans 5,323]

Jesus , Chris. A 10 minute drive to your perm , that must bust your balls lol

Wished my were with in a 40 minute drive !

Atb

[villaman 9,983]

Nice shooting , you cant beat eating young rabbits , so much more taster .

Must be a pain in the arse to drive 10 minuets to a permission , I don't no how you do it

[The one 8,479]

Nice going it pays too keep the landowners happy during the summer

[Dr B 186]

Great job, nice to see a real gun in action! Nice shooting. Do you find the nets really help? I mean, more than just sitting there in the hedge?

[chrismdd 787]

Was that the field where we went after pigeons Chris?

 

It was the field next door to the pea field where we had the pigeons. Unfortunately that's got potatoes in at the moment.

 

 

Great job, nice to see a real gun in action! Nice shooting. Do you find the nets really help? I mean, more than just sitting there in the hedge?

 

Too many nettles and ants in the hedges plus after a mate of mine got limes disease from ticks not far from there I'm a little wary about lying too long in the undergrowth.

[Rez 4,961]

Yes! A chrismdd post. Nice man. Healthy buggers too.

 

Sick of seeing that netting though

[j j m 6,539]

Good shooting mate

[David.evans 5,323]

Chris

Where did you get them poles from mate ?

Atb

[chrismdd 787]

Chris

Where did you get them poles from mate ?

Atb

 

Hi David,

 

They are sheep netting poles. I think I picked them up from some store like Countrywide or Mole Valley Farmers. They are good because you can easily adjust the netting to the correct height. I've cut a small window in the netting to poke the scope through and with these poles its easy to get the net / hole to just the right height.

[peterhunter86 8,627]

Sorry to hear about your pal hope he is ok

[random 659]

Handy things camo nets,give you options when you only have the ground or stingers to lay on! Had one for a while and found it really handy a few times,in this case I think if you sit in the hedge camo'd up you can't move too much and even have to be careful bringing the gun to aim,from behind the net you have more area to move around without it being spotted so easily,I mean it still needs to be done slowly and carefully but gives you that little bit...

[mark williams 7,554]

To keep the farmer happy i would snare that hedgerow 24/7 for a fortnight and "be in control" of their numbers as clearly they are causing a lot of damage.

Any hunter cannot "lay in wait" 24/7 but a snare will. The reason i mention snares again is that trapping/ hunting go hand in hand and your bags will improve considerably if you "need" to employ both methods.

Try using natural blinds that are built and living, if not, dead, still and "permanent" - the rabbits get so, so used to the natural hides being there all the time.

If you can see right through your newly erected netting, so can your quarry.

 

atb

Edited June 28, 2015 by mark williams

[chrismdd 787]

To keep the farmer happy i would snare that hedgerow 24/7 for a fortnight and "be in control" of their numbers as clearly they are causing a lot of damage.

Any hunter cannot "lay in wait" 24/7 but a snare will. The reason i mention snares again is that trapping/ hunting go hand in hand and your bags will improve considerably if you "need" to employ both methods.

Try using natural blinds that are built and living, if not, dead, still and "permanent" - the rabbits get so, so used to the natural hides being there all the time.

If you can see right through your newly erected netting, so can your quarry.

 

atb

 

I have never liked the idea of snaring after seeing a neighbours cat caught in one many years ago. Also this land is right next to houses and often you see the local cats out in those fields so the risk is just not worth it. We will be ferreting it early this season to get on top of them, probably by cutting strips down through to put the longnets in to bolt them through the cover as there will be too many inaccessible holes to purse net. Mind you we have access to so much rabbit infested land round here that we need to be in many places to everyone happy.