Land that you run. . .?

[Ideation 8,217]

I was out for a couple of hours ferreting today with the pup. The piece of land that we were doing was a woodland/forestry that a friend of mine has bought, its pretty old and dense, it's also in many parts near vertical. Anyway, i was doing big set and one of the ferrets had knocked a net aside on the far side of the set and a rabbit bolted out (sods law) at speed and up the hill, pup was on the far side of the set by me so the rabbit had a fair head start but he made good the ground, got on the arse of the rabbit, weaving in and out of the pines, over a ditch, over some fallen trees and turned the rabbit back down the hill side and to ground (i got the rabbit later). During the chase i was watching the dog crashing through the forest and could hear the smaller stuff snapping and both of them banging off the bigger stuff and either the dog tried a strike or i think the rabbit hit a branch because i heard it scream and it was in the back of my mind that the dog could hit something solid or skewer himself at any moment. To be fair i'd be heart broken, but what you going to do if thats the kind of land you hunt? I got to thinking about the type of land we all run. For a lot of the day walkers and many of those who just lamp, they pretty much always run their dogs in the open and on the flat, off a slip. Some of us dont have that luxury and very little of the land that i hunt is big flat fields, a lot of it is wooded or forestry, with ditches, streams and all kinds of shit lying about, most of it is also pretty steep, just the kind of land that folk say is bad for running dogs on and a sure way to kill a dog, but what choice is there, % of the day time quarry the dogs see is legging it down a steep hill, in and out of trees and across any kind of obstacle, it gets up and they chase, not much choice. On the upside pup seems to have learnt from all the time spent as a wee one running into trees At least i hope so.

 

So what kind land do you run? Anything particularly challenging? Pics would be great.

[rocky1 942]

think thats all part of having a lurcher or any type of worker ,the land i work is mixed ,but the most damage any of my dogs as ever done in the field is barb wire fences,i think if dogs run that land regular he adapps ,field craft,it comes 2 a dog after a few seasons

[fitchet 788]

we run on flint and field with barbed wire aswell as old railway banks . . . . . horrible land for any dog to run and we often here of dogs getting killed doing there job

[skycat 6,174]

My land may be open for the most part, but it is all barbed wire and hedged with hawthorn bushes, which the farmers love to flail leaving thousands of sharp thorns and sticks on the ground. Add to that the dykes, and a lamp dog which is over hasty will lose an eye or break its neck sooner or later. I also work woodland too which is even worse: broken branches which can impale a dog. I stay well clear of woods on the lamp: they're bad enough by day.

 

So your'e not the only one with crap land! But at least its land and holds a bit of game: better than some folks who have nowt at all, and even worse, no transport to get to decent land: I keep telling myself to be grateful for what I've got, though its hard when I see posts and pics on here of dogs running up north on seemingly perfect ground.

[shamus 36]

we work a lot of woodland around a grousemoor,all fallen trees and branches. we ferret the rabbits out to the dogs,its just not suitable to net at all,although we do use a lot of dogs to nip everything quickly but i still have to look away at times.

[The one 8,597]

I will work the lurcher anywhere i go thats what she was got for ,only really bad bit was a small wood lots of windblow but she picked up most of the rabbits on the burrows only had to course a couple so i thought it was my lucky day .Then the next day she ran into a sappling just bigger than my thumb coursing a rabbit on a golf course .and bruised her shoulder . Your lucky or your no in this game

[Romany 1,065]

The land I hunted is very harsh and hostile, but, there is plenty of game so if you have the right dog, you can get some excellent quality and QUANITY sport

[TOMO 29,479]

I will be intrested to see if any one says they have easy to work land,,, most lurcher lads like us to belive there rabbits/hares/deer , are from the hardest places to run.

 

i have cought some rabbits on very easy ground up the dales,,,,, however, ive also been on some trecherouse ground as well, in fact my last trip ended in injury with the dog going over a small drop rabbit in mouth.

 

and some of wide open daywalking i do , is covered in sandstone,,and its murder on there feet.

[johnny boy68 11,726]

Heres a pic of my ground...........nice and soft though can get a little hot :laugh:

Nice little write up there fella........the ground you run is like the fens compared to over here and like I said before Jai if you want to keep a running dog and not get any injuries then you either need to be lucky or buy it some armour

[Romany 1,065]

I will be intrested to see if any one says they have easy to work land,,, most lurcher lads like us to belive there rabbits/hares/deer , are from the hardest places to run.

 

i have cought some rabbits on very easy ground up the dales,,,,, however, ive also been on some trecherouse ground as well, in fact my last trip ended in injury with the dog going over a small drop rabbit in mouth.

 

and some of wide open daywalking i do , is covered in sandstone,,and its murder on there feet.

 

Totally agree Tomo..I live in an area where the southern softies say the rabbits are easy..over 10 years ago I wrote an article in the CW inviting readers to get in touch through the editor if they wanted to have a night out with us..we had 8 nights out with lads from different parts of the country,best on dog did was a lad from Sunderland who got into the 20`s and the worst was a really nice gut with a whippet cross who got 1 rabbit on the night, stopped his dog chasing and called us mad for running the dogs where we did..I could never class my area as easy land to work, Ive seen too many dogs injured, killed or pack in never to run properly again..yes you can get big numbers and quality sport..but not every dog Im affraid

[undisputed 1,664]

I will be intrested to see if any one says they have easy to work land,,, most lurcher lads like us to belive there rabbits/hares/deer , are from the hardest places to run.

 

i have cought some rabbits on very easy ground up the dales,,,,, however, ive also been on some trecherouse ground as well, in fact my last trip ended in injury with the dog going over a small drop rabbit in mouth.

 

and some of wide open daywalking i do , is covered in sandstone,,and its murder on there feet.

 

Dont know if there is such a thing as easy ground when your dogs running full pelt at something injuries can and do happen. I run a lot of flat ground for bunnys but the place is riddled with warrens, I have trouble keeping my feet at times nevermind the dog. Other parts of ground criss cross with railways building rubble and barbed wire wooded land, shale bings and golf courses. Each has it pros and cons. I've lost dogs in fairly straight forward situations, misjudging a fence going head first into a burrow in pursuit even had one hit by a train. Injuries are all part of having a working dog no matter what type of land you run

[HALTY LAD 92]

My land may be open for the most part, but it is all barbed wire and hedged with hawthorn bushes, which the farmers love to flail leaving thousands of sharp thorns and sticks on the ground. Add to that the dykes, and a lamp dog which is over hasty will lose an eye or break its neck sooner or later. I also work woodland too which is even worse: broken branches which can impale a dog. I stay well clear of woods on the lamp: they're bad enough by day.

 

So your'e not the only one with crap land!

That sounds like decent running land to me Skycat? I honestly mean that. But like has been pointed out ANY land with any sort of obstrctions can be dangerous in its own way.

I work over land that most wouldnt even think about running a dog on, steep mountain, rocks, deep gullies with cliffs, waterfalls, forestry and moors with deep hidden trenches. But certain lurchers will fair well on any terrain, if they can learn to run clever. All lurchers are individuals and ive had a few different types that have been good on very rough, steep hill ground. Others dont suit the land . Usually down to the lurchers mentality. Ive had my fair share of bad luck, breaks, even deaths, but no more so on any certain type of land, a bad accident can happen anywhere.

[gnipper 6,918]

Most of my land is flat with a nice peaty soil but quarry is scarse and what is there is jet propelled and knows the score and there are big ditches all over that the dogs managed to misjudge a few times and was lucky not to break his neck. Some patches of rough brambley land and some woodland thats full of fallen trees etc but if there's something there its getting run. The worst injuries my dogs had have been off the dirt tracks full of pot holes and some that are filled in with bricks and tiles.

[Ideation 8,217]

Heres a pic of my ground...........nice and soft though can get a little hot :laugh:

Nice little write up there fella........the ground you run is like the fens compared to over here and like I said before Jai if you want to keep a running dog and not get any injuries then you either need to be lucky or buy it some armour

 

 

Aye mate i was thinking of you and Gem when i was doing this bit its just like up by you but waaaaaaaay more trees so extra fun, i'll take you up there.

[fieldsman 51]

I run on the fens round the Boston area it must be pretty good there,s people from every part of England down here on any given day.