nothernlite 18,027 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) Stuff the numbers. I more into walking and looking at the scenery in my older yrs.[/quote nice dog Edited January 5, 2015 by nothernlite 1 Quote Link to post
2.8 guy 403 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 I was only having this conversation the time I got pissed wet through the other week when out lamping with my mate kev and I was saying how a few seem to be very keen on numbers and the counting game on the net. I was saying how they must run about them fells trying to catch every rabbit they see he burst out laughing and said can you remember when we first started in the dales on that moor rob used to take us it dawned on me yes I was just the same lol coming off that moor with more rabbits than we could carry. I then cast my mind back to living in Richmond on my permos door step we hit that hard in them years and that was my bred and butter we both took jobs offered to us by yorkshire game as we was there that often and jacked it in after the second week cos we was making more hunting my only regret was not keeping the tally of the amount of bunnys my acd cross caught. Now adays and to be fair for a long time now I hunt for me not keeping account of whats caught and whats lost if I go out and catch one or twenty one as long as ive had enough and enjoyed the walk thats all that matters and as for keeping the land owner happy theres enough going on my land these days to keep the numbers down without me going mad. The thing is you go out and do what makes you happy thats all that counts atb 2.8 11 Quote Link to post
Phil Lloyd 10,736 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) Try to get about abit,,but not as much as some lads,,, look at Jim,, or the lads that do it for a living,,, like socks or Lloyd,, think they will be getting alto more than that,,, @ TOMO...the numbers game,.. has passed me by... Used to night shoot, hundreds and hundreds of rabbits,..also ferreted most days and even caught a few bunnies, on the lamp... The drop boxes were a godsend (they were working 24 hrs non stop) and always bumped the daily catch up no end,..The deep sand warrens were cleared with a combination of ferreting and Fenn trapping. The Imbras and Carrot cages also mopped up stragglers. This continuous war of attrition, combined with running a productive snare line, also accounted for thousands more shushis....It was a well paid (and seemingly endless) harvest of our natural resources.. Facts are,..I feel that I had some of the best years of the rabbit control business... Nowadays,..I am just an old part-timer,... Edited January 5, 2015 by Phil Lloyd 4 Quote Link to post
keeganrees 196 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Had my best season yet to date and have had to put some gruelling drives to do it ... Me and storm323 have regularly driven 11 hour round trip to the dales ... We enjoy it but where young and got years to slow down I also want to test the dog and fair is fair she's done everything I've thrown at her Happy hunting boys 1 Quote Link to post
Country Joe 1,411 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 years ago i had three freezers, i got 20 pence a rabbit unskinned and guts in, i was lamping, snaring, longnetting and ferreting, and one night a week i would go out with the keeper, he shot, i picked up and opened and shut gates, and he let me keep the rabbits. now if i go ferreting myself, im happy with three and four, i like to watch the dog working and watching Geese flying over my head, I just feed the rabbits to my dog and the ferrets, im never in a hurry, and being retired i can pick my days. Utopia. i suppose a few on here would not get out of bed for four rabbits, but i love it. 15 Quote Link to post
Phil Lloyd 10,736 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 years ago i had three freezers, i got 20 pence a rabbit unskinned and guts in, i was lamping, snaring, longnetting and ferreting, and one night a week i would go out with the keeper, he shot, i picked up and opened and shut gates, and he let me keep the rabbits. now if i go ferreting myself, im happy with three and four, i like to watch the dog working and watching Geese flying over my head, I just feed the rabbits to my dog and the ferrets, im never in a hurry, and being retired i can pick my days. Utopia. i suppose a few on here would not get out of bed for four rabbits, but i love it. Good post,...I like ya script... 1 Quote Link to post
tjones3862 3,423 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) Try to get about abit,,but not as much as some lads,,, look at Jim,, or the lads that do it for a living,,, like socks or Lloyd,, think they will be getting alto more than that,,, @ TOMO...the numbers game,.. has passed me by... Used to night shoot, hundreds and hundreds of rabbits,..also ferreted most days and even caught a few bunnies, on the lamp... The drop boxes were a godsend (they were working 24 hrs non stop) and always bumped the daily catch up no end,..The deep sand warrens were cleared with a combination of ferreting and Fenn trapping. The Imbras and Carrot cages also mopped up stragglers. This continuous war of attrition, combined with running a productive snare line, also accounted for thousands more shushis....It was a well paid (and seemingly endless) harvest of our natural resources.. Facts are,..I feel that I had some of the best years of the rabbit control business... Nowadays,..I am just an old part-timer,... i bet you have some massive pics of bunnys to share with us, it would be nice to see some,,, these days we are left with the dregs,, Edited January 5, 2015 by tjones3862 Quote Link to post
BrianSteven72 369 Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 dont know how many i dont count...but alothaha you lier you count every single one even the ones you pick up of the road dead 2 Quote Link to post
bryson 562 Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 to be fair im doing good if i get 4 runs for the dogs on a 5 hour session its hard where i am but the dogs are keen as mustard i would love 1 shot on a place where theres good numbers just to see how my dog would cope he is as fit as a fiddle but i still have a desire to see him pushed to his limit something on my ground i will never be able to achieve Quote Link to post
fluff 409 Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) back in the ninties the early part there was alot more rabbits some years between lamping ferreting box traps we had 200 to 400 a week then less and less , best season 3 to4 thousand but prices were poor , so we got int o other game but lately the rabbits have been good 2 50 to 3 00 pound a head in some establish ments and i walked onto 20 thousand acres so handy bit of luck ,dont lamp but ferret it and dogs, but last year we had roughly 1500 this year weel end up with maybe 800 to 1100 roughly ,its a hobby nothing else , and legal as it can get ,i would pay a fiver or 6 quid for a scottish hill rabbit there a good fare lump and a feed for 3 people with the trimmings , its great fun up in the hills, grouse, odd white hare, odd blackcock ,and plenty to go at , but you must have decent ferrets and dogs to boot as its testing week in week out,as the climate changes fast and it can be rough going Edited January 6, 2015 by fluff 3 Quote Link to post
socks 32,253 Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Unfortunately when you do it for a living its all about the numbers ... Whoever is paying the bill wants to see large bags of rabbits removed before he coughs up your hard earned wonga ... I am busier than I have ever been at the moment ... I am working 7 days a week and shooting 3 nights a week and I am just about managing to fit all my work in ... I've got 36 drop traps permenantly set at the moment which have to be emptied twice a day and whilst they are producing good numbers of rabbits after working all day and only having a few hours before your out again night shooting the last thing you want to be doing is emptying drop traps but if you want to earn the money it's got to be done ... I never keep a score of what I catch each year but keep a rough count in my head and this year so far the numbers are looking good ......... 9 Quote Link to post
blackmaggie 3,375 Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 after that write up i think your going to busy with pms has well socks Quote Link to post
wild rover 548 Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 In the 80's and 90's we used to travel into Scotland, which took about 1.1/2 hours drive, to the Lockerbie/Dumfries/Lochmaben areas two nights a week lamping and sometimes all day ferreting, something to eat then back out on the lamp, rabbits were plentiful and unusual if we didnt come back with 150-200 on each trip, also used to travel to Brough/Appleby areas for days and nights out, Just Past Lockerbie a game dealer used to give us 50p a rabbit, still with guts etc, we used to bring most home, skin and gut them, freeze them and sell them for £1 to hound dog men and other lads for dog feed. Now into my 60's and retired I am out ratching about every morning, just local now, doing nothing in particular, prefer to watch the dog bushing and hunting, maybe catch the odd rabbit and sometimes disturb other things, numbers and vast amounts arent about like they used to be, but Im happy just being out. 13 Quote Link to post
Phil Lloyd 10,736 Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Canny wee dog there WR.... Yeah,..I think some guys get a mite bit confused.com....with work and play... I've spent a lifetime hunting rabbits,...first as a poacher,.then in latter years, as a Pest controller... There is a massive difference,..both in methods used and obviously in one's attitude... Initially,.as a young man,..I had pretty fair lurcher dogs,..the main reason being,..I hunted continuously and walked wherever there was game to be taken,...and did not give a feck. We went out, night after night,..no need to get up for work,...I just did not go... I had years and years of freelancing,...it was great... and both me and the dogs were fit as Buck Rats.. Obviously,..if you run dogs at such a pace,.night after night,.they will sustain injuries,..and you will eventually get pulled... It is part and parcel of that game,..no avoiding it.. However, by a strange quirk of fate,...my life was turned around and almost overnight,..I became legal... To cut a long ( and eventful) story short,...I no longer catch rabbits in any quantity.. Like most other genuine hunting men,..I still enjoy my walks out, and love to hear how well my fellow enthusiasts are doing,...but things have changed for me,...sheer numbers don't rock my boat,...never did really.... Keep the exciting pictures and sensible comments coming lads,... 7 Quote Link to post
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