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Ferreting on Saturday


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Got a call from StealthStalker about going out on his newly acquired ferreting permission, this place is teaming with rabbits and having a rare Saturday off from the new family I took his arm off at the invite. Plan was to meet at 8, then meet up with his mate James and his sandy Jills, there was to be another involved but as we pulled up at his house we could see him leaping about in his kitchen / front room all clad in lycra :good: - we thought it best leave him too it and maybe meet him there.

 

Met up with James who's terrier was recovering from a nasty eye injury caused by a thorn (hope it keeps healing mate!). Discussions of the plan ensued then off to the permission to start netting up. Without giving too much away the permission borders a large house on which SS has permission, the rabbits from the ground next to it are devastating his garden - looks more like the surface of the moon than a lawn. With access to his garden previously we knew the scuts run under the fence line all along it and into his garden were there are a couple of sizeable sets. We began with a longnet inside the garden and a couple of 50yrd'ers outside the fence line, we had walked a load of scuts through the fence so we knew they were holding garden side.

 

These quickset longnets are the business, couldn't be easier.

 

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Longnet set outside the garden perimeter

 

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Netted up a good few holes inside the garden and in went SS's two Jills and Harry the badger :)

 

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Action pretty much from the word go with scuts showing all over the place, in netting up it wasn't possible to stay really quiet so they were not wanting to bolt straight away. There were holes we couldn't reach because they were under decorative plantings and stuff inside the garden, as well as under a huge pile of thorns the owner has put there to stop access to the back of his garden. Still within a couple of minutes the longnet inside the garden had caught the first of the day closely followed by one to a purse net again inside the garden.

 

James and I were seeing rabbits come to the fence line and just pop back under, hole hopping or showing and running along the fence line then back under towards the garden further up. Typically I had left the top of the net to have a quick word with James when one bolted where I'd just left :lol: I ran back but half way to it bugsy had managed to get free and bolted back towards the garden. James and I didn't see any further action our side but garyb and SS were catching well to the longnet and a couple in the purse nets. All the time we had bother as the garden is near a main road and we kept loosing scuts under the fence road side as well as a couple of ferts wandering about over there. I managed to get caught on a barbed wire fence trying to help SS retrieve harry the badger who'd decided to go for a wander next to the road. I know there is a video of 18st of Geordie caught on the fence fearing for his wedding veg, but I'm not sure the director knows how to put it up :lol:

 

We kept a close eye on the ferts and tried to get them to work away from the road but it wasn't really possible so ended it there, was getting too dangerous for the ferts who were just following the scuts bolting towards the road. The quickset net collected every single twig, branch and thistle in Herts so took ages to put away :lol:

 

Finished that section with 8 in the bag, on to another section SS had been and cleared a ride to allow the longnet to be set. SS set off to try and walk a load of feeding scuts the direction we wanted them which did work and we watched good numbers bolt for the hedge line. Down with the quickset which I reckon was down in nothing more than 3 or 4 minutes, 100yds covered with a little gate set at both ends. Plan was to enter the ferts other side of the hedge and get them bolting over the field, well, into the net. With no purse nets SS's three ferts were getting the run around so in went James' sandy jills to help out.

 

We had a load of bolts but the net was set slightly uphill, we had bother with rabbits bouncing off the net and making it back into the hedge before we could reach them. Net was set right I think, plenty of bag in there etc :w00t:

 

SS's golden retriever, Becky, always a fantastic dog to have out really helped us out. Knowing where the bolts were happening I took her with me down to one side of the net and sent her to hold the scuts in the net which she did about four or five times, I'm pretty sure we'd have lost those if it were not for her!

 

Second longnet set, garyb with a just caught scut and Becky who was great as ever!

 

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We had another 7 from this set, picture of the bag which had 15 I think or was it 16? Note harry the badger licking his lips :yahoo:

 

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Special mention to Gary "laughing boy" B, part time LACS monitor and battue specialist for bringing along "Mr Snuffles" his highly trained attack rabbit :yay: :yay:

 

lacsboy.jpg

 

 

Cracking morning out lads, thanks to SS for the invite - when we going back to get the rest of them?

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Good write up mate & great pics :good:

 

I've gotta say I was expecting at least 20 bunnys off here, but that burrow that went under the 10 ft fence lost us alot of rabbits aswell as nearly 2 ferts :w00t: Still atleast I know about it now & a different approach will be neccessary next time :lol:

 

On the subject of the fence I recall I was the only one to scale it....at least 10 times in the course of the morning :lol: Mind you seeing Pin attempting the 4ft sheep fence it was probably a good thing, it could have got messy. And I expect those fences cost a few quid to repair :yahoo:

 

You didn't mention our uninvited guests....I've been after this permission now for nearly 2 years going through all the correct procedures, red tape & staying within the law. So I was well ****** off to see 4 guys poaching with ferts alongside a public footpath that runs through the middle off my permission. Me and the big fella (I wasn't gonna take Gary) :yay: approached them, telling them they didn't have any permission there & were poaching & to move off, but they were having none of it saying that it was a public footpath & they were within their rights? I told them that if they stepped on my permission I'd call the police. We saw them leave about 30 mins later :lol:

 

The lycra clad fella AKA the peltman did join us for about 5 mins, then was called back by the Mrs & spent the rest of the day at kidszone surrounded by 3 year olds & burried up to the neck with foam balls :yay:

 

It was still a good laugh & we'll have to get over there again soon, won't be long before they'll be milky.

 

Oh & are you guys still up for a part share in the quickset?

 

SS

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I've just remembered James volunteering to dig the pit for the guts, then digging a perfectly proportioned hole to the required depth.

 

Then throwing 3 loads of rabbit guts into the hedge, followed by swearing, then having to go pick them up :good::w00t:

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