backnetting

[TJ91]

The old poacher at the bottom of the village..

 

I remember when i first met the bloke, at the age of 11 i was at the bottom of the village in a small paddock with 'fat fred' my best ever polar bear sized hob ferret, there was a small set of about 6 holes that i had been given permission to ferret.

I managed to bag 3 big rabbits and stuffed them in my game bag, gathered the nets and slung 'fat fred' in my pocket and started to wander home, as i neared the gate i noticed someone leant aginst it watching my every move.

As i got up to this bloke i noticed it was the 'old poacher' from the bottom cottage (all the kids and most of the adults called him 'old poacher' as he had been very well known by many keepers and farmers in the area along time ago, most had heard a story or 2 of him helping himself to pheasants, partridge, rabbits and hares, but from what i gather he had never been caught), noone really spoke to him much, he kept himself to himself and he never seemed to be out and about (how wrong i was, he was always out, he was like a ghost, wandering the woods and hedgerows at night taking the fruits of the land as he called it).

 

"y' get much la" he said, i told him i managed to get a few, he started walking back up the road and talking to me, telling tales of his ferreting days when he was a nipper, i couldnt believe the stories, i was amazed at the things he had done, things my dad had told me never to do

as we neared his drive he said "y'll av t come out wi thee and al show y har t de it proply la"

 

and that was it, my first invite to go out netting with 'the old poacher', couldnt believe my luck

 

took the dogs for a walk with me dad that night and there he was at bottom of his drive leant on the old wooden golf club.

He started talking to my dad as i was messing around with the pup.

We eventually carried on our walk when they first talking.

When we got home, my dad said 'grab your nets and get down to mr tims'..i was gone like a shot, nets in pocket and game bag slung iver me shoulder.

 

He was already there waiting, dressed in an age old green ooutfit covered in big self sown on pockets with a long net over his shoulder, hat covering half his face and thick smoke blowing out from under the peak.

 

it was getting dark and we headed off.

We were heading to some big fields bordered by a woods riddled with rabbits, the plan was to net the holes closest to the wood edge and put a long net behind for the rabbits that ran on.

That night i followed evry move he made and did exactly as i was told, learnt a hell of alot (as i had never heard of backnetting before), and we bagged a fair few rabbits, more than i had ever seen.

 

He always told me the best way to catch rabbits was backnetting.

 

After a few trips out following Mr Tims every move, he finally let me take the lead, and he seemed very impressed how quickly i set the nets and how well i did, i took everything on board and he taught me well!

 

i spent a many more evenings out with mr tim backnetting rabbits and working the ferrets by moonlight, up until 2007 when he took a tumble in the house and struggled to walk far

 

i moved out of the village just over a year ago but i still visited mr tim regularly when i passed on my way out to shoot, but over the past few years he became worse and struggled to take a step at all.

I used to pop in a rabbit now and then for him, he was always very happy to see me and shared many stories.

 

Mr tim taught me how to set a long net and how to pack it away 'in a hurry' just incase

How to set many traps, how best to dispatch a rabbit

 

many things he explained to me how to do but never showed me and told me never to do if i valued my SGC

such as, trapping pheasants with his raisen cones, drift netting partridges at night on the big open fields...

 

I got a call from my mate who still lives in the village today, Mr tim died this morning at the age of 96.

 

I havent been backnetting since november 2007, which was the last time i went with Mr Tim, we bagged 31 rabbits, it was our worst night ever but still a great experience.

 

I am going to dig out some nets and head out tonight as we have abit of wind, it will be nice to get out again and put into practise what that great man taught me, and see if i can achieve a decent bag on my own, but i know it wont be the same without Mr Tim!

 

I hope 1 day when i am abit older i will be able to teach someone else what Mr Tim taught me.

 

Does anyone else on here backnet rabbits?

Have any of you ever done it?

[Zabala]

Never done any netting but enjoyed reading of your exploits with your friend Mr Tim. Good luck with your nets tonight.

[webber]

What a nice read, such a sad ending. At least the old lad passed away knowing that he'd passed on his skills and knowledge to someone who appreciated it, and put it into practice.

 

webber

[Martin g]

That was a great read TJ .. Never had the pleasure to have met a character like that.. Hope you have a great night out mate in honour of him ..

[CharlieT]

Cracking read TJ.

 

God bless you Mr Tim and good rabbiting the other side of the pearly gates.

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Great read

 

Cheers OTH

[Bleeh]

Enjoyed the read.

 

I'm guessing Backnetting is just long netting, but with added purse nets?

[MJT]

Great read that

[Scully]

Great read that,reminded me of my nights and days out with an old poacher turned 'keeper,now sadly dead also.He was one of the first blokes to join the newly formed Parachute regiment and I think in another life was probably a pirate!

He gave me my first ferret many moons ago....and shortly before he died a shotgun of,shall we say,disputed origin(it's quite legally owned now).

Another poster has mentioned 'backnetting' as longnetting,and where he comes from that may be the case,but I've always known backnetting as being those holes which have been netted,but the rabbit is netted when it bolts 'into' the hole,instead of out of it.I may be wrong.

Sorry to hear your friend has died....all the characters seem to be going don't they.

[The Duncan]

A very enjoyable, poignant and ultimately sad account. But happy too - 96 is no bad age and Mr Tim seems to have had a wonderful life full of great experiences.

Fortunately, characters are still coming through all the time, fewer and further between perhaps and Mr Tim sounds like one of a kind

[davecooper1]

Brilliant read, your mr Timms are few and far between nowadays, met a couple along them lines, in my lurcher and fereting days when I was a young lad, long time ago