Before locators

[liamdelaney 2,587]

The digging game is very simple now,put the dog in locate him a, few fit men and dig him out,any clown can do it,thats why so many clowns are digging.I started digging with hairy arsed country men in 1966.We put one dog in almost anywhere sometimes it took hours just to locate him,then sometimes it took hours to get him out,sometimes days,the good ones stayed,the bad ones did not come home.We dug them with shovels,JCB,and cango as the need arose.There were plenty of outfits like us,there were also plenty of outfits who were wankers.I sometimes hear people boasting about a dog who done four or five hours,that should not be considered a long dig,it sometimes took us that to find him.IMO the locator is a great tool but it means a dog is not tested like in the pre days,he might get more digs in a season,but is not tested like the dog that gives many hours or days to ground

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

Good post Liam, I think time to ground is a much better thing to aim for than number of digs.

[rob284 1,682]

16 hours ago, liamdelaney said:

The digging game is very simple now,put the dog in locate him a, few fit men and dig him out,any clown can do it,thats why so many clowns are digging.I started digging with hairy arsed country men in 1966.We put one dog in almost anywhere sometimes it took hours just to locate him,then sometimes it took hours to get him out,sometimes days,the good ones stayed,the bad ones did not come home.We dug them with shovels,JCB,and cango as the need arose.There were plenty of outfits like us,there were also plenty of outfits who were wankers.I sometimes hear people boasting about a dog who done four or five hours,that should not be considered a long dig,it sometimes took us that to find him.IMO the locator is a great tool but it means a dog is not tested like in the pre days,he might get more digs in a season,but is not tested like the dog that gives many hours or days to ground

Just as many clowns were at it before the locator! Doubling up, trenching in from the entrance and the use of draw dogs were common practise amongst them. Yes it’s simpler, but progression has made it a lot safer for yourself and the dog, and if you really wanted to test the dog like you say, you can always sit back for a few hours before you dig.

[Stormer 24]

It's also the people behind the locator, there mentality these days. Most that i know are not interested anymore in testing a terrier, it's all about the numbers.

I know a guy who has loads of permission any man could wish for, lives in a country he can legally hunt/dig all quarry but he would not hesitate to double up his dogs to get his numbers so he can show on fb.

 

[liamdelaney 2,587]

2 hours ago, rob284 said:

Just as many clowns were at it before the locator! Doubling up, trenching in from the entrance and the use of draw dogs were common practise amongst them. Yes it’s simpler, but progression has made it a lot safer for yourself and the dog, and if you really wanted to test the dog like you say, you can always sit back for a few hours before you dig.

I disagree,as I said plenty of clowns at it then,but the  high tec locators make it simple,the track suit and fancy runners brigade invaded the country side with terriers and bull lurchers to prove they are macho and that there dogs are macho leaving gates open worrying live stock,never picking up a spent cartridge shell,and leave your sandwich wrappers behind.Just look at FB fellows holding up dead mangled foxes like trophy's with big stupid grins on there face as if they had killed a bear single handed.The locator has made it safer for the dog,I dont know how they made it safer for the man,as for waiting a few hours to test him,yes you could but how many will wait four hours,ten hours,one day,two days to test him before they dig?

[Apache... 2,588]

It's all about the macho image today (especially with the young fellas), one clown said to me Ive got a truck full of lads coming down one week and we dug 8 last week (his dogs never had a scratch on them) other fellas won't give another lad a dog incase he's afraid it'll walk, fellas digging after 5 mins, again afraid something will go wrong. Or the best one is when you ask a fella how is such and such he'll say he or she died from this or that knowing full well they jacked. Trying to impress people nowadays will bite you on the arse it's a small world and you'll be found out. 

[rob284 1,682]

4 hours ago, liamdelaney said:

I disagree,as I said plenty of clowns at it then,but the  high tec locators make it simple,the track suit and fancy runners brigade invaded the country side with terriers and bull lurchers to prove they are macho and that there dogs are macho leaving gates open worrying live stock,never picking up a spent cartridge shell,and leave your sandwich wrappers behind.Just look at FB fellows holding up dead mangled foxes like trophy's with big stupid grins on there face as if they had killed a bear single handed.The locator has made it safer for the dog,I dont know how they made it safer for the man,as for waiting a few hours to test him,yes you could but how many will wait four hours,ten hours,one day,two days to test him before they dig?

The locator hasn’t allowed the tracksuit brigade to dig, they would be at it regardless, that’s more to do with having social media for a platform. Yeah it’s harder without a locator but given time anyone with something between their ears should grasp the concept, the art is in the deep spots. Before the locator there where big gangs of hairy arse country folk digging Setts no deeper than a metre doubling up, using the long handle builders shovels, shooting all quarry and leaving the holes open, now that’s fair rough in my book, but I wouldn’t put it down to anything other than there will always be lads like that about.

[Countryman62 541]

23 hours ago, liamdelaney said:

The digging game is very simple now,put the dog in locate him a, few fit men and dig him out,any clown can do it,thats why so many clowns are digging.I started digging with hairy arsed country men in 1966.We put one dog in almost anywhere sometimes it took hours just to locate him,then sometimes it took hours to get him out,sometimes days,the good ones stayed,the bad ones did not come home.We dug them with shovels,JCB,and cango as the need arose.There were plenty of outfits like us,there were also plenty of outfits who were wankers.I sometimes hear people boasting about a dog who done four or five hours,that should not be considered a long dig,it sometimes took us that to find him.IMO the locator is a great tool but it means a dog is not tested like in the pre days,he might get more digs in a season,but is not tested like the dog that gives many hours or days to ground

A terrier or any hunting dog can only be tested by putting its prey in front of it, the more digs to a dog the better not time in the ground, longest I had a terrier to ground was 3 days, she was trapped below ground, when we got her back she was with a dead fox, three days one fox, most charlie we dug in one day with one terrier was four, that was from three different earths and thats a greater  test for a terrier, most important trait for any terrier is the ability to find in deep places, if it can't find its prey it definitely can't work it, more digs tests how game a terrier is, all the better imo, lastly don't forget this game is all about teamwork, your duty bound to get to your terrier as quick as possible leaving it to ground unaided to test how long it will stay is moronic, cruel and reckless and anyone with that mindset don't belong in this game... Fact, Atb

[Dig-deep-draw-charlie 2,713]

It’s nothing to do with depth, locators, tracksuites or 40 years ago or anything, it’s if the terrier wants to stay with quarry that wants to be dug! Put a terrier in with any well educated quarry, cause when u get close and it can hear the spades coming down on top of him that’s when u test the dog, not digging 12 ft to quarry green as grass then shooting it! I would rather dig my dog to educated quarry at 6 ft instead of 12 ft to green quarry! 

 

[rob284 1,682]

3 hours ago, Dig-deep-draw-charlie said:

It’s nothing to do with depth, locators, tracksuites or 40 years ago or anything, it’s if the terrier wants to stay with quarry that wants to be dug! Put a terrier in with any well educated quarry, cause when u get close and it can hear the spades coming down on top of him that’s when u test the dog, not digging 12 ft to quarry green as grass then shooting it! I would rather dig my dog to educated quarry at 6 ft instead of 12 ft to green quarry! 

 

Here here. Some lads like to glorify the past and slag of the youth, but they forget the past practises of some brought the restrictions we have today, something the youth have to deal with and there’s a lot of young lads out there now conducting terrier work to a higher standard than what was deemed the norm yesteryear. All you can do is do right by your dogs and your dogs breeding and the rest should follow

[Lenmcharristar 9,779]

4 hours ago, Dig-deep-draw-charlie said:

It’s nothing to do with depth, locators, tracksuites or 40 years ago or anything, it’s if the terrier wants to stay with quarry that wants to be dug! Put a terrier in with any well educated quarry, cause when u get close and it can hear the spades coming down on top of him that’s when u test the dog, not digging 12 ft to quarry green as grass then shooting it! I would rather dig my dog to educated quarry at 6 ft instead of 12 ft to green quarry! 

 

And the welfare of the we dogs after he’s removed from his job is a top priority, 

[Lenmcharristar 9,779]

33 minutes ago, rob284 said:

Here here. Some lads like to glorify the past and slag of the youth, but they forget the past practises of some brought the restrictions we have today, something the youth have to deal with and there’s a lot of young lads out there now conducting terrier work to a higher standard than what was deemed the norm yesteryear. All you can do is do right by your dogs and your dogs breeding and the rest should follow

Education is always key to change, its easier to slate and put a man down than give him a hand up and in the terrier game it’s rife the bitchyness 

[Apache... 2,588]

Reading your post there countryman, I don't think anyone would purposely leave a terrier to ground just to see how long it would stay (the dog can only fail), I think it's quite the opposite nowadays, but some dogs need more time to settle than others depending on work style as you most probably know, another point you make is interesting (so no snidey comments please ) I'm one for time to ground, for the 2nd and 3rd season anyway and I wouldn't disagree with your numbers first approach if it makes a good worker out of them.

[dogmandont 9,825]

Use to find a lot more earths left open and trenched in 20 or 30 years ago than nowadays, dead quarry left lying for the world to see even the rabbit burrows where trenched to fcuk and left open. I think with the change of opinion on hunting decent lads go about their sport in a more respectable way. Years ago you could hunt just about anywhere and nobody batted an eyelid whereas nowadays it’s done on permission and if you want to keep it you’ll leave a place like you where never there. 

Edited November 19, 2018 by dogmandont

[nippy1234 361]

On 17/11/2018 at 17:30, Dig-deep-draw-charlie said:

It’s nothing to do with depth, locators, tracksuites or 40 years ago or anything, it’s if the terrier wants to stay with quarry that wants to be dug! Put a terrier in with any well educated quarry, cause when u get close and it can hear the spades coming down on top of him that’s when u test the dog, not digging 12 ft to quarry green as grass then shooting it! I would rather dig my dog to educated quarry at 6 ft instead of 12 ft to green quarry! 

 

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