At last a chance to get out with the ferrets

[john hubery 9]

After a very busy show season and a lot of time spent in the work shop, I have been promising myself a look out with the ferrets and Chipper for about five weeks, at last this weekend I have managed to fit in a couple of hours out and this should be me back into the game for the season, after seeing to the stock and sorting out the dogs ferrets and puppy young John and I had a big old cooked breakfast and it was off to wake chipper after his late night on the drink, apparently there was some football match on and folk sat in the pub to watch it, chipper was going home at 9 o'clock with a chinese for his ever patient wife lisa, he got in at 2am without the meal, I hope he has made amends and gone out for one for her tonight, any way we arrived at Chippers to find a back lane full of little hounds who run up to meet us followed by Chipper who looked surprisingly well but I think he was putting on a good show, Andrew a guy we know from Newcastle turned up to have a look out with us and we were set for the off, a lovely sunny day with a gental breeze what more could you ask for, before setting off we had a quick look at Nells new litter of pups, 10 lovely lurcher pups just about every type of merle colouration you could think of in there, and I have told myself that at this moment in time I dont have time for another pup, but there was one in there a nice blue and white pup, (time for Mrs Hubery to give me a talking to) so off we set with Molly Chippers young tumbler bitch up to the Durham dales

 

 

 

 

 

Chipper with the biggest rabbit of the day

 

 

 

Chipper putting in the little silver jill and the big silver bear

 

 

 

 

On arriving we set of up on to the dale this is the bit I did'nt miss, its beautiful country but hiking up these hills before you start knocks the hell out off me nower days. We met the knew keeper and had a chat introduced ourselves and did a bit of business on some new terrier boxes for the keeper( can't help myself) and set about the job in hand. Soon the rabbits where hitting the nets and molly had a few runs, at this point I noticed young John and Chipper looking over at Andrew stood with his mouth open in wonder watching me cutting off a rabbits ear" what you doing there John" with a look of horror on his face, Chipper explained that it's what we do so we know which rabbits have been netted and which have been dogged, so we can skin the good one and chuck the dogged ones in for the ferrets. I think he thought it was some strange vietnam type ritual, I think in his head he must have had pictures of me with a neckless of bunny ears at the end of the day. I took out the new spade to give it a road test this side of the dale is very stoney and though the digs are usually about two foot (a bad dig for us) the stones and rocks are all interlocked so it had its work cut out, which it faced up to with no problem.

 

 

 

Another one hits the yellow net for Andrew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saying that we were ferreting the natural gullys on the dale today some of which are about 15 to 20 foot deep, and at one point the ferret was but in the bottom of a rock pile and was showing 14 foot at one piont not a job for the little spade

 

 

As geust rabbiter on the dale Andrew got to carry the rabbits

 

 

Three wise monkeys make there way back down to the van

 

 

after a while while Andrew , young John and myself were ferreting Chipper took Molly off for a wonder about to flush some rabbits off the seat for the young lurcher to run, so me and Andrew's ferreting this gully and young Johns taking pictures sat on the othere side of the gully when a rabbit come running passed John and back nets its self we jumped to drag the net back out of the hole when smack Molly come over the top of the gully straight in to young John who rolls down the bank side, Molly flys through the air about 15 foot and land baddly on a heap of rocks with a fair old force so much so that it moved some of the rocks that where embedded in the soil and uprooted them. I thought it was the end of her and had visions of digging a hole or carrying her off the dale to a vet, she after getting her wind back got up and limped back to Chipper, after a couple of minuets she was back to herself again, but this is a reminder to us of some thing we often say " this type of land will and dose kill fast dogs". Anyway after a few digs and a couple of more runs for Molly who I might add seemed no worse the ware for her fall the rain could be seen coming up the valley so it was back to the van with 18 rabbits 14 good healthy ones and four with a touch of mixy, a good start to what we hope should be another productive season, with young dogs to get started and a lot of rabbits to clear we look to being busy for a good while

 

 

Edited October 12, 2008 by john hubery

[Timelord 0]

Fantastic post John but it's in the wrong section of the forum maybe the mods can move to the right place

[john hubery 9]

Bollocks I know what Ive done now, I knock nails in for a living technology and computers are not my strong point, cheers mate

[Timelord 0]

Bollocks I know what Ive done now, I knock nails in for a living technology and computers are not my strong point, cheers mate

 

No problem buddy but thanks anyway it was a brilliant read

[cometa300s 20]

nice piks mate

[Guest jordy p]

some cracking pics looked a cracking day all in all

 

jp

[Deker 3,478]

It may be in the wrong place but a cracking day out by the sound of things!!

[john hubery 9]

Like I say im crap with the techno stuff the pics are down to Young John

[Malt 379]

Nice one JH, lovely looking permission there!

[Raymond 618]

Looks like you had a great day. Love the buzz with the ferrets.

[cumbrianrabbiter 0]

well done mate nice pics

[Guest cibie oscar]

well done

[Guest little_lloyd]

That sort of ferreting sounds like heaven compared to what we face around here,,, I cant wait to get out with thr stinkersw this year.

[The one 8,513]

Nice picts and read mate

[john hubery 9]

Thanks for the coments people, and thanks to the mods for putting it in the right section