Last Wednesday and Sundays Outing

[wingnut 27]

Hi everyone, well I finally got time to put up a little read about my outings last week on my time off from work, and I had some really good days as everywhere else I have been these season has been riddled with myxi.

 

Well a family friend's daughter wanted to come out on a ferreting session with me, and I was more than happy to oblige, showing her how great our sport can be, its something I have enjoyed for years and I love showing others the sport and show them the thrill and buzz I get from it. So it was all set I would pick her up Wednesday morning at 9 o clock and we would head off up to the permission surrounding my grandparent’s house. I was excited to as it would be the first time I would use the young Jill I got of a good friend of here Malc 1, I felt she was ready and mature enough to show me her stuff, also I could use the nets I got of Netmaker of here and hopefully catch rabbits with no myxi. So I gathered all the gear collared up the ferrets, including my veteran old Jill she is 9 now and still works a treat. And we set of for a short walk with the dog to the ground having a good chat along the way, and giving her a brief incite into what was hopefully to come. We neared closer to the permission and I spotted two rabbits hopping into a bury under a holly bush I have had good success in the past so this would be a great start, knowing rabbits definitely at home and I was looking forward to seeing Whitney's reaction when the rabbits bolted. Before approaching the bury suggested to Whitney to just watch and pay attention on the first bury while I set up. So I set out the quickset long net, and gave her the thumbs up and entered my old Jill followed by the young jills first entering, she went down well no messing, all was quiet for a while then suddenly two rabbits bolted one into the long net which I quickly dispatched the other one run up the hedge into small three hole bury right next to the bury, not linked, I said to Whitney its ok leave it there and I placed a few purse nets over the holes. the two jills were still working through the bury well, I only anticipated two in there so thought the jills would emerge soon, the old girl did, but no sign from the young Jill, any way I entered the old girl into the three holer, and left the young Jill exploring the bury. The old girl soon shifted the bunny out the three holer rabbit number two in the bag, I kept a eye on my young Jill and sat back and watched her exploring the bury visiting every hole I was impressed I then put my old girl back with her just to see if there was any more at home, and there was a further two bolted another straight into the net, but unfortunately the other one run down the hedge the opposite way into a bury further down the hedge, I let that one live to see another day. Any way we had three rabbits out the first bury Whitney was really excited and couldn’t wait to ferret the next bury so we set of down another hedge, and spotted I nice looking bury, so this time I decided I would let Whitney set some purse nets as the holes were accessible, she picked this up really quickly and handled the nets brilliantly, once all set in went the young Jill and within seconds a rabbit straight in the net snugly well tangled in the purse net (Netmaker these nets hold them really well Cheers), any way I dispatched as Whitney didn’t quite feel comfortable with it at this stage which I accepted, the young Jill didn’t show so out come the locator I located her at three feet so began the dig, the young Jill came out and looked disinterested, I was not to worried as I knew it was a massive learning curve for her today and the sound of me digging obviously startled her, I boxed her up and entered the old girl and got the mark in same place and finished the dig and pulled out rabbit number 5. We then set of to another bury which we decided would be the last one of the day as the weather was turning, so we netted up and waited in anticipation this time I entered the young hob he didn’t want to play ball and I didn’t want to do more damage forcing him, so I boxed him up and entered the jills, then all of sudden there was a screaming coming from one of the holes the young Jill had hold of a quarter grown rabbit I was in disbelief to see one so young any way it was dispatched, and joined the bag, the jills set back to work and out bolted a bunny perfectly in the purse net rabbit number 7 and a end of a great day. So we set off on the walk back to my grandparents house with Whitney carrying the catch with a smile from cheek to cheek, she thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t wait to cook her share of the catch when she got home, and couldn’t wait to come out and go rabbiting again. I was really impressed with the young jills first outing, and was looking forward to Sundays outing with my bro-in-law with the predicted frost.

 

Here are some pictures from Wednesdays outing, Whitney wouldn’t let me take photo on my phone encase I uploaded it on face book ha-ha.

 

My old Jill

Ready for action

End of Day Photo, with me and the three ferrets and my dog ash (Think i need to teach them to pose)

The days catch, ready to prepare

 

 

Well Sunday arrived and we had the frost predicted, brilliant I was looking forward to a good days ferreting on a different hedge of the permission, and see what the day brought. So we geared up and set off to the permission, the fields had been cultivated, so fresh rabbit activity was clearly visible, we walked up the hedge which I ferreted on Wednesday, and decided to do a bury on the way up the hedge were the rabbit escaped on my previous outing, anyway to cut a long story short the bury even though clear signs drew a blank, so we set off up to a untried hedge, we soon spotted a nice rabbit running for a bury, bingo so we walked up to set up, then all of a sudden my labbie flushed a hare from its seat and was on her way over the field ha-ha she was quickly re-called and we got back to business.

So we netted up between us with my quickset long nets alongside the hedge the best could and we purse netted the holes which were easily accessible and left the ones deep in the hedge uncovered as we would be working our way up this short hedge and hopefully push them down to a bury to be ferreted later should one run up the hedge or slip the net. So all set up we entered the two jills, we knew one was at home as we saw it pop in minutes later the tell tale sign of rumbling started and out popped a rabbit in the middle of the hedge and straight back down again, hole hopping before finally ending in the long net and being dispatched, then another bolted but this one run straight down the hedge not to worry we will get him later, the jills still working away another rabbit crept out and squatted in the hedge, I lunged with my foot into the foliage and pinned it and dispatched, two out the first bury so things were looking good. So we simply swung round my long net to the next section of hedge full with holes to the next bury and simply netted up the holes accessible again as the hedge was still thick but looked to thin out a bit further on down. All ready to go in went the old girl and let her work after awhile a rabbit bolted into the long net and my bro-in law killed it, then another bolted up the hedge and I followed and it got flushed back down the hedge to the bury it just come from, it bolted again but this time it managed to get round the long net and away to safety (damm). So we moved further down repeating the process again, this bury looked really promising there was loads of rabbit prints in the fresh cultivated soil, so in went the two jills and after a while the young Jill appeared but no sign of the old girl so out come the locator I found her at a depth of about 31/2ft so began digging down and soon reached in and grabbed bunny number 4, out come the old girl, I couldn’t believe there was only one in here, then my bro-in law said they didn’t come to these two little bolt holes here so he entered the Jill in and within seconds two rabbits bolted one snugly in the purse net which my bro-in law killed and the other tangled in the long net my side, but the problem was I was on the same side of my bro-in law after the dig so I had to find a small opening in the hedge and sort of superman dive through to get to the rabbit which I did rabbit number 6 along with a few cuts ha-ha. So we moved on down to the next part of the hedge it was beginning to get easy to net all the holes up now so happy days, we netted up and minutes later a young quarter grown bolted and managed to get through net down the hedge and just kept running never saw him again, then all of a sudden two rabbits bolted together on my bro-in laws side he couldn’t believe it and decided to get the one which got out the purse net into the long net and dispatched it then tried coming back to the other one I couldn’t just quite reach it, and it slipped back down the hole but soon came out into another net which was soon dispatched. The ferrets worked through with no more at home so we decided to pick up and walk a bit further down the hedge for one more bury before we set of for home, we came across a little four holer which although didn’t look well used, something told me to net it so we didn’t two of the holes were full of hedge cuttings so I felt optimistic. Any way we entered the old girl and see set of to work, I was sitting my side when all of a sudden I saw a rabbit push its head into the net then disappear back down, it did this at another hole too before I had to get out the locator and locate the ferret at three feet so out came the banjo again and started the dig, I found the tube and extracted the ferret and put my arm in to get the rabbit, this rabbit was in really tight and it took me a while to get my hand around its legs but I soon did and the final rabbit of the day was in the bag, we backfilled and packed up the gear with our 9 rabbits out this section of the hedge we were well chuffed we posed for some pictures, then set off we walked the remaining part of the hedge and surrounding areas and rabbit signs were everywhere, they be there for a another day, the dog flushed a few up too which must of been basking in the warm sun.

 

My bro-in-law

Me and the catch

 

We had a great day and with a total of 16 rabbits out of two sections of hedge the farmer was well chuffed when i informed him later on. Just a shame i couldnt get some more action pictures of the outings i think i will have to employ a photographer ha ha. Thanks for reading and i cant wait for my next outing, happy hunting everyone. Thanks Malc and Netmaker

Cheers Wingnut

[NACHO LIBRE 20]

good read and pics wingnut ps does your bro in law wax his eyebrows

[The one 8,592]

Nice read and pics mate ,cant believe your getting young rabbits its mid November and bloody freezing here

[Magwitch 687]

Nice read and pics mate ,cant believe your getting young rabbits its mid November and bloody freezing here

We had one full of youngsters tueseday night with the rimmy..............

[takman511 42]

nice 1 well done lads

[Guest vin]

enjoyed that..cheers

[ferretville 69]

Good post and pics