A morning in the ditch....

[toka_shigazu]

Birthday celebrations started early this year as I had arranged to get out of the house and down to the farm with some friends and their dogs for a look along a ditch that had revealed a huge scale rat population. Derek bought Bobby his Cairn/Border cross, and his new pup Buck, a Lakey/Fell cross, John had bought his Fell cross by the name of Tia.

Britain was again in the middle of a cold snap, we hadn't suffered as badly as some other areas, the ground was frozen solid but there had only been a thin layer of snow. Remembering my last visit I had decided on my wellies rather than my walking boots, I knew that freezing water up to my shins at the bottom of the ditch would be better kept out of my socks today.

We met at the farm having defrosted the car to get there. Bilbo started to whine as we entered the farm yard, by now he understands the change in the engine noise combined with the bumps in the ground. His excitement increased even more once we had parked and he could hear the other dogs, already on the ground with their owners.

Bill is better introduced to other dogs if he is off the lead, so long as the other dogs are all right with that. Once I knew the others were all right I opened his box and he ran over to introduce himself. Although I have been out shooting with these friends before I had never been out with their dogs ratting before. Derek had bought his new pup with him for a bit of experience as well, which would mean us having to keep our eyes out to make sure it was kept safe. After a few minutes of playing and getting to know each other we decided to take a walk.

We took them through the yard and headed down to the ditch next to the pig pens. As we walked along to our start point I could quite clearly see the tunnels and runs in the grass at the top of the ditch, as well as the smooth worn surface of the ground along the edge of the field. After locating the site of the start of our last visit I got into the ditch while the others walked the top. From down in the ditch it was easier to spot the holes, although the collapsed banking had a number of natural hollows and crevasses any of which could house a colony of rats.

The last time we came the first hole we smoked produced about 10 large rats within a matter of seconds. None of which fell to the mouths of our dogs at the time due in part to the sheer amount of undergrowth still present, as well as the dogs deciding to investigate other holes nearby as the rats fled.

This time although the dogs were showing signs of interest they did not mark any with any vigour until they had vanished some 4 yards into some thick brambles that spilt down to the base of the ditch. After cutting through I reached the site of their interest to find a couple of good, clear well used holes vanishing into the embankment. After a few minutes both Tia and Bill started to show interest lower down at the base of the ditch and less interest in the original holes. From Bill this is usually a sign that the rats had moved location and the dogs were trying to find their route. A quick smoke with my engine produced no rats to confirm they had moved on.

Another 15 yards further down the ditch we came across our next mark, this time half way up the ditch, both dogs again ripping and digging at a few holes. This time we used Derek's new rat attack 2 smoker to begin with. It produced a lot of smoke and this seemed to be sucked into a couple of the holes in the bank but there was no sign of any fleeing vermin. I used my smoker as well hoping the movement of the hose in the tunnels may cause a rat or two to flee. Within a few seconds of starting it up I heard rather than saw a splash to my left in the water. At first I thought it may have been the pup crossing the water but as I watched a large rat hit the water in the same place having exited an overhang about fifteen feet from where I was stood watching. The dogs got onto the movement and were soon working the opposite bank, tunnelling through the scrub as best they could, but the rats had vanished.

We continued along the ditch until we were forced out by the thickening undergrowth. The dogs had moved a number of rats but most were seen as shadows of movement as they made through the cover. Before we headed back to try our luck around the buildings we went for a look at the pig pens. Underneath one of the wooden houses were a number of holes along one side and the back end. The pigs hadn't noticed our approach and were still rooting at the far end of the enclosure. We got Bill and Tia into the straw in the house but they showed no interest. They both started to mark enthusiastically at the holes around the base. We tried to smoke the inhabitants out but there was no sign of any fleeing. The noise soon attracted the pigs and we retreated taking the dogs with us as these large pigs like nothing more than knocking you off your feet and attacking the dogs.

A quick trek back to the farm and as we put kit back in the cars Bill went off to have a look around the chicken sheds. Within seconds we could hear him barking and marking under some piled wooden sheeting. Once we got the other dogs over I lifted the first panel and Bill shot under, he was marking the next sheet as were Bobby and Tia. The pup was sitting this one out in the arms of his owner. As I lifted this one both the dogs shot under and forced what was one very big rat out of the end nearest me, it immediately doubled back, on seeing me, along the outside of the sheet. It was heading for the mound of earth that covered the buried effluent tank. The dogs followed it out and Bill managed to edge ahead of Tia and Bobby. At this point I thought the rat had made it, I could see it running through the grass tufts on the mound with Bilbo in close pursuit. As it dived toward a large entrance Bill, who had been closing from above dived and twisted in mid air to lunge at it as it sought sanctuary. I thought it had made it for an instant until I heard a shrill squeal. He had caught it by the back end and tail and he was not going to risk letting go. As he shook it it managed to turn and latch onto his nose, until reinforcements in the form of Tia arrived and promptly snatched it off his nose and finished it off. Buck was shown the rat and given a chance to investigate it as well.

From there, and with the dogs in full flow we headed to the furthest shed and a bank that we had been clearing. There were clear signs of rats on the ground now, droppings, runs and a few new smoothed edge holes. It was one of these that caught my eye and as the dogs scented around I put the hose in one end and stood above it ready to fire up the smoker. The exit was only a few feet away hidden from where I was, but this was a hole that had produced a few last year. We called the dogs to us as I fired up the smoker and almost immediately John's Tia flew into the bramble next to the exit hole. Bilbo followed and within seconds there was the sound of thrashing from under cover. John assured me that Tia had caught one and that Bill had carried on after the others. At least 3 large rats had emerged from the hole but had been lost almost immediately as they made off.

The dogs followed their noses up to the nearby duck pen before Bill started to mark again at a hole underneath the fence. As the hose was fed in a large rat flew out of a hole inside the pen to be lost amongst the growth. A quick search inside produced no further rats. From here we headed back to the cars and as we cut through between the sheds Bill again became interested in a hole 3 feet up in a wooden wall. One of the many places he had had success from in the past year. I went into the shed with Tia and Bobby and began to rattle and kick the inner panel. After a couple of strikes Derek told me Bill had managed to snaffle another rat that had fled my disruption.

We headed back to the cars, a quick photo and we said our goodbyes. A great few hours in good company. Tia and Bill did well, as did Bobby for a first timer. Buck surprised us all with his tenacity and his interest. For a few minutes during out ditch walk he disappeared into a stack of wooden panels and debris, to emerge moments later, a good sign in itself. All in all a good outing!

[Cranfield]

Good read, brought back some memories, especially the bit about the aggressive pigs.