Difficult sort of a morning!

[Brimmer 220]

Had one of those day's today, that everything seems to go wrong from the start, suppose I was due one!

Got up late because I had drunk too much last night, didn't have time to make my butties, and forgot the camera!

That was just the start of things, me old man didn't want to go to far from the vehicle, working one dog at once at the moment, so one stays in the truck. So we messed around on some low ground.

Just walking up to the 4ft high timber gate onto the ground, a normally easy jump for the dog, resulted in the dogs rear foot going into a mole run about 6" down and smashing into the top rail of the gate. Dog got up a little shaken, but ok.

Then the first mark we got resulted in a 3 ft dig, not to crazy as things go, then onto the second mark, my old man wanted to leave it as it looked a bit dodgy, but because we had the young dog, just learning his trade, just leaving it and dragging the dog away can put them off marking. In went the ferret.

Showed 3 ft plus on the box with nothing bolting out. Started digging, and hitting rock, got 3 ft down and checked again with the box, and it had moved, now 4ft down. I'm not shy of a dig but this stuff was hellish to get through, luckily the ferret came out, I tried all I could to get down to the kill, and continued to dig down to where i got the pinpoint, but no way, I have now left my second kill this year in.

Old man wanted to leave that bit of ground after that, so we made our way off, getting near to the truck we got another mark, looked ok, so in went the ferret.

This one bolted, lucky git, and headed straight for the gate the dog had hit earlier with the dog just on it's tail, the dog tried to nail him just before the gate but couldn't, but just left it to late to clear the gate, and crashed over the top of it. Dog got up again luckily, thank god the dogs are solid, both the young dogs are committed runners, but i can see it being there undoing to be honest.

 

Right got off that ground and went to a large warren we have not done yet this year. Got a mark or two on here and threw in the ferrets, a couple of bunnies bolted and were caught with the dogs, and moved the ferrets around to cover the whole of it.

One of the older albino's came out leaving the young one behind, was a bit strange so put him back in again, whilst watched one of the young hob poley's step up a gear and whizz around, still had to be something in, you could tell looking at the poley at work and he would not come out.

The older albino came out again, hairs on it's tail flared, and had given the stink off! Knew then there was a stoat at home.

The young poley wouldn't come out though, for some reason it had taken a shine to trying to get the stoat, which wasn't bolting for some reason, 3 or 4 times i could hear it try and tackle the stoat with squealing and chunnering going on, in the end i got a mark on the finder, dug down and found the young ferret on a pile of half eaten rabbit carcasses.

Out you come matey. (Never had a ferret engage with a stoat before, they usually bolt!)

Got a few more bunnies of this ground, quite easily after that, not a great day to be honest, and only ended up with 14 rabbits at the end.

At least the hols are here, will be out a lot during the next 2 weeks.

 

 

PS, whoever had been up there before the snow fell around 3 weeks ago, don't just dump your rabbits dead by the bridleway. (about 7 of them) At the very least, throw them behind the wall so all the public walking up there don't have to walk past them and see them. Or if you don't want the rabbits, don't bother catching them in the first place.

Edited December 20, 2008 by Brimmer

[Brimmer 220]

Cheers Frank, sorry about the length of the writing, no camera, just took the final snap on my phone.

Yes there's no need to dump them right at the side of a well walked bridleway, there will be hundreds of people walked past them. Fair enough the lads may have been disturbed or chased off, but at the very least leave them out of site of the general public. It does not promote what we do in the slightest.

(by the way we did not leave them there, they were buried behind the wall.)

Edited December 20, 2008 by Brimmer

[csme55ex 2]

well done mate in the end you dident do to bad

[stealthy1 3,964]

Yo Brimmer, still a good bag mate, and a gate jumping lesson for the young dog.

[JordKil 0]

At least you got some

My hob tackled a stoat before...didnt turn out so good for the stoat though lol shame that he ended up as Rascals din dins good looking wee devil and fought to the end

14 aint bad, I hate it when folk just dump rabbits theres always a use for them its a waste of not only resource but life.

 

 

Jordan

[Tyla 3,179]

Could be worse Brimmer, im yet to break double figures this season The rabbits just dont seem to be around in any numbers Out again tomorrow though so fingers crossed!

[Brimmer 220]

Yo Brimmer, still a good bag mate, and a gate jumping lesson for the young dog.

Yep the young dog has learnt a big lesson, twice!

Will pull my finger out tommorow if the weather is ok.

[stealthy1 3,964]

Yo Brimmer, still a good bag mate, and a gate jumping lesson for the young dog.

Yep the young dog has learnt a big lesson, twice!

Will pull my finger out tommorow if the weather is ok.

 

I envy you getting out tomorow, I've got to go Christmas shopping with the Mrs.

[Brimmer 220]

At least you got some

My hob tackled a stoat before...didnt turn out so good for the stoat though lol shame that he ended up as Rascals din dins good looking wee devil and fought to the end

14 aint bad, I hate it when folk just dump rabbits theres always a use for them its a waste of not only resource but life.

 

 

Jordan

Just thinking about the commotion that went on underground, and wondered if it might be a ferret that has gone feral.

Have caught two up there in the last 16 years, one in a drop trap, a big solid albino hob which i tried to tame, but not a chance. The thing you could hardly span, and tried killing any other ferrets it got near.

The other was a small poley jill, trapped it in a rock pile whilst it made a kill. (heard the rabbit squealing) Took it home and it just died within a day of it being caged.

All stoats in the past have run away, this (I never saw it by the way) was living in one half of the big warren, it never showed and never bolted, but stayed down there fighting off the young hob. There were around 3 carcasses half eaten in one spot, stoats usually have there own holes from what i have seen in the past.

[Brimmer 220]

Could be worse Brimmer, im yet to break double figures this season The rabbits just dont seem to be around in any numbers Out again tomorrow though so fingers crossed!

Good luck tommorow mate, it will happen yet!

[Brimmer 220]

Yo Brimmer, still a good bag mate, and a gate jumping lesson for the young dog.

Yep the young dog has learnt a big lesson, twice!

Will pull my finger out tommorow if the weather is ok.

 

I envy you getting out tomorow, I've got to go Christmas shopping with the Mrs.

Nooooooo! Supermarket, trolleys, numb people in the aisles!

[Guest rocky4]

weve found piles of guts and by the side of the main road we found 10 rabbits just left there some people just dont care this season up there ive found a few ferrets mainly hobs cheers

[Brimmer 220]

weve found piles of guts and by the side of the main road we found 10 rabbits just left there some people just dont care this season up there ive found a few ferrets mainly hobs cheers

No need Rocky, even one of our farmers has found a pile behind a gateway this year just dumped, why?

[craig lurcher man 2]

At least you got some

My hob tackled a stoat before...didnt turn out so good for the stoat though lol shame that he ended up as Rascals din dins good looking wee devil and fought to the end

14 aint bad, I hate it when folk just dump rabbits theres always a use for them its a waste of not only resource but life.

 

 

Jordan

Just thinking about the commotion that went on underground, and wondered if it might be a ferret that has gone feral.

Have caught two up there in the last 16 years, one in a drop trap, a big solid albino hob which i tried to tame, but not a chance. The thing you could hardly span, and tried killing any other ferrets it got near.

The other was a small poley jill, trapped it in a rock pile whilst it made a kill. (heard the rabbit squealing) Took it home and it just died within a day of it being caged.

All stoats in the past have run away, this (I never saw it by the way) was living in one half of the big warren, it never showed and never bolted, but stayed down there fighting off the young hob. There were around 3 carcasses half eaten in one spot, stoats usually have there own holes from what i have seen in the past.

if it was a stoat and the ferret got it would the ferret kill it r would the stoat kill the ferret.?if it was a jill r hob

[Clipper 207]

thats bad news leaving dead rabbits behind ,,, whats the point in killing them then leaving ruins it for genuine people