Nothing Better Than An Afternoon In The Gorse!

[Scallywag 78]

Took the dogs to a place I hadn’t visited for a while this afternoon. The warm weather had turned the open grass into a pretty flower meadow, the little pine forest was dark and cool and the hillside above covered in thick gorse and bramble cover. And it was teeming with rabbits. The terrier went straight to work, ploughing through the long grass and scattering rabbits left and right. Even Pie, my oldest lurcher, who has placed herself into semi retirement, got cracking and my newest lurcher, Shadow, who I have had my doubts about, was working as closely with her as my old hand, Jed. In fact, there was a moment when we saw a rabbit bolt and confused in the mele, Shadow leapt on a movement in the grass, only to discover she’d tried to grab Tamba. Given these two are prone to heated debates I held my breath but apart from a surprised yip, Tamba just got on with the job. I am hoping I’m detecting the formation of a working bond at last.

 

There was too much cover, and the terrain was too steep and demanding for my elderly lurchers to catch anything, but there were several exciting close shaves. It was boiling, but luckily there was a deep pool of stinking black mud for them to wallow in whenever they needed to cool off. After more than an hour of charging about, the inevitable happened and Tamba went to earth. I wasn’t sure where but Jed marked her and eventually I heard her. There are two sounds that tell you where Tamba is – on a scent she gives tongue and when she’s gone to earth, if you wait, you’ll hear her ears clapping when she surfaces briefly, has a shake and goes under again. I heard her ears in the middle of a massive old bramble in a thicket of hawthorn and decided rather than try to reach her, I’d wait. We spent a lovely hour sitting on the hill in the sun, the gorse crackling in the heat, bees humming sleepily and the lurchers waiting for the bolt and then giving up and lying in the shade, stinking of bog. Tamba emerged, caked in orange mud and looking both delighted and suspiciously full, and we sauntered back to the van fitting a couple more runs in as we went.

 

All in all we had nearly two and half hours out. We came home empty handed but hot, tired and happy. Bushing, my absolute favourite way to spend time.

[pip1968 2,490]

sounds like you had a great few hours out having some fun with the dogs,but just be careful in this heat as sometimes the dogs dont know when to stop and as happened to my mates dogs yesterday just chasing rabbits it nearly collapsed

[bobcullen79 1,495]

You forgot the birds man!!! No skylarks or linnets trilling in the back ground?

 

Sounds like a nice time sat out though bud.

[Scallywag 78]

Ha ha! Too girly for you?! There were some pigeons crashing about - shame I don't shoot, at least we wouldn't have come home empty handed...

 

Good reminder pip - it was a bit hot. I'd gone there intending to have a quick half hour and got carried away. Hope your mate's dog is ok.

[TOM HEAVY 140]

great read that, sound like my kind of outing!!

[Wales1234 5,425]

Great story I do enjoy watching the lurchers jumping in the long grass looking for movement but heat is a killer the old bitch can not handle the heat

[pip1968 2,490]

Ha ha! Too girly for you?! There were some pigeons crashing about - shame I don't shoot, at least we wouldn't have come home empty handed...

 

Good reminder pip - it was a bit hot. I'd gone there intending to have a quick half hour and got carried away. Hope your mate's dog is ok.

hes got 2 hounds from ireland and when their on something you just have to wait and all his calling wont get them back till they,ve lost it and his dog just collapsed through heat exhaustion and they were only chasing a rabbit around a few bramble bushes

[wuyang 513]

I used to work gorse quite often, but I tend to avoid these days due to two of my dogs having to have eye operations many moons ago, good sport though.