Most rabbits killed with one lurcher on nights lamping now let's be truthful lads about this one

[levigsp 938]

Did you lamp round Loth, Michaels ground? met a few people that lamped there, peoplestill headed there after i had finished as still some rabbits there till the late 90s

I met people from all over the UK after Plumber wrote about Caithness!!.

The Best with dogs I saw were from Bristol, Carlisle and Grimsby and Hampshire.      But I met people from all over the uk and Eire.

[mackem 26,209]

6 minutes ago, levigsp said:

Did you lamp round Loth, Michaels ground? met a few people that lamped there, peoplestill headed there after i had finished as still some rabbits there till the late 90s

I met people from all over the UK after Plumber wrote about Caithness!!.

The Best with dogs I saw were from Bristol, Carlisle and Grimsby and Hampshire.      But I met people from all over the uk and Eire.

You mean lyth? Might have bumped into you as the black and white dog and the van seem to spark memories  

I still have a cousin just west of Thurso, I think Tommy Mcphee lamping pics sparked far more interest in lamping up there than plummers book, but I do wonder what attracted him to the far north. 

[levigsp 938]

9 minutes ago, mackem said:

You mean lyth? Might have bumped into you as the black and white dog and the van seem to spark memories  

I still have a cousin just west of Thurso, I think Tommy Mcphee lamping pics sparked far more interest in lamping up there than plummers book, but I do wonder what attracted him to the far north. 

He followed someone up as it was another good idea for his books. He and Hancock, Phil loydd and one or two other came up for holiday rabbiting, met tommy etc.

.

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by levigsp

[OldPhil 5,656]

Tommy was a harvester of rabbits,.. he regarded the rabbiting business, in much the same way as pro-fisherman would think of the day's catch. It was all , strictly business...

Same with the dogs, (they were nearly all called Ruby, mostly Red in hue, and invariably, for sale)..

The man still is, a good handler of Sheepdogs, and has sold a few, for absolutely phenomenal money

Personally,. I found Caithness, and the surrounding area to be a strange old place,..  I killed game, in quantity and filled my boots, as did everyone else, but compared to other locations in the UK,..it was never on my list of places, that I would like to settle in...

However, the 1980's was a great time for the Lurcherman

The first, lurcher related books, were offered up and sporting magazines were, at last,.. giving the rabbiting and coursing man a fair bit of print space, and of course, the mass gathering of enthusiasts at the various shows, was in full swing...

I think we all look back on those Halcyon Days, with rose coloured spectacles, and a warm heart....

However, .. things weren't always,. what they seemed...

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by OldPhil

[New moon 250]

Some good posts and pictures, me and a couple of mates went up to Caithness a few times, hell of a journey, worse on the way back after no sleep, van full of rabs and ferrets, Armadale and strathy was good spots, remember the rabbits at Brora at the roadside, great places and times, they say not much there now, shame if true.

[sandymere 8,263]

The 70@s and 80@s were a different world in so many ways.   I was a young man for a start.

 

[mackem 26,209]

I wonder what caused such a huge drop in numbers in an area where once 100 bunnies in a 24 hour period wasn't really such a big deal? 

[SheepChaser 8,083]

8 minutes ago, mackem said:

I wonder what caused such a huge drop in numbers in an area where once 100 bunnies in a 24 hour period wasn't really such a big deal? 

Would imagine a combination of things, but you can only kill things once. And once the 22 and lamp came out and the gassing, plus dog lads and ferrets, drop boxes, snares and a bit of disease. Same as everywhere that’s good. 

 

 

 

[mackem 26,209]

Just now, SheepChaser said:

 Same as everywhere that’s good. 

Back then it wasn't just good, it was fantastic, I worked Malham after Gary Hosker highlighted it, caithness was next level, malham on steroids, plus it really did take some effort to get up there, most farmers didn't seem overly bothered about the rabbits despite their numbers,who really knows, I don't think such an area will exist on the UK mainland again, maybe numbers in much smaller pockets but not on the scale of those days. 

[Bearfoot 1,477]

My mate lived in caithness in the 70s till the 90s he killed alote rabbits feeding of seaweed on the beaches he ran saluki type whippets thats ware my good deerhound greyhound came from your average  mutt could kill over 50 we killed 40 in the whins as you say mach it was great days i remember the women that owned the cape wrath hotel walking in way two foxes on a coupler  big bags pish in hessain bags thats all i can remember i soon got sick.

[Big Ron 1,156]

Spend a lot of time up Caithness in mid 80s to early 90s mostly on the deer , I found with the rabbits up there they were well spread out  in pockets in good numbers where a ton could be done easy enough.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Big Ron

[mC HULL 12,205]

5 hours ago, OldPhil said:

Tommy was a harvester of rabbits,.. he regarded the rabbiting business, in much the same way as pro-fisherman would think of the day's catch. It was all , strictly business...

Same with the dogs, (they were nearly all called Ruby, mostly Red in hue, and invariably, for sale)..

The man still is, a good handler of Sheepdogs, and has sold a few, for absolutely phenomenal money

Personally,. I found Caithness, and the surrounding area to be a strange old place,..  I killed game, in quantity and filled my boots, as did everyone else, but compared to other locations in the UK,..it was never on my list of places, that I would like to settle in...

However, the 1980's was a great time for the Lurcherman

The first, lurcher related books, were offered up and sporting magazines were, at last,.. giving the rabbiting and coursing man a fair bit of print space, and of course, the mass gathering of enthusiasts at the various shows, was in full swing...

I think we all look back on those Halcyon Days, with rose coloured spectacles, and a warm heart....

However, .. things weren't always,. what they seemed...

 

 

 

good old drive for you bk then i bet mark 1 tranny rumbling up

[OldPhil 5,656]

54 minutes ago, mC HULL said:

good old drive for you bk then i bet mark 1 tranny rumbling up

You are not kidding,...it was an exceptionally long and uncomfortable journey,...I quipped that I could have reached Afghanistan quicker.. I am not a good traveller, and I vowed never to return to Caithness...

Edited March 18, 2022 by OldPhil

[jcm 2,327]

Done some good numbers with this little dog he has caught thousands in his life time but his best bag was around the 55 mark probably could of done more but between the my dog and a mates dog we hit the 100 that night was happy tonight the 100, done loads of 30 plus nights with him had had some good mixed bags with him aswell. Ill jave to get a few photos off my oal of sone of our  bigger bags

[Leo Sayer 2,323]

7 hours ago, mackem said:

Back then it wasn't just good, it was fantastic, I worked Malham after Gary Hosker highlighted it, caithness was next level, malham on steroids, plus it really did take some effort to get up there, most farmers didn't seem overly bothered about the rabbits despite their numbers,who really knows, I don't think such an area will exist on the UK mainland again, maybe numbers in much smaller pockets but not on the scale of those days. 

I remember driving to malham the very next day after I passed my driving test, AA road atlas just me on my own  and my young Hancock bitch on backseat of a battered old banger. After reading hoskers articles.