Kit

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

I'm talking lads that do it on every dig.

[HPR 1,160]

Never used a bar pointless piece of kit in my eyes . Don't see the point in using one if you've got a good locator .

[bull mcabe 595]

Even with modern locaters you can still get a reading of 0.5 for example. You can move the locater box a good distance and still get 0.5 or whatever reading it is. This is where I find the finding bars handy. I'm never without one I find them a must but a lot of it is to do with who taught you the trade. I learned off older boys who always used them and I continue to do so. I'll even admit to having 2 in the van.

[chesney 5,451]

The most important thing a dog that will stay a quad to carry all the gear and a mini digger on standby then ya know your the bees knees lol

[neil cooney 10,416]

IMO Rabbit Hunter hit the nail on the head. Using a bar just makes life harder on the terrier (but easier on a lazy terrierman) who already has a hard enough job to do .

I know most of you will say that you've never heard of over zealous use of the bar hurting but I know of two cases where the bar done damage. Once to a terrier and once to the quarry.

[Treehands. 1,379]

Same can be said of the spade.

Some men only good for the bulk,

my dog my breakthrough.

Some of the earths on the shoot go through an old river bed

3ft of compact stone an sand , only place I have a need for a bar.

Unless ferreting.

[Mary 352]

IMO Rabbit Hunter hit the nail on the head. Using a bar just makes life harder on the terrier (but easier on a lazy terrierman) who already has a hard enough job to do .

I know most of you will say that you've never heard of over zealous use of the bar hurting but I know of two cases where the bar done damage. Once to a terrier and once to the quarry.

Did you never use them Neil, you said you had 3? Strange item to collect if not to use them.

 

I know a man in my area decided to try the digging game, he was a shooting man, while out digging on day he was as you say Neil an over zealous individual on the bar and put it through the dogs head, no more dog, his own dog mind, he was asked out no more nor did he ever get involved again.

Anyone can make a tool look bad, but they all had/have their uses.

[bull mcabe 595]

I know times have moved on 5 ft down and I agree for the better in lots of cases. I only used 0.5 as an example it could have been any figure. But even at half a metre you may miss a tube especially a tight one by a bare fraction. As I'm near a dog I like to locate the tube exactly, maybe it's not for some but old habits die hard I suppose. I couldn't see it putting undue pressure on game or terrier as the spades and grafts etc would do that ten times over. If the dog is up to the job he'll see it through. It can often allow you a second to listen to see if your dog is fully up to his game. As I said it's each to there own and I def don't injure dog or game with it the same could be done with chipping bar spade or graft. It's each to their own boys.

Edited August 11, 2016 by bull mcabe

[neil cooney 10,416]

 

IMO Rabbit Hunter hit the nail on the head. Using a bar just makes life harder on the terrier (but easier on a lazy terrierman) who already has a hard enough job to do .

I know most of you will say that you've never heard of over zealous use of the bar hurting but I know of two cases where the bar done damage. Once to a terrier and once to the quarry.

Did you never use them Neil, you said you had 3? Strange item to collect if not to use them.

 

I know a man in my area decided to try the digging game, he was a shooting man, while out digging on day he was as you say Neil an over zealous individual on the bar and put it through the dogs head, no more dog, his own dog mind, he was asked out no more nor did he ever get involved again.

Anyone can make a tool look bad, but they all had/have their uses.

 

Mary, like Bull McCabe I was shown how to use them by those who showed me the ropes, and the old Deben grey boxes they often decided to stop working just at the wrong moment. Especially if the collar was wet.

My personal favourite way for a terrier to work is to sound while you're digging and when you're close the terrier holds and makes your job easy at the end.

This often meant that when you were a foot or two to go there was no sound and if the collar had failed then a quick probe could hurry things up.

Even with the new locators I hate the fact that they take a minute to warm up. How often when your near the end and feeling confident you turn off the box and things go quiet. You know you're near the terrier but can't hear a thing and turn on the box and then wait for it to warm up. I hate that. The old grey box ,when it worked was instant.

Regarding the shovels making as much of a racket as a bar ? I sort of dis-agree.

When you've followed your terrier and got your mark then the plan ,if it works out, is to crown in just behind your terrier, a foot or two from your quarry.

But to start sinking holes just to hear whats going on could result in you sinking a hole right down on the quarry and this as well as the sudden fresh air now makes himself even more anxious not to be there.

Like I said, the terrier has enough on his plate without extra pressure being put on his quarry.

[Daniel cain 45,480]

 

 

 

Even with modern locaters you can still get a reading of 0.5 for example. You can move the locater box a good distance and still get 0.5 or whatever reading it is. This is where I find the finding bars handy. I'm never without one I find them a must but a lot of it is to do with who taught you the trade. I learned off older boys who always used them and I continue to do so. I'll even admit to having 2 in the van.

Times have moved on since the old boys times! And for the better too! At 0.5 you should be able to find a dog work thru sound alone

not every dog/bitch makes a noise-dug under roots/shale may times and can't hear the dog when it's gob is full and it has the upper hand on the quarry-Ive seen a few speed diggers damage the dog and one lad take the front legs off a terrier with a shovel when breaking through and ruin another man's lifes work.some folk are in to much of a rush imo.I can tell by certain replies who I would share the banjo with on here (struggle to fill one hand lol)one of the reasons why so many dogs fail is down to the man on the end of the spade imo.atb dc

[Daniel cain 45,480]

It was 7.2 m straight down on the b&f on a railway embankment,we then used a bar to find the tube the dog was in-it was a rescue ,my mate crawled up the tube while i held his legs in the main dig.lads were unlucky in 2 of their dogs entered without collars and no amount of listening or the digging they did for 3 days would of found them.we collared up a little russell bitch called bramble on the forth day and then dug for a good 15 hrs to the mark she gave us,we recovered the lads bitch in a very poor state but alive-the bottom of the dig was a good 2 metres wide and we had to probe around to find a tube on the side-it wasnt a happy ending for the other dog rip.everytime a train came we got out abit sharpish .Not many dogs that have been in the ground for 4 days will have the strength to bay or even make a sound,even when they can hear you coming-that's why I always have a tbar with me pal,I may not use/need it but you never really know what's going on down there.atb dc

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

I always take a t-bar, usually for tying the dogs to. But i have used it on occasion when near break through but struggling to find the tube for whatever reason.

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

It beggers belief that dogs are hurt on the breakthrough ,never seen it happen in any shape or form . it takes a few seconds to hear what's occurring and where when your about to go through .Totally beyond my comprehension .

[fat man 4,741]

Ground and dogs vary a lot,ive saeen dogs over the last few years that you would not hear under a sheet of newspaper and yet right beside them,just lay there witrh a hold happy as larry.Ground also plays a big part in the use of a probing bar,in sand i find the probe is very usefull asa it gives you the exact dept before break through and then there is no caving in while diging as you know how far you've got to go so can take it easy.I disagree with Neil about the difference in the bar and Spade-grafter,if you can follow the dog and dig down on its rear then the same can be done with the bar and less banging.We rarely use a bar nowadays but my motto is better to be looking at it than looking for it.

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

Come to think of it we had a deep dig a few years ago to a dog of mine on a fox. It was 16 foot in soft sand and as we broke through behind the dog half the dig collapsed in on us and blocked the dogs air supply off, so we continually used the bar to probe through to the dog to give him some air while we dug and when we did eventually get to him a couple of hours later he was alive (although cold and shivering with shock) and the fox was dead. I reckon that bit of extra air we had been able to give him using the bar probably saved the dogs life.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Rabbit Hunter