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ferreting yesterday


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Hi all.

 

Well dead eye duck, and i were out yesterday ably assisted by D.E.D's brother. We arrived at our bunny hotspot (see pic in avatar) for 0830 and viewed our favourite hillside that is covered in small burys. The plan of attack is to surround the main sets with longnets to catch the multiple bolts from the same holes and purse net everything in sight.

 

So down goes some 270yds on longnet 2 X 100yd nylon nets and my handmade 70yds hemp net. down goes around 60 purse nets and after a quick breather and coffee battle commences. HMMMM!!!!!!!! well best laid plans!!!! we worked a number of sets without bolting anything and the sinking feeling commences. One of the ferrets hadn't been seen for 10mins or so and without further ado out with the locator which reveals her to be 2 feet down. A quick dig and i retrieve irate ferret from bunny in a stop whilst dead eye duck is hauling for all he is worth on said rabbit. Eventually aged companion wins the tug of war and draws a huge buck bunny from the ground. Well at least we are not going home empty handed (meantal note to self let don skin that one!!!). A few more sets farther on and we have added another to the bag but with the last set in sight and now worked we are left to reflect on over an hours netting up for 2 rabbits Doh!!!! (possibly myxy beat us to it?:good:) but thats ferreting. So a little disappointed we move onto the next area.

 

The next area to get out attention was a cottage garden believe it or not that homes a 20ish hole set. Anyway the garden boundary fence also has rabbit holes under and around it so i set the hemp longnet in front of it to hopefully catch any escapees. with around 20purse nets down down and the longnet up don had cooked the sausages for lunch and after sausage barms and coffee in go the ferrets and before long the bunnies are bolting. We caught 6 rabbits in all, 3 in purse nets and 3 in my longnet as the rabbits either slipped the nets or bolted from holes we couldnt get nets on hence the longet as backup which worked very well. Indeed i would have gone just to see those bunnies hit my net AHHH!!!! the 2 months work was worth it to make the chuffin' thing HA HA! However i had a mild reproof from aged companion as in my haste to get the longnet up i had forgotten to shape the ends into the fenceline thus cutting off all escape routes we lost 2 because of it :blush: The cottage owners had only recently moved in and were from town.... lots of questions later about ferreting, why bunnies need controlling i.e. (they will now be able to grow vegetables as well as the farmers maximising silage production in the summer). They asked what we did with the rabbits we caught and were pleased with the idea of us eating our catch cue a little P,R would they like a fresh oven ready bunny? at which they said they would love to try it but couldn't do the gutting skinning bit. I promised them a rabbit when we were on our way home. With the garden done we turned our attention to the hedgerow.

 

This didn't take long to net up and with around 40nets down in go the ferrets. The rabbits came thick and fast with some classic bolts with rabbits taking the net 2 feet into the air sometimes from near don's feet. As we worked the last of the holes and got both of the ferrets back we had caught another 9 to give us a total of 17. The ferrets had worked like trojans i was very proud of them, an excellent day with good company an excellent lunch (burp!!) and after a slow start a finale to finish with. I kept my promise to the cottagers and gave them an oven ready bunny from our days bag and hopefully have 2 more converts to eating game. Hope you enjoy the pic.

 

 

 

 

ferreting.jpg

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Yes, well, I did all the work as usual, as Gonna was snivelling and whining about having man flu.

 

I dug the rabbit out; he set the long net wrong so that we had two escapees.

 

Oh, yes, it was a cracking day; I made an exceptional lunch, Gonna slept all the way back.

 

Still, at least he is starting to learn from the expert and mentor.

 

Perhaps I have been to harsh on him - no I've not!

 

Don

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Well written and a nice picture.

 

"don had cooked the sausages for lunch and after sausage barms and coffee in go the ferrets..." you boys sure know how to live. :lol:

 

We use one of those American petrol stoves Cranners - brilliant they are. Safe enough to operate even in a pigeon hide.

 

I always buy M&S or Morrisons quality pork and apple or similar snorkers, whereas Gonna resorts to Lidl and Aldi cheapos.

 

I've given up letting him cook - cremated offerings are all he can manage :lol: :lol:

 

Don

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Well written and a nice picture.

 

"don had cooked the sausages for lunch and after sausage barms and coffee in go the ferrets..." you boys sure know how to live. :lol:

 

We use one of those American petrol stoves Cranners - brilliant they are. Safe enough to operate even in a pigeon hide.

 

I always buy M&S or Morrisons quality pork and apple or similar snorkers, whereas Gonna resorts to Lidl and Aldi cheapos.

 

I've given up letting him cook - cremated offerings are all he can manage :lol: :lol:

 

Don

 

Now hang on a cotton pickin' minute. Don's first misquote is HE buys the food........... everyone knows his good lady does the shopping whilst he is snoozing on the couch :lol: . And whilst he is probably right his long suffering angel of a WIFE DOES INDEED BUY DECENT SAUSAGES. These are secreted in his personal stash. All we ever see are the cheapo ones he picks up from the corner co-op on the way to a trip out. The only reason he cooked that day was to avoid the work of laying nets you usually have more chance of seeing lord lucan than seeing don cook :lol::lol: At least we had decent barms 'cos i supplied them unlike his measly pathetic 1 week old half loaf he has swiped from the bread bin.

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Well written and a nice picture.

 

"don had cooked the sausages for lunch and after sausage barms and coffee in go the ferrets..." you boys sure know how to live. :P

 

We use one of those American petrol stoves Cranners - brilliant they are. Safe enough to operate even in a pigeon hide.

 

I always buy M&S or Morrisons quality pork and apple or similar snorkers, whereas Gonna resorts to Lidl and Aldi cheapos.

 

I've given up letting him cook - cremated offerings are all he can manage :):good:

 

Don

 

Now hang on a cotton pickin' minute. Don's first misquote is HE buys the food........... everyone knows his good lady does the shopping whilst he is snoozing on the couch :P . And whilst he is probably right his long suffering angel of a WIFE DOES INDEED BUY DECENT SAUSAGES. These are secreted in his personal stash. All we ever see are the cheapo ones he picks up from the corner co-op on the way to a trip out. The only reason he cooked that day was to avoid the work of laying nets you usually have more chance of seeing lord lucan than seeing don cook :lol::lol: At least we had decent barms 'cos i supplied them unlike his measly pathetic 1 week old half loaf he has swiped from the bread bin.

 

'Er indoors is not happy pal - she claims that her bread bin is polished every day, and replenished daily........

 

Wait til you see her next cos you're for it :P:lol: :lol:

 

Don

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