Use what's in your pockets!

[Jax13 251]

Following on from my last thread about the uncanny number of digs I'm getting this year compared to other years I stumbled upon what could be (to use youth jargon) a bit of a 'life hack' when digging once you have breached the pipe. 

 

I had one dig last week where I simply couldn't find the bunny in either direction down the pipe so, in a moment of inspiration* I turned my phones camera on and filmed inside the burrow in either direction. 

 

To my joy, I could see a hairy backside that was sitting in the top of the pipe, almost as if it was on a shelf or the start of a new dig  back up to the surface so in went my hand and out came the bunny. 

Cut ahead to this week and a series of 3 1/2 to 4ft digs and dropping the phone down for a quick look saved a lot of time and hassle because the 2 stopped bunnies I couldn't reach (and one the ferret had killed) resulted in quickly and easily determining which way to extend the hole to enable me to grab the rabbit. 

 

It's also proving a useful little tactic for ensuring stop ends are indeed empty and figured if its helping me, it may just help you guys too. 

 

 

* now, others may have mentioned this or done this before me, I do not claim to be the pioneer of this technique (unless I am, in which case I shall name it the 'jack dangle') however I've not seen or heard of anyone else doing it yet. 

 

 

Stay tuned though folks, through my knowledge of diy night vision builds I have decided to make a dedicated burrow checking camera for using on awkward digs or checking stop ends...  

 

[terryd 8,599]

that is a good idea 

[neil b 2,355]

Just don’t drop your phone!!!!

[Welsh_red 4,712]

Might be worth getting a old phone specially for ferreting 

[Guest Navek]

Seen a lad use an extending mirror with a torch on to similar effect 

 

[Guest Navek]

One them 

[C.green 3,231]

Beats using an stick amd seeing if theres rabbit fur on the end dont it ?

[The one 8,504]

Why no drop the ferret back in a see where it marks ? 

[Jax13 251]

Plans are afoot... I have a 2ft long flexible magnet pick up tool type thing ordered so in theory I should be able to get around corners too. On the end will be the bullet camera and a small aaa powered pen torch feeding an image back to the screen which is sitting safely on the surface. 

Give me a week and I should have the mk1 version made! 

[Jax13 251]

11 minutes ago, The one said:

Why no drop the ferret back in a see where it marks ? 

One dig we had this week, looked down the hole, saw the (dead) bunnies head. Readjusted myself to get my arm down and... Where's the rabbit gone?  Camera back down for a gander and the sodding ferret had dragged thumper about 2 foot back down the pipe and well and truly out of reach. Knowing where the dead bunny now was allowed us to quickly and easily dig the hole out in the right direction and retrieve it. 

 

It may not be 'traditional' but neither is carting around £300 quids worth of locator and collars every week and if it saves time and effort I'm all for it! 

 

Work smart, not hard. 

[Furrosious ferreter 499]

Ive only had to do this twice,

I had to cut a bramble vine out of the hedge row, poke it down the hole with thorns pionting back to you until it stops and twist it. 

This grabbed onto the rabbits fur and enabled me to pull the rabbit and ferret out.

One time it was about 6 foot inside the hole and the other was about 10 foot inside.

Next time ill take some photos of it.

 

Ive been lucky i think.

 

FF