OldPhil
-
Content Count
1,080 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
8
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Articles
Gun Dealer's and Fieldsports Shop's
Reloading Room
Blogs
Calendar
Store
Classifieds
Posts posted by OldPhil
-
-
15 hours ago, tatsblisters said:
Remember the old man taking me to see it when it first came out and I have it on dvd and watched it with my eldest grandson when he was doing a kestrel for a knave in English at secondary school. It's definitely an iconic british film that must rank as one of the best ever made. I sometimes find it surprising when I have mentioned the film to younger lads most who were not from Yorkshire who have never seen the film.
Casper's understudy...
-
4
-
-
13 hours ago, tatsblisters said:
Thinking about the Norfolk and Smithfeild lurchers did any one on hear meet Aubrey Fryer who was an advocate of these types back in the day and used to pen letters to the then shooting news.
Hi Tats,.. yes, I've always been an avid enthusiast of the ancient types of Herding and Droving dogs...
Accordingly,...back in the day,.. I went out of my way,....to travel around the UK and meet up with anyone who might give me some further education on these, much talked about canines...
My visits were always interesting,....but in terms of enlightenment and genuine truth,. were frequently disappointing
In answer to your question,...yes, I did meet Aubrey.....
-
1
-
-
14 hours ago, FUJI said:
Phil,I don't think there's a man alive with the longevity in this game like yourself, people come & go but you've never took your foot off the pedal so to speak,not for a minute,you've been there got the t-shirt more times than you could shake a stick. I was just a young lad & was envious of your achievements then,I'm 58 in a few weeks time so that in itself speaks of the longevity you've had with working lurchers. Decades before this internet malarkey came along your name was right up there on a pedestal because of what you were doing with the cur dog's. If ever a man has earned the respect of fellow hunters then that's you. I've never once heard you speak out of turn against another hunter,not ever. You have never stated that you owned the best dog's but I know for a fact you've owned some seriously good dog's. You've achieved more than 99.9% of lurcher owners if not every single one of us. I know our paths have never crossed face to face but like yourself I know a lot of people with lurchers & every single one of them who knows you says your a gentleman & one of the most knowledgeable people ever & not just regarding dog's. People earn respect,it's not a given & through all the year's of you working lurchers you've earned the respect of many,me included. Don't beat yourself up the day you hang the dog's leash up for good,it's time for you to put your feet up matey & enjoy life,it won't be easy I know that but you've walked the walk buddy,steady away & enjoy what lays ahead. Your a good guy,a dogman of the highest order,you should be very very proud of all & everything you've done regarding working dog's & the excellent books you've put out for us lot. Like I said..top man,brilliant dog's,superb images & awesome book's..you have nothing to prove to anyone not that you ever did but most importantly you have nothing to prove to yourself regarding working dog's,you've done it all Phil..chin up matey there's life in the old dog yet I guarantee it!
Such kind and thoughtful words Brother,. much appreciated...
Good old Don, eh...
I remember your kindness when you generously said that I could use him over my Dusty bitch.....
Everything was planned for the long trip North from downtown Hampshire, I had my Bus fare sorted and some sandwiches packed....and then,.. a massive feck up with the dates,.. and almost overnight my bitch was standing, ready and willing,... a wee bit premature,.so I had to quickly make contingency plans to use a local Stud dog...No complaints,. the Red Cur did a fair job and my small litter was a success...
A massive shame though,.. for I believe we could have really been onto something,...and although as you so rightly said, we have never met 'face to face',.. and only talked dawgs together on the phone,...I knew that I was chatting to a genuine Mush.
I am now,.. nearly 73 years old,....I've met a LOT of lurcher enthusiasts ,...and the facts are,...you get to know if someone is kosher pretty darn quick,...and when you told me about Don, I believed every word you said,.. and I definitely knew,..... that I was in safe hands...
-
11
-
-
Lovely memento fellah
You are 100% about wishing you had more memories of your jukels,...I've had some real honest lurchers over the years, and very little hard copy to remember them by...
My final old cur bitch , will be just that,...the last one ever....
I am dreading saying goodbye,.. but now,..at 12 year old,. .I reckon it will be sooner rather than later...
-
5
-
-
Well I'm a lifelong advocate of the Herding composites,...I find them real easy to school for most of the tasks that I needed them to do,.. BUT,...my tumultuous decade of using a Saluki hybrid for freelancing,...assisted me in getting on the housing ladder (and nobody in my family had ever managed that
)..so, I would have to say that (for me personally) no lurcher hybrid can match a powerful , quality Saluki lurcher, for all round harvesting of saleable critters,...be they Hares, Deer or shushis....
However, such driven canines do require an equally driven partner to bring the best out of their undeniable physical attributes...in saying that,...I still love me canny cur dawgs above all else...
-
3
-
-
Smashing sort of dogs ,...always good fun...
-
8
-
-
Lovely to see...
My mind harks back to a time when nearly every running dog one saw, was Deerhound influenced
-
13
-
-
On 27/04/2024 at 18:37, Systema said:
im not sure if im doing it correctly on here with my Blogs
and can anyone put me right if its wrong
Thanks
No right or wrong way to make a post,...just write from your heart and ye won't go far wrong...
-
3
-
-
On 22/04/2024 at 18:46, Systema said:
The Norfolk Lurcher Breeder ,MEET MICK DOUGLAS
called the Fen Man or Hippy ...Bloody legend ,And no bullshit from him ,RIP My Friend we miss x
Good to hear you speak well of an old Pal,....most of my hunting partners have also gone to ground,...I expect it will soon be my turn to lay quietly under the cold turf....
However, as long as we are in the land of the living, we should always award our true friends with the honour they deserve,....its only right and proper.....
-
15
-
-
Holiday resorts are the same the World over,....
You tend to get what they think you want.
I always head for the mountains and hang out with the locals,...but, its not really much fun for a family of lively young' un's,.. I do understand that....
I live 5 minutes from a sandy beach, so that holds no attraction for me..
If I am going to spent time and vonga on a trip abroad I want it to be different,...really different....
-
2
-
-
Done many moonlit nights with the ferrets and Long Nets,.. quite a few legally ,.but far more illegally.
Great craic,...always memorable and invariably exciting....
-
5
-
-
On 18/03/2024 at 22:43, dytkos said:
Can't remember the names but have put a picture up on here before - me with a perm lol Circa early 80s
Cheers, D.
Hope that you are keeping well fellah....
Yes,...good ole times back then,....Halcyon Days, eh...
-
4
-
1
-
-
Sometimes,...if you don't take them,...by fair means or foul,.....then someone else will....
-
3
-
-
Good answer...
I feel exactly the same,...it used to really upset me that I felt like that,...but thank God, at last I have realised that there is far more to life than, "Dawgs and Ferrets"....I've done my service,...I've ate slept and drunk the hunting life, for over 65 years,...I feel confident that my life with lurchers has not been wasted,. .the dogs have opened so many doors for me, and in a roundabout way, my obsessional interest in them has given me a good living.
But now,...although I will still always have a walk out , and can never really let go completely,...to all intents and purposes, it is over....
I feel that I have lived through the best (and the worst years) of the minor Field Sports, so nothing much left to do...
Its been a good ride, .... but now is the time to get off,....Its a big old world out there, and I am gonna get me some of it...
-
8
-
-
14 hours ago, tatsblisters said:
Does it really matter wether Spud was a world beater or not. By the writings in the shooting news I think Gary was more than happy with the dog and that's what really matters to anyone who has hunted with lurchers.
Well said Brother....
-
2
-
1
-
-
12 hours ago, jacob said:
I know this is sold Phil ,there's one on ebay but its £90 is it worth that?
An item is worth what the buyer wants to pay for it
-
1
-
-
Good old Spud...
-
6
-
-
I reckon a lot of us change as we become older,...I certainly have....
Its a natural part of advancing into old age, nothing to be ashamed of,.. but,.. it does take some getting used to..
Back in the day, I never used to keep my old dogs,....but now, my mind set has changed and whilst it would perhaps be foolishly andromorphic to think of a canine in quite the same way as a human,.. or some kind of fur baby...
....I no longer begrudge them a well deserved retirement....
-
16
-
-
On 04/03/2024 at 08:42, Neal said:
My worst-most-hair-raising example of that was when my family and I stopped at Lyme Regis on our way to Dartmoor. I'd taught a previous kelpie to jump by saying 'over' or with a hand signal. We were standing by a sea wall about fifteen feet or more high when my wife pointed into the distance and asked, 'Is that the Cobb OVER there?'
Next thing I know I'm holding one end of the lead while Ned is hanging by his neck on the other side of the wall. I had no alternative but to drop him and hope he landed like a cat.
Fortunately he did.
Edited to add: needless to say, he's the one I rehomed as he was too full-on for my taste.
Canny ole Dawgs them Kelpies..
-
1
-
2
-
-
14 hours ago, ferretgirl29 said:
How would you implement that as my bitch like a steam train when they hit the net so does she at 100mph
I'm hopeful she would grow out of that but I'm open to ideas how to slow her down
I would expect a young dog to have all the drive in the world,...if it hasn't, then its not worth a dime,...but, ya got to impress upon a rabbiting dog,...that stupid behaviour,... is simply not acceptable....
-
1
-
-
18 hours ago, taffey said:
Not at mo no he only mouthing gently in long nets will know more come sept when he gets some lamping won’t make any odds to me to be honest only a bit of ferret food etc
When the rabbit is in the net,..it belongs to you, its going nowhere....
Slow everything down,... and ask him to stand back when a Coney is in the meshes,.. his services are not required..
A work dog is an investment, ..so forget messing about with shushis for now,. just spend all Summer educating him to behave in the way you would like him to,... for the rest of his life....
Think about it....
-
5
-
-
On 23/02/2024 at 06:39, taffey said:
There’s some collie and greyhound in there somewhere and no definitely don’t want to bite people been well socialised since I got him at 9 weeks old great round livestock and people been at work with me since I got him. Atb taffey
Sensible attitude fellah,...a dog that is inclined to bite folk,... can be a real liability,...it invariably ends in tears....
Personally,...with the dog you have,....I would gear your training regime heavily towards the jolly old Fetch and Carry....
A lurcher such as he, should be more than capable for picking -up and helping out on a game shoot ..
-
6
-
-
23 hours ago, hutch6 said:
Future catcher in the making.
Will undercut the lot of us as well. 10 moles for a yogurt.
Beautiful...
-
1
-
-
A bit of Beddie goes a long way...
-
8
-
Fianaly stiched a decent ring on
in Longnetting
Posted
Great to hear some netting chat....