Season finished

[rob284 1,682]

Well thats me done now. Had a good end to the season on tuesday with 3 digs. Heard of a few lads landing on litters so thats me finished before i do so myself. When does everyone else take a step back, if you do ? Enjoy the summer and watching the future prospects grow. Atb

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

For some the season will now get into full swing with the shooting season over .Like it or not .

[pjmc 90]

17th March (paddys day) usually wrapes it up for us,anything dug this last 2weekends and up on till the 17th are let run

[Shovel shy 4,033]

Last sunday in February.thats it.lads be still posting "lambing callouts" right tru the summer

[Glyn..... 5,208]

there was i time i had loads of permission , could pick and choice , myself and two of my cousins where doing the terrier work for 3 packs of hounds plus a couple of large estates and farms Loads of work the good old days and we tried our best to keep a closed season , but times and people have charged some of the old boys who would tell you give him best hes made it home ! are long gone ,the younger farmer ,land owner, keeper's have riffles  all year around, and if you are not willing to be on call some young gun is , we try to get numbers as low as we can by march this way not to many call outs during the summer , and when given the chance we try not to deal death to every thing if we do have call outs , but the days of hanging up the spade for months has long gone , its that or hang it up forever as someone else digs the earths 

[Shovel shy 4,033]

I think most lads are the same Glynn. We try give a good crack at the likely places towards the back end of the season.some jobs need doing over the summer and thats just life.but youl have lsds posting on here and on Facebook pictures of there days digging.when the truth is most are just not into the cold weather.

[neil cooney 10,416]

It is a sad fact that for some their season is only starting. But for a sportsman the season is near over and I know of some who've already stopped but after the season there are call outs which have to be done.

Personally I could never understand why anyone would dig cubs for sport ? Especially when their eyes are open and they're mobile it has to be one of the most frustrating jobs to make sure you accounted for them all. A pain in the ass IMO.

[fireman 10,869]

13 minutes ago, neil cooney said:

It is a sad fact that for some their season is only starting. But for a sportsman the season is near over and I know of some who've already stopped but after the season there are call outs which have to be done.

Personally I could never understand why anyone would dig cubs for sport ? Especially when their eyes are open and they're mobile it has to be one of the most frustrating jobs to make sure you accounted for them all. A pain in the ass IMO.

Cubs are shitty work,a pain for any dog but if were to say to any of the keepers i know,"no mate sorry my season has ended" then i know i'd be doing feck all on those shoots next year.Same as letting anything go when the keepers are with us,not a chance and iv'e pushed my luck before now just saying "i wish we could move them like we could before the ban" as feck being stopped by the old bill with a fox in a box and terriers and spades in the motor these days.I have 3 shoots i'm just not allowed on during pop pop season although we'd get a few extra foxes from the earths but the keepers are just set in there ways so we go about our work under their rules.

[neil cooney 10,416]

As Glyn said, if you don't do it they'll get someone else who will, usually with a rifle, and a rifle IMO is not the best tool to use in a foxes breeding season.

[fireman 10,869]

I went and found a litter of 8 cubs last year on a local farm when i heard a fella had shot a milky vixen and dog fox,fecking hate the thought of cubs starving so i took it upon myself to go find them and sort them.

[Glyn..... 5,208]

30 minutes ago, 5 feet down said:

Totally disagree there, it’s easier to deal with Cubs with a rifle nightvision and thermal, trying to dig Cubs once there up a bit can show the best of terriers up, and a terrier end up sinking holes all over to find dog scratching at a little tight tube with cub up it that they can’t reach, I control foxes all year round it’s my job! Terriers are my favorite way and I actually dig more than I shoot and snare on my beat, but I wouldn’t even entertain taking a terrier to Cubs now. 

your right rifle nightvision and thermal can't be beaten for killing you can take out the whole litter or most anyway , most keepers have done that before i get a call out , i show my face walk about abit let the terrier to go down a hole on the chain drag it out bit of dirt on its back , go back and tell the keeper what a great shot he is   nothing left in the earth job done i've still got my permission, 

but riffles aren't always the be all and end all just the other week i saw a fox out in a field near my home it didn't look right as it ran away , next day it was curled up in the middle of the same field i walked to it with a terrier it didn't move until the terrier was a foot away then it lifted the terrier not a hard bitch nipped around grabbed it by the base of the tail pulled it off balance allowing me to dispatch it , what had been a fine big vixen was skin and bone shot in the chest but not killed, unless you pick it up it has to be classed as injured ,  control/sport the lines are now blurred in the 21st century 

[fireman 10,869]

1 hour ago, Glyn..... said:

your right rifle nightvision and thermal can't be beaten for killing you can take out the whole litter or most anyway , most keepers have done that before i get a call out , i show my face walk about abit let the terrier to go down a hole on the chain drag it out bit of dirt on its back , go back and tell the keeper what a great shot he is   nothing left in the earth job done i've still got my permission, 

but riffles aren't always the be all and end all just the other week i saw a fox out in a field near my home it didn't look right as it ran away , next day it was curled up in the middle of the same field i walked to it with a terrier it didn't move until the terrier was a foot away then it lifted the terrier not a hard bitch nipped around grabbed it by the base of the tail pulled it off balance allowing me to dispatch it , what had been a fine big vixen was skin and bone shot in the chest but not killed, unless you pick it up it has to be classed as injured ,  control/sport the lines are now blurred in the 21st century 

Dug a fox last year with the top bit of skin between it's shoulders missing due to a to high shot,it was starting to fester and we smelt it before we smelt it was a fox as such...

[neil cooney 10,416]

2 hours ago, 5 feet down said:

Totally disagree there, it’s easier to deal with Cubs with a rifle nightvision and thermal, trying to dig Cubs once there up a bit can show the best of terriers up, and a terrier end up sinking holes all over to find dog scratching at a little tight tube with cub up it that they can’t reach, I control foxes all year round it’s my job! Terriers are my favorite way and I actually dig more than I shoot and snare on my beat, but I wouldn’t even entertain taking a terrier to Cubs now. 

I should have been a bit clearer. What I meant was to take out the vixen while the cubs are dependent on her is not fair on the cubs. When I said the cubs have their eyes open and mobile I meant they're still in the earth and as you say cubs up tight tubes are a pain in the arse. That's what I meant.

Personally I think if someone does shoot a milky vixen I think they are morally obliged to locate and dispatch the litter. It's the same with fox drives where no terriers are present. IMO it should be a rule that a terrierman should be present on all fox drives to locate wounded foxes that have gone to ground.

[Pirate 9000 676]

Will run to end of February flat out on shooting estates I call it the mad month when every keeper want's you, no terrier man should ever kill cubs for sport,call outs just something you have to put up with.

[fireman 10,869]

The fella who shot the milky vixen is what i call a trespasser of the countryside a fool with all the gear but no fecking idea and the cubs he left will never even entered his dumb head Neil.