Fences, walls or nothing .........

[SheepChaser 8,083]

I was out lamping last night, having a good few runs and it made me think. . . . . 
 

So I’d better say first that this isn’t a dig at anyone or me trying to say my dogs are great, thought I’d better get that clear before someone got butt hurt ......

So pretty much all of the ground I run is big arable with thin hedges about the place, woods, rough patches etc but not a fence or wall in sight. If stuff is out in the open on these big fields it is usually all just down to the quality of the dog and the quarry as to whether it ends up on the deck or not. 
 

However a lot of the time the quarry are near wood edges etc and a hell of a lot of slips end up going into it through the woods, sometimes the dog wins and sometimes it doesn’t.

When I go elsewhere and we are in smaller fields which are fenced or walled (especially those which are double fenced with a big thick hedge) it makes some quarry a lot easier and some I think harder .....a friend of mine once said “fences make hero’s”.

When I lived back in Wales I was running a lot of small fields (20/30 acres being a large field) with fences and although sometimes you got done by some thing getting through the fence into the hedge and needed a fast dog to turn it off, the bigger quarry would generally be pretty well screwed. This obviously makes a big different to catch rare and what dog suits.
 

Im just curious as  to what other members have on their ground and what they prefer to run etc etc 

 

[TOMO 25,995]

same local to me...big arable and thin hedges dykes etc.....

i know up north gets mentioned alot with regards to stone walls and easy rabbits.....(rabbits being walled in )......interestingly though  yeh the rabbits are walled in ...but they usually have there warrens in those same fields...not always of course ...but usually its the case....so you cant say they have knowear to go...

end of they day...just be honest with what your running.... its great if you have time to test your dogs on different terrain...

[Greb147 6,809]

Used to be a b*****d where we used to lamp, lost a few dogs through hitting ditches at full pelt. 

[mC HULL 12,114]

smaller hedgier land quarry have to think whats coming up so arent concentrating on whats behind and will make alot more mistakes plus some quarry wont open up get right into there stride 

[mC HULL 12,114]

13 minutes ago, Greb147 said:

Used to be a b*****d where we used to lamp, lost a few dogs through hitting ditches at full pelt. 

useless dogs mate 

[Greb147 6,809]

11 minutes ago, mC HULL said:

useless dogs mate 

That must have been it, shame they weren't saluki types.

[Black neck 15,840]

Big fields wi skinny hedges easier than small fields wi thick hedges for wabbits fences and walls I wouldn't know ,if ote runs into woodland it's squeaky bum time bigger stuff I wouldn't know cos I'm a goody 2 shoes

[Bearfoot 1,477]

deep heather moors double wires rocks ditches and the odd cliff failing that open cast mines worked them all my dogs floating on flat feilds 

[Maximus Ferret 2,063]

All dairy and beef near me with electric fences everywhere. Some dogs can't cope. A wee bit further afield is rocky mountain and forestry.

[Maximus Ferret 2,063]

Electrified barb wire is the worst one. Once the cattle are in for winter most of the fences are turned off but that's not until December usually.

[moonlighter 1,163]

Large fields with dykes around then… f***ing hate the things… it’s great for lamping as it’s hard for the gear to run unsighted, but it’s deadly for dogs hitting a dyke side at full pelt. If you lamp regular near me, not many dogs live to old age unfortunately… not so bad with rabbits, but there’s more other stuff than rabbits and they run faster and further. 

[trigger2 3,129]

I am fortunate enough to have plenty of hedges and plenty of small fields. I get too walk the fields and enjoy my lamping. There's a few large fields here that I only walk certain hedges on, as that's where the wabbits run back too. Generally I don't walk the rest of the field as stuff just runs out of the light and can be a long way away in seconds. 

[SheepChaser 8,083]

It’s interesting lamping different ground. An issue I have here a lot is stuff going out of the beam, either due to undulations in the fields, distance, or around side of woods, cover. I would say probably 60% of stuff or more is caught out of the beam, sometimes a fair way off. And probably 40-50% of the slips end up with the dog going either into or through woods / trees of some kind or over a road at some point.

[dogmandont 9,737]

10 acres is a big field round these parts, it's like a patchwork quilt all divided up with a mixture of hedges and ditches, barb wire is everywhere and sheep netting with double barb wire on top is getting more and more common as lowland farmers change from beef to lamb. 

Need a dog with a bit of pace that can jump and push on or you'll not get much. 

Plodders are worse than useless. 

[mC HULL 12,114]

2 hours ago, dogmandont said:

10 acres is a big field round these parts, it's like a patchwork quilt all divided up with a mixture of hedges and ditches, barb wire is everywhere and sheep netting with double barb wire on top is getting more and more common as lowland farmers change from beef to lamb. 

Need a dog with a bit of pace that can jump and push on or you'll not get much. 

Plodders are worse than useless. 

10 acre is like a school field with a few football and rugby pitches on my way small bit a land