Sulin line

[bighit1985]

Hi all

So looking at making some sulin line ( not sure on spelling) but as far as I know it's a line with plastic tabs attached to it to stop the birds running through which you have 1 or 2 beaters tapping on to stop the birds running through part of the wood you don't want them to go.

Question is how have people made it? What's best to make it from? How to make the plastic tabs to go on the line??

[Konnie]

Just some bale twine, thin rope, nylon rope and get some plastic fertiliser bag liners (from the ton bags) and cut to size cable tie on,

[ColinF]

I'm planning on making some before next season. I was going to use last years pheasant pellet bags cut in to strips and attached to 6mm or 8mm poly rope. I will thread the strips of bag through the braid of the rope and cable tie them in place, to stop them sliding down the rope.

 

Its normally used to stop birds running through to the end of a wood, so they flush further back when they get to the swelling. You just need a beater at the end of the rope to twitch the line, or let the line lay on the ground and pull it up as the birds approach to flush them. You will also need to be able to reel the swelling in after the drive, if its left out all the time the birds will get used to it, and take no notice of it

[bighit1985]

This is what we are planning on doing by cutting the feed bags up and tie them to the line, but didn't know if other people had found something easier to do/ get hold that was up to the job,

Was thinking something like the red and white warning tape you can get to tie around the line but it's too weak and will just snap when rolled up and rolled out each week.

As for reeling in I've managed to source a load of empty cable reels to be mounted on tree branch and pulled out with one/two stops each time we do the drive and obviously reel back in when we finish the drive.

[rjimmer]

If it's in a straight line and the line is free running through the supports, attach one end to something solid with a stretchy clip and have someone tugging on the other end. Roll it up as soon as the drive is over. Some people have an oil drum and just pull it into that so that it comes out like line off a fixed-spool fishing reel each time.

[scotslad]

That used to be my job as a YT boy making sewlin. Seemed like i made miles, Bloody hated making it.

 

As colin F says u are better with poly prop than baler twine as rope doesnae seperate the same over time and far easier to put the cut bags throu the braid to stop them all sliding down to 1 end. In those days i tied the bags on, before cable ties were as common, or boss too tight!!

I found the easiest way to cut the feed bgs was put something sharp in the vice and pull bags on to it (obviously in a safe manner) and split bags width ways is plenty. Just thinking Might be easier putting bags down on some timber and slicing with a decent stanley

 

U might need some Y sticks or stabs with nails in it to support it.

Depending how long it is but found easiest ways wih a long strech was pull as tight as u could at both ends and stand ur nan in the middle tapping it with a stick. Usually half hid behind a tree so not to scare birds too much

[Grandalf]

Stand your Nan (Grandmother) in the middle...?

Now look here my good man...

[bighit1985]

Just wondering if there is anything people have used to make the tabs that hang from the line other than cutting feed bags up to make the tabs.

Something like a roll of tape cut to length or something.

[kennett]

Use quite a bit of sewelling on my shoot, it makes or breaks 2 drives. I just use baler twine, with "police line" tape cut into 18" lengths. Split the strands and poke it through then cable tie on which stops it all sliding down the line. Thick hazel sticks with nail on electric fence insulators knocked on to hang from. It's on the second season so far and might replace a few tapes this year but still works fine

Edited February 12, 2016 by kennett

[Southfields]

Colourful bunting works as good as anything I've used before and saves plenty of hastle making sulin .

[Grandalf]

There will be loads of bunting about after the Queens anniversary bash. The plastic variety is best as it rattles.

Keep mine on an old cable drum I scrounged from a BT engineer who was working in a hole in the village.

[Jim Neal]

We've found sewelling can make the birds turn round and flush back the other way, but it does work in the right place at the right time. Just got to give it a go!

 

Best material I think is that blue polypropylene cord about 6-8mm thick. Strips of feed sack are good, the red/white barrier tape is OK but very light so it doesn't tend to hang down and therefore doesn't "shake" about, it just ends up horizontal on anything other than a windless day. I have aded it to sewelling though, alternated with the feed sack strips and it does add a bit of "body" to the line.

 

Best way of fixing the strips is to separate the strands of cord with a knife, thread the strips through and knot them (2 man job really), stops them slipping along. Never done a whole one, only repaired existing ones, it takes bloody ages!!

[figgy]

Loads of shoots I been on use the safety bunting you get on construction building sites. The type with red and white tabs already attached to the line.

 

It's used to set heights for vehicles and machinery under obstacles and round obstructions barriers etc.

 

Quick look online around a fiver for 25meters of it with 2" by just under 6" tabs. Other stuff with longer tabs or pendants available.

Edited February 22, 2016 by figgy

[lordripon]

sewling is normally made from used pheasant feed bags cut into strips ( cut 2" strips with Stanley from open end of bag to the bottom through both sides of the bag, leaving the bottom seam of the bag as the central point ? ) loop this onto long length of baler twine with a very simple loop over the line pull line up through loop incert length of sewling until central point is at loop pull on twine... done ....no cable ties, slipping bits or fuss .... wrap it on to a large cable drum .

[Paul223]

As above but use a staple gun to secure tassels to bale twine, leave the tassels full bag length for good effect

[fortune]

sewling is normally made from used pheasant feed bags cut into strips ( cut 2" strips with Stanley from open end of bag to the bottom through both sides of the bag, leaving the bottom seam of the bag as the central point ? ) loop this onto long length of baler twine with a very simple loop over the line pull line up through loop incert length of sewling until central point is at loop pull on twine... done ....no cable ties, slipping bits or fuss .... wrap it on to a large cable drum .

This

And this.

As above but use a staple gun to secure tassels to bale twine, leave the tassels full bag length for good effect

Cleft Sticks were left in the ground along the ride and the seweling was just looped around the top of the stick. The stick was in a slot in the ground which allowed it to move back and forth for plenty of movement to hold them back and fly rather than just run through the line. At the end of the drive the seweling was loose hand coiled and left hanging on a cut branch at the end of the ride ready for the next time. As soon as the drive is over or past the line the seweling man coiled up the seweling and was sent off on a quad to the next drive to get the line set up and quietly walk back and forth along the line to move birds back into the drive rather than slipping through the line which they do after they've been driven a few times. if the beaters saw a Charlie going forward in the drive they would call out "CHARLIE" going left or right. The line man would be alerted by this and move accordingly. He used to carry a single 12 loaded with 36grm of BB. He accounted for many Charlie's coming through ahead of the beating line across the ride. Edited February 28, 2016 by fortune