secretagentmole 1,701 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 (edited) Well folks I told you that some muppet had put snares on my permission and that I did not think they would be too effective, above is a sample of their handywork! Not very good is it? Anyway, Mole was down on his permission today and again he got a double, kitt and adult, the kitt was a grazing on the food I put down and got one! Then I was amazed to see a pair of stoats dancing about, it was like National Geographic meets WWE Smackdown Vs Raw. A stoat is a diminutive little animal, looks like a ferret that has been washed in too high a temperature! Psychotic little buggers though, makes the Tasmanian Devil look like a guide dog. They were wrestling kitts all over the place, chasing them down burrows, wrestling with them, I did not bother shooting as this was superb to watch. They would be kicked off, but go back for the throat, they were in and out of the burrows, fighting, scrapping and mauling! Eventually they got one and got it down a burrow to consume it! It was well worth watching! Now for the informative diagram that shows the scale of Moles epic crusade against the varmints! I started off at the position marked as SP, I observed miscreants X & Y at the position indicated on the photo. I proceeeded to crouch walk using the brambles on the bank edge as cover. Reaching the position of the last dot I realised I could be seen as the paddock is higher than the fallow field, so I dropped down and crawled along, rearing occasionally like some demented meerkat trying to see if X & Y were still there, it was at this point I saw miscreant Z in the position marked as Z1. Crawling like a hippo moving through a field of bamboo (there are a lot of old tall dry grass stalks on that bit) I cautiously advanced. My movement was noted by X & Y who legged it under some old asbestos sheets that can be seen down from Z1. Oh fork, damn, blast, drat, curse, mutter, I proceeded to point FP, Z had disappeared, I stood up, what was on the ground 35 yards ahead of me, Z in position Z2. I raised my rifle slowly, aimed carefully, slowed my beating heart down and slowed my breathing, got the cross hair on the point just behind the eye and pulled. Thwack, disco dance of death, perfect impact another bun bites the dust. Saw the farmer later on and had a word with him as I did not know if he has the field I saw about 200 woodies on, he did not, but he allowed me full access to all his land that is planted or does not have livestock (horses) on! So now my permission has quadrupled, acquired some woodland and has got more rabbits and some woodies too! Edited March 27, 2011 by secretagentmole 1 Quote Link to post
boroboyoli 0 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 great write up! nice bunnies you got there. Must have been great watching those stoats. Atb Oli Quote Link to post
secretagentmole 1,701 Posted March 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 (edited) It was fantastic, they were helling it about, chasing the kitts, bumper crop of those this year sizes from minbun to medibun! Edited March 27, 2011 by secretagentmole Quote Link to post
lighthunter 81 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 top read molie,well done on not getting gun ho'and having a go at the stoats. and good luck on your permision Quote Link to post
secretagentmole 1,701 Posted March 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 Don't think my shooting was that bad either, that was a decent kill shot on the bun (doe just in kitt as well), well pleased with that one, all praise to Pianoman ... He really has helped in the aiming and firing department, just hope he has a look at the photo! Quote Link to post
Mrs Mole 74 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 Well done Moley.. You have done it again I'll join you next time, thanks for your patience, I know I'm a pain.. Great buns.. I buy some more daystste pellets.. Quote Link to post
gurtwurz 793 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 you've gotta love a stoat(unless youre a gamekeeper), my favourite british mammal, just amazing to watch doing their own mental acrobatic thing. nice one for not shooting em mole, and well done on another couple of bunnies, good shot placement on the adult fella cheers, wurz Quote Link to post
secretagentmole 1,701 Posted March 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 (edited) I am on there to get rid of vermin Gurtwurz (sorry I do not know your name), they are doing their job doing the same thing, it was fantastic to see them active and seemingingly unafraid of me, I was part of the background to them and they were intent on getting a Kitt. Their run, like a bounding Corgi, the sheer singlemindedness of them, it was like having the world's best 3D HD TV, with surround sound, ambient lighting and fantastic humour! They are really fascinating creatures! I am not going to deprive them of life, they make it a lot more interesting. I never knew they worked in pairs! Edited March 27, 2011 by secretagentmole Quote Link to post
gurtwurz 793 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 they dont so much pair up when theyre fully mature i believe, i think david attenborough did a segment on em in 'life of mammals' with an adult stoat chasing down a 3/4 grown rabbit amongst a field full of em.(how lucky you were to see it without paying a license fee!) i saw one do its dance of death along a hedgerow and get a rabbit kitt as a kid and have loved em ever since, just an amazing creature. i'm envious of your afternoon, you lucky fekker cheers, wurz Quote Link to post
secretagentmole 1,701 Posted March 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 These were kit stoats, not much bigger than the rabbit kits, it was fascinating, maybe this was why they were working as a pair. I should have had the camera on me but I was so damned fascinated, it was WWE meets All Creatures Great and Small. The rabbits were giving it back to them, kicking them off, rolling, fighting, but the rabbits were in the main seemingly unafraid! Quote Link to post
gurtwurz 793 Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 yeah mate, in the film segment it showed an adult stoat running a rabbit up and down a field full of other rabbits, all completely disinterested in what was happening and carrying on eating! the stoat wore the rabbit down, jumped on it and tucked in to its jugular,rabbit screaming away and still the others remained where they were. kind of like a chav mugging a pensioner in broad daylight on a busy high street these days i suppose... this is the real joy of hunting for me, the opportunity to see nature at work like this(the stoat, not a chav...), you get to see wildlife doing its own thing in ways most folk only get to read about or watch on the box. we lead very privelidged lives because of fantastic moments like your stoat mate, you'll remember it for ever buddy. cheers, wurz Quote Link to post
secretagentmole 1,701 Posted March 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 I am going to keep the camera on me so if I see it again, it gets videoed! What a display though, it would make you laugh, the stoat was taking on a rabbit longer than it was! Ambitious little bleeder! Got it in the death grip and you got the rabbit scream, but it was fascinating, just pure entertainment! Quote Link to post
markha 99 Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Did you ask the landowner about the wire trap,(I wouldnt call it a snare!) as it is clearly illegal , being non free running and would not break away. Nice write up again Mole Quote Link to post
77 si 21 Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Nice1 mole, god read that. Quote Link to post
kobidog 1 Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Gurtwurz is this the video you mean of the stoat killing the rabbit? Quote Link to post
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