100 yd longnet - laying out & Picking up...?

[hairysausagefingers]

A while back I had this great idea that I needed a long net for ferreting some thick hedges, so I had a look at prices and thought what the heck - buy a 100 yarder and cut it down into a 50 and a couple of 25's.

Before I "customise" it, i'd like to get to grips with it as a 100yd net to use at night, but I'm having trouble handling it as it's heavy and takes about 30 minutes for me to set it up, plus about 20 mins to take it down again.

It's 6oz nylon, traditional, (from Brian Brindred) and I'm setting it on hazel poles so it's about knee height off the ground. It seems to work fine and once they're in, they don't bounce out as it's got loads of horizontal and vertical bagging in it. It's just the picking up and running out that's the problem.

 

Here's what I'm doing - can someone tell me if there's a better way please? When I pick-up I'm looping the net over one of the poles as I collect it, so I have big coils of net dangling, rather like a coiled rope. This gets heavy about 75 yards in - believe me!

When I run it out, I let it fall off the stake as I walk down the field, and then I anchor one end and work along the net setting the stakes with a half hitch at the bottom and a clove hitch on the top line. Sorting the top and bottom lines is a pain as the loops of net have always been wrapped round them both on the drop. I seem to be doing a lot of unwrapping and it takes a good while to work the full length. Once it's up, I anchor the other end and flush the rabbits by dragging a rope - but's that seems to be the easy bit.

 

I'd like to get to grips with it before the scissors come out, just so I can say I'm able to use a 100yd net. Any (reasonably polite) ideas on how I can improve my technique? Should I be holding onto the headline as I run it out? and should I be setting the poles as I go along? Help!

[Cranfield]

Have a look at this and see if it will help, it was written by the master.

 

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...mp;hl=long+nets

[Gonna Shoot a Wabbit]

beat me to it cranners.

 

However i did try this method with a 50yd net and it worked ok but the 100yd net was too heavy to hold in place whilst setting the pegs and i soon resorted to ye olde method of running out first and pegging up next.

 

I find i can get our 100yd net out in 15 - 20 mins, allow 20 mins for the drive in and 20 mins for the pick up. roughly an hour per drop.

 

Only way i have seen to improve things is with the pegs attached to the net permanently and the whole thing carried in a basket carrier. you simply put the first peg in and walk out the net which will pull up the next peg at the set interval. i dont doubt it is twice as efficient but not quite so traditional. just depends what you want.

[lurcherboy]

Have a look at this and see if it will help, it was written by the master.

 

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...mp;hl=long+nets

 

 

If not get a quicklay 100 yarder.

 

You can put it out a walking pace and pick it up slightly slower.

 

 

 

 

LB

[hairysausagefingers]

Thanks lads,

I found the pictures a little while after I'd put the post up last night. It looks like I'm a bit slow but otherwise I don't think I'm doing much wrong. I've been trying to figure out whether you actually push the pole through the mesh as you pick up? I've been looping the net over the pole - which is probably what's wrapping-up the headline and footline.

If it wasn't so still tonight I'd be out there having a go, but......I'll have a brew and pop out with the rifle and size things up for the weekend. The ferrets will be out on Saturday as I've a mate with Harris hawk he's bringing on. It's not nailed one yet, but very, very close. I'll set a few nets too, just so as there's something for the pot.

[stubby]

you should have an end pin at each end of the net, tied in to the top and bottom runners, the pin can be bought or home made, i used a couple of cheap (99p) rod rests, bend a square in the hand end, large enough so that it wont pass through the net holes, when picking up, the net is loaded onto one pin, about a yard at a time, and putting the spike of the pin about 2 squares down from the head line, rather than drapping over as your doing, once at the other end, the last pin is wound around the top of net and pin, and both pins secured together with large rubber band,

 

on setting out, simple insert pin into ground and walk away, allowing net to drop of pin a yard or so at a time, once fully laid out, walk back inserting your poles, once mastered the poles can be inserted as you drop the net from the pin, save walking back

[hairysausagefingers]

Cheers Stubby, I tried gathering up that way (in daylight) and did a drop last night which worked really well - no tangles between headline and footline. I'll get into my rod bag and bend some pins as I like the idea of a big handle to stop it dropping off the end. Good one mate.

Only trouble was it was a REALLY bad choice of location because the wind was against my original plans. Maize stubble on the side of a copse, which had turned into the Somme after all the rain AND had been freshly spread with christ knows what!!! Nasty

Anyway the net dropped well and I got ...... one.

Oh, and it hissed down on the walk back home.

I'm reluctant to take the scissors to this net now. It's just too much fun.

Thanks for the advice

[Cranfield]

A report on the Harris hawk session and a few pictures would be appreciated.