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lurchers/coursing?


rascal_2005
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I have a few dogs, 3 lurchers and a terrier, and I must admit I prefer working the dogs than I do rifle shooting, all of my rabbit control is with the dogs and ferrets if required.

You can't beat seeing the dogs work wether its during the day or under the lamp. I've got a pup who'll be ready in the new year to start doing a bit with the lamp when she's ready, can't wait to see how she gets on.

My biggest gripe with the whole running dog thing is that because you have a couple of lurchers they think your poachers an up to no good! Everyone gets tarred with the same brush! It makes it difficult for decent lads to get new permission.

 

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My Grandfather was a shepherd and as well as always having at least five sheepdogs, he kept two lurchers which were greyhoundXborder collie.

He used these mainly to catch the foxes on the marsh and would call them off a hare if they raised one.

The reason for this is that one of the Farmers he worked for liked to run his lurcher on the hares.

I frequently took his dogs out and they would hunt the reed beds for the foxes and showed great stamina in running them down, some of the courses were over a few hundred yards.

They also worked well at night without a lamp.

 

When wildfowling on the marsh at night (or in the mists) I always took one of my Grandfathers sheepdogs with me.

It new its way home in the dark and would always lead me to the bridges over the ditches, or the gateways.

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Here's my bull x he is surprisingly good at ferreting considering how tall he is but he loves it all to be honest don't get to work him as much as I used to but still loves just getting out with my other dogs very loyal companion he also retrieves live to hand also not many do that nowadays, here are some pics of him......

 

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Many years ago (When I lived in the Cotswolds) I used to keep working lurchers and terriers which were worked regularly, the lurcher both for hare coursing and lamping rabbits and foxes. In my opinion there is very little to beat watching a good lurcher working a hare in daytime or rabbits on the lamp - except maybe for watching a Bird Of Prey out hunting.

Attached is a photo taken many years ago (Back in the days when I had all my own hair and teeth and Lambourne Lurcher Trials was still going) with my prized lurcher bitch and one of my terriers with the first fox they took together. The terrier went to ground and bolted the fox and the lurcher then nailed it within about 50 yards. She made the mistake of grabbing the fox on the hind quarters and got bitten just above her nose (You can just see the wound on the photo) and she learned a valuable lesson from that experience. After that every fox she took she would take by the throat or the head.

 

I used to attend Lambourne Lurcher show every year untill it was stopped, I remember buying a lurcher bitch from the show one year called Misty she was 3 year old - 3/4 greyhound/ 1/4 bull, she had won her class on the day judged by Colonal Walsh the reknown lurcherman.

When I first took her home she would not chase anything so I left her in the kennel, intending to give her away to a good home. Two weeks later my other bitch got badly injured out lamping, so I had no other bitch to work. My mate said at the time "take Misty out" which I did and she was brilliant - catching everything!

The reason she had been useless to start with was down to fretting!

She was an excellent working bitch who sadly was hit and killed by a AA van while out lamping one night.

I no longer keep lurchers as due to advancing years I would not give them the work they deserve.

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a pic of my dog learning the ropes on salisbury plain. A first generation deerhound cross. Not slagging it off, but dont have a lot of time for other 'hunting websites' after meeting someone on there who stole a long net and several purse nets after I agreed for him to tag along on my permisson.

 

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Edited by steve0146
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I hunted Hounds for many years and love every thing about Hound/dog work.

 

I still have a whippet but she is 12years old, her mind thinks she can still catch a rabbit but her body lets her down.

 

I think most people that are serious about shooting enjoy watching a good dog work, be it retrieving or hunting.

 

Could not agree more :good:

In fact I enjoy watching good dogs work rather than shooting

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well its good to hear that there are a few lads about still doing a bit, and even more that used too!! some brillient pics also!!!

 

tigger your dog dont look to dis similear to my bitch i have coming on now. shes 8months and is chompping at the bit to chase.. frenchie my old friend, you know that your welcome down to play anytime buddy, we have all sorts down here mate, deer/greys, bullx, jack/whips etc etc.

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  • 3 months later...

I love any form of shooting/hunting and dog work and have only just got into running dogs and absolutly love it. Had a spaniel who was good but to head strong now got a lab who lives with my other half and thanks to frenchi a whippetX and absolutly love it just watching them run down the beam or standing near the bolt holes or flushing them out to the lurcher with the lab is real great fun. And now the snow has finally gone I'm off out tonight to lamp a couple of perms nearby that I can walk to. Now I have tryed it I am hooked and don't intend to stop.

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