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Bolting To Dogs With Tomo And Vin


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Yesterday I was invited out for the day ferreting with Tomo and Vin on the permission they share. I was to take my pup along and tomo had his pup with him and Vin had both of his dogs. Tomo collect me from mine at 4:30am, I had over slept but instinctively woke up at 4:25, I had to get all my stuff together as quick as I could and tomo didnt have to wait too long. It does put 15 mins on his journey so I really appreciate the fact he comes out his way to pick me up. The 2 and half hours drive passes quickly and meet Vin at the mcdonalds around 7am . I buy the breakfast's this time as they got me mine last season.

 

Anyway, we get a move on and arrive at the farm. We all get into vins vehicle and I get relegated to the back with the dogs as normal and we head to the spot we are intending on ferreting. We look out over the hills we are about to ferret and see 30 plus rabbits bobbing about. This first hill is a slug for all of us but we get up there eventually with some minor stops. All 3 of us postion ourselves on top of the hill at different warrens, tomos using his young hob and jill, vins got only the one hob and I have my two unfit jills and get to work. The masses of holes make it hard work for the ferrets up there but quickly the dogs are anticipating bolts. As I watch over my warren , a rabbit comes from vins warren and all three of our dogs take of after a rabbit, it heads down the steep slope and as doris takes a strike at the rabbit, it turns into gem and we have our first rabbit of the day.Doris then retrieves the rabbit straight back up the hill and back to vin. Good dog.

 

Vin then decides to move on to give the dogs space and heads of further to some other warrens. My jills continue to work away and Gem connects with another rabbits inside the hole. I look to my right again and see tomo now digging away at the ground below him. His ferret had obviously connected with a rabbit. An hour later and I still have just the two rabbits, tomo heads over and after telephone call with vin the plan is to try work together and aim to give the hillside a blast. Vin soon appears over the edge of the hill with a nice bounty of rabbits on his game carrier. We ferret the hillside between us using all the ferrets pretty much but the whilst tomo and vin do some more digging I eventually get another bolt that heads over the hill and gem picks it up just as it reaches the top. The hillside was just too difficult and we wasnt getting much action, so we drop the rabbits and head even higher where it eventually levels out.

 

Up on tops the warrens become easier work on our legs and soon tomo and vin start getting bolts. However I am not doing so well, with rabbits in all directions I find myself losing my head a bit. I am trying to watch Gem mark but she just stares at the rabbits in the distance bouncing about. I head to far away from the others and begin ferreting another set. I am without a spade and one of my ferrets kills down. I have gone to far to collect a spade from the others and so decide to wait it out. the other ferret bolts a couple more rabbits but Gem misses these as they reach other open warrens. When the ferrets re-surface I head back to the other two, I honestly felt slightly gutted I had struggled and also wasn't sure if my ferrets had started to become tired already.

 

When I reach the others again , I see both had there bleepers and either located the ferret or digging some more. That said, they both had a pile of rabbits each. We were running out of time and I needed to start catching. I then walk over a good sized warren and Gem gets her head down one of the holes. I enter both ferrets and stand out of the wind. Soon a rabbit bolts and gem makes another catch. Her retrieve has gone down the pan recently and this one was left where it was caught. I get her back over the warren and another rabbits bolts for it. Gem connects with this one as well. I wait abit longer and find only one ferret has come above ground. I ask tomo to locate my albino jill and we get a short dig to her and a rabbit.

 

Thankfully I start feeling better and push on. The sun even comes out and It was just perfect up there but we don't have long left before we needed to be heading back to the car. Gem marks some more warrens and the ferrets evict the rabbits and gem adds a few more rabbits to her tally. Just I start getting into the swing of things, tomo signals to start heading back. Gem marks one more warren, so I enter the ferrets. I hope for another quick bolt but the rabbit decides to battle it out again with the albino. Tomo does the digging and pulls out a dead rabbit which was abit on the thin side unlike the rest I caught yesterday.

 

All three of us head back with the catch,We have just enough time to have a quick brew and chat and a photo before driving back home.

 

I did take the camera but unfortunately didnt get much footage of the other dogs but managed plenty of gem so will edit it all together and post it up soon.

 

The final count was 49 rabbits, gem caught about 12.

 

Cheers gents for a brill day. Vin could you post a photo for me . thanks.

 

One short clip of gem running a bolter.... https://youtu.be/OmonGWcDrbQ

 

good hunting

 

rew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Like 3
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thanks a lot chaps. That hat makes me look like I have a cone head aha. I was happy with my dozen, that way I didn't have to carry so many on the hike back to the car. I can tell Im not used to them big slogs because my back is still aching slightly today.

 

heres another vid for you northernlite of one running down hill

https://youtu.be/aZ4Dih0mlOM

 

rew

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Thanks rew one of my dogs had it down to a fine art never missed it's stride just lifted them up it was amazing to watch out of the 30 odd years ive done the ground it was the only dog ive owned and seen that could do it very simaler to the ground I do some of the catches can be suicidal lol well done boys great way to spend a day atb

Edited by nothernlite
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