First Season Dogs

[Mudcat 95]

I was free casting in an area that I had hunted many times and watched my terrier as she headed up the branch and around a bend and out of sight. I waited for her to reappear, but she never did. I did not know of any settes in the small area I had last seen her, so I got out the box and it showed her about 90' away from the branch. She had located a coon in an underground spring that had its entrance hidden by moss and grass overhanging the mouth of the spring. It turned out to be on the longest running pipe that I had ever encountered.

 

The above Jack is a pleasure to free cast, as she comes back and hunts me after a short cast. If she is missing for long, you can get the box out because she has went to ground. I have seen some terriers that hunted like a stomped on piss ant, looking super hyped, but never finding much. But going round and round, but never going to ground.

 

Mudcat

Edited November 6, 2015 by Mudcat

[downsouth 7,386]

I think from what ive seen a terrier marking on a lead is a north/south divide thing. Up here you can check a lot of empty holes before you mark something whereas in most of the southern counties there's plenty of game so you can be pretty sure most places will hold and the terrier can be left off to find etc, but if you did that up north you'd be wasting a lot of time.

And every dog marks places differently. Some will whine, some will dig at the entrance etc etc, its up to the owner to notice the change in the dog and figure when the dog is marking a place as occupied.

I'd like to know where you've been down south mate where most places hold.It definitely ain't kent.

[downsouth 7,386]

I've never encouraged a youngster to run or check any earth no matter how well used it looks.I would just walk a youngster to the earth off lead and let it do its own thing with no encouragement of any kind from myself if it doesn't enter or show any interest I'll stick it on the lead and let an older dog off to have a look.If the pup is any good sooner or later it will enter when it comes across an occupied spot.If it continues to blank occupied spots it's just a matter of how long it's given before I decide whether it's a lost cause.In my opinion if you have to show or encourage a dog how to work its never going to be much of a working terrier.Most of the decent dogs I've worked over the years flew into the first occupied earth I ever took them to and never ran empty earth's and never got proved wrong when the blanked empty spots.

[Zilverhaze 1,627]

 

First season dog joe

[leethedog 3,071]

He got some nut on him

[foxbolter 447]

 

 

 

Shovel, most of the time a terrier only has to go in a couple of feet at a few entrances to know whether anyones home or not.

I'm not talking about standing at an earth for an hour while the terrier checks every nook and cranny. I'm talking a few minutes so that I can walk away knowing nothings at home.

If you went to a big place and let the terrier have a sniff at the entrances while still on the lead IMO at times you've probably left game behind you.

I remember a few years ago a terrier sniffed at a handy 2 holer and said NO.

A few feet inside the entrances the tubes were flooded from top to bottom.

I tried Keedy. She went underwater, came out the other side and we dug her about 20 foot out in the field at 3 feet.

I always leave my terrier off the lead when trying a place.often seen it pass a well used entrance and squeeze up a tight dead entrance and up to the quarry. As said it would be ideal if all terriers travelled empty earths to check them fully but imo some terriers just won't. Hopefully when I'm out and about I don't leave much game behind me but ud never know ☺ keedy sounds like a very useful terrier to have.bet she has proved a good few other terriers wrong!!

You and I are on the same wave length.

I was out for a couple of hours yesterday. Checked a few places with a terrier running loose (a daughter of Keedys) with my lurcher, two shovels in one hand, two leads in the other. Collar on the terrier.

Tried six usually good places, all empty. As I was passing an old, disused cottage the terrier went in and found a brace of foxes under the floor. Both bolted out a window and got away. To see the lurcher sailing out through the window without touching anything was great but the foxes only had to get about ten feet before they were in thick covert.

But the point being, I'd have had no sport whatsoever if the terrier was on a lead.

 

How anyone can say when checking a big place by letting the terrier have a sniff at the hole that it's either empty or holding is beyond me.

How do you know ?

Just because that particular terrier has never let you down when with it's quarry doesn't mean it finds 100% of the time.

Like I keep saying, scent is a very mysterious thing and scent in an earth isn't always sitting there at the entrance telling a terrier that someone's at home.

[foxbolter 447]

Bushing section

[dytkos 17,818]

I like the terrier of the lead, an checking the earth's properly, as mango says, do you take the terrier to every entrance, you would need to if you just kept it on lead, over the years trying earth's, there was a few occasions on rangey spots with a few holes, the kicked out holes dog went in a foot or two back out, done this at different clean entrances, nothing, then finally to the dead entrance, dog enters, an were in!!!

Dog needs to be of lead, trying every hole.

How many quick bolts have you missed?

 

Cheers, D.

[Accip74 7,112]

First season dog joe

Well you did try to get the thread back on track.........;-)

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

I'd like to know where you've been down south mate where most places hold.It definitely ain't kent.

Staffs, Shrops, Hereford, Devon were all lifting with stuff as opposed to up here. Apologies mate anything past Leeds is down south for me lol

[downsouth 7,386]

I'd like to know where you've been down south mate where most places hold.It definitely ain't kent.

Staffs, Shrops, Hereford, Devon were all lifting with stuff as opposed to up here. Apologies mate anything past Leeds is down south for me lolHaha apart from Devon I'd class them as being up North.

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

 

First season dog joe

Hes a nice looking dog Zilverhaze. Whats the breeding behind him?

[Zilverhaze 1,627]

He nuttall bread rabbit hunter

[Francie 6,368]

 

I like the terrier of the lead, an checking the earth's properly, as mango says, do you take the terrier to every entrance, you would need to if you just kept it on lead, over the years trying earth's, there was a few occasions on rangey spots with a few holes, the kicked out holes dog went in a foot or two back out, done this at different clean entrances, nothing, then finally to the dead entrance, dog enters, an were in!!!

Dog needs to be of lead, trying every hole.

How many quick bolts have you missed?

 

Cheers, D.

Just a few d!

[leethedog 3,071]

1 bolt 1 dig 17 months ol