Our Christmas Jolly Up

[NEWKID 27,451]

At last we managed to organise our annual Christmas social, a few of the usual suspects couldn't make it, but we had with us a few new lads Joe (Joe777) and Dan (Snifferboy) along with Sean (SeanC) Geth (White van man) and me plus a gaggle of dogs, boxes full of ferrets, shit loads of nets a bit of grub and a good helping of piss taking we were set for a decent day. We had hoped to get on a bit of Sam's land but as he cried off (sore finger I think was the excuse) we decided to go on a bit of mine, although not pickled we should bolt one or 2.

I was a bit blurry eyed when the alarm went off at 7, we had friends round the night before, a few beers and a little too late to bed for me, I got to the yard at 7-45 and waited for Sean and Geth, neither had got an alarm clock from Santa obviously.

Met the other 2 lads at the Tescos in Crediton, (Joe obviously never recieved an alarm clock either) and headed up the hill to the farm, as we pulled into the yard a couple of rabbits popped into 1 of the hedges we had planned to do, well we should be able to bolt 2 at least.

The trucks were off loaded with more kit than's really required for a day's ferreting, admittedly most of it is Seans camera equipment. We had a couple of pups with us my young lurcher Fergie and Sean's new border Reggie, plus Joes young spaniel/pat Tig which was a very smart looking dog.

Geth had bought Blue who is turning into a nice rabbiting dog now, watched him from a pup on the lamp and ferreting and he's really starting to put it all together now, Dan had bought his 2 lurchers, Willow a beddy/Whip and Roo. Sean had the old border Rudi, who is still plodding along at 11 and I had Martha too.... this made it all chaotic for the first hour or so, the pups had a good blast around and the older dogs wished they would just f**k off and leave them to their work. these days out are for the craic and a bit of social.

 

Rudi

 

Roo

 

 

Willow

 

 

Blue

 

Martha

 

 

Fergie

 

The first hedge was around 200 yard long, as always thick and full of all the usual stabbers, blackthorn, hawthorn, bramble and a nice dollop of holly for good measure, you can't beat crawling in amongst it get scratched to f**k.. it makes you feel alive lol.....

 

 

Well everyone got under way, setting long nets, stop nets and crawling on their hands and knees setting a few purse and poke nets in the runs... everyone apart from Sean, he was assembling the world's biggest camera out of the world's biggest bag, eventually he took a few pics lol.

Everything set and we threw in a good heap of ferrets, they soon got underground and started working away, this was never going to be a frantic day as far as rabbits were concerned but a few started to bolt. We steadily worked our way up the hedge and the nets or dogs accounted for a few more. As we got to the top of the hedge there was a good clean warren around a big oak in the middle of the hedge, we shuffled a few nets around it but left it a bit open for the dogs. A rabbit duly bolted straight into Roo's mouth, no need to move perfect positioning

 

 

Another was pushed out of the hedge by Tig and hit the long net. The pups were starting to see what the game was now. Oh and I heard talk from the other side of the hedge that Sean had a spade in his hand and was threatening to dig, never saw it myself so don't believe it.

 

We finished the hedge on 8 rabbits and wrapped everything up ready to move on.

The next hedge was where we had seen the 2 drop in earlier, there are a couple of horses in the lower paddock and above is a large arable field, again the hedge was rotten, loads of holly and in places inaccessible, but that's where the rabbits are!

 

We set what nets we could and climbed in to cover as many runs as possible.... then Dan got a phone call, his wife had ran him a bath and said it was time to go home!! With that Joe said he had bonded so much with Dan that he was going to go with him, Geth started to cry cause he was left on his own on his side of the hedge, he just couldn't cope! We waved our comrades goodbye, told Geth to man up and cracked on.

In went another wave of ferrets and the rabbits started to bolt, all good on our side but Geth was a broken man, it was affecting his and his dogs performance, all we could hear was "get on Blue"... "Oh shit missed it".. and on it went.

 

We had done the first little bit of the hedge and started picking up nets, one ferret had stuck hard, Sean was pretending he was really trying to pin point it, " I can get 8ft" lifes serial spade avoider was never going to dig that, I went around the top of the hedge and found Geth and blue cuddled up on a coat having a quick kip... The locator was showing 6ft from this side, right amongst the roots and bramble, oh well someone had to have a go. The first 2ft was easy, Geth had woken up and was at my side giving encouragement, he even cut some of the blakthorn back that was sticking in my head, good lad really. 10 mins or so and I was getting a mark of 3ft, scraping and messing about for another few minutes and the mark had gone to 5ft and moving, "here she is".. Sean had her on the other side, it was rock and root for another 3ft so the rabbit stayed where it was.

 

Proof in the picture, courtesy of Geth lol

 

The next bit of hedge we only set a couple of nets and let the dogs have a few runs, the little border pup was marking well now and we just walked the hedge dropping in where he marked, he's got a good old teacher in Rudi who's a solid marker, hopefully the youngster will continue in the same vein. A few good runs a few caught and a few missed but a nice way to finish up.

I was really pleased with how Fergie switched on more and more as the day went on, following the ferrets, and getting more intent on the action as opposed the other dogs

 

 

 

..... oh and the final rabbit came after a dig, this time I can vouch that Sean was on the Spade, I saw it with my own 2 eyes, well done mate!! lol

We finished the day with 13, not huge numbers but a good laugh in good company.... looking to get out again over the weekend, hopefully this rain would've pissed off by then.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2015 by NEWKID

[Ossie n Arch 1,682]

Fecking excellent write up. Top pictures too.

[NEWKID 27,451]

Cheers Arch, hope you're well mate and had a good Christmas

[mackem 27,506]

Fantastic write up and pics,thoroughly enjoyed reading it,all the best for 2016.

[J Darcy 5,871]

Brilliant day out!

[smithie 2,443]

good write up kev

 

I hang my rabbits with a barb through the ears

[Ossie n Arch 1,682]

Cheers Arch, hope you're well mate and had a good Christmas

 

I am Kev thanks, and the same to you. I'm enjoying the break.

 

 

 

 

Missus got me one of those PLR500 lamps for Christmas, only been out local with it. Just have to be careful.

[The one 8,511]

Nice read and picts mate

[NEWKID 27,451]

Cheers lads

[NEWKID 27,451]

 

Cheers Arch, hope you're well mate and had a good Christmas

 

I am Kev thanks, and the same to you. I'm enjoying the break.

 

 

 

 

Missus got me one of those PLR500 lamps for Christmas, only been out local with it. Just have to be careful.

 

 

Yeah I'm enjoying the break too, it's been hard to drag my ass off the sofa some days!! lol

 

Ideal on the lamp mate, have you done much lamping with Ossie?

[socks 32,253]

Fukc me you don't half waffle on I nearly fell asleep then .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh not bad pictures I suppose ........

[Ossie n Arch 1,682]

Jims dogs look to be coming on very nicely, everyone iv'e seen in photos looks spot on. I may have missed a trick there.........

[NEWKID 27,451]

Fukc me you don't half waffle on I nearly fell asleep then .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh not bad pictures I suppose ........

 

... don't pretend you can read ffs...

[NEWKID 27,451]

Jims dogs look to be coming on very nicely, everyone iv'e seen in photos looks spot on. I may have missed a trick there.........

 

I'm pleased so far, she's starting to really settle now... time will tell though mate.

[Ossie n Arch 1,682]

 

 

Cheers Arch, hope you're well mate and had a good Christmas

 

I am Kev thanks, and the same to you. I'm enjoying the break.

 

 

 

 

Missus got me one of those PLR500 lamps for Christmas, only been out local with it. Just have to be careful.

 

 

Yeah I'm enjoying the break too, it's been hard to drag my ass off the sofa some days!! lol

 

Ideal on the lamp mate, have you done much lamping with Ossie?

 

 

No not really, his retrieval is crap. One Rabbit and it's game over, he won't bring it back. Fecks off and buries it. (Same with everything he catches) Shame really, coz he's good at it.

 

I tend to take Tess out. She's not perfect, but she'll retrieve. The old boy is 13 now, still up for hunting, loves it, but he pays for it afterwards. Bit like the owner.