Found A Den To Die For Today!

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

I took another one of my long range patrols this evening. Now the ground's drying out a bit I can get on the actual land and, now I have my rifle, I have more reason to go sneaking all over the place. No traps set out there right now either, so I meander as I see fit. When I have traps out, it's a route march from one to the next. Tonight was just armed exploration. Simply enjoying myself. And I came across This!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first shot probably tells us more than the second shot, which is a close up of the hole. I was trying to illustrate the fact that this hole certainly does go inside that tree. I suspect it probably goes up too. I wasn't about to put my hand in there - reason being I don't want to disturb the occupant or alert him to the fact that I now know where he lives. Oh and, by the way; The tree ends just about at the top of the photo. I thought I'd got it all in but there's just a touch more ivy above what the shot shows. The tree effectively ends in that frame. Broke off at some point.

 

Even better though is down to the lower right. Some of ye may just be able to make out the run track down between the tree and that fence post? Well, I leaned on that fence post. Down there, just to the left, is a glorious little run, up along a mud bank out of a wettish ditch! I could actually, clearly see Tracks! Only trouble was, I had my rifle in my other hand and wasn't willing to put it on the marshy field. There was no way then that I could lean over and take some shots of the scene down there. I also have an unhealthy suspicion that that damn fence may be Live at this time of year!

 

Anyway, I didn't want to disturb Anything. I strongly feel this'll be a nesting den. But of what? My money's on Pine Marten. Obviously, I only have the vaguest idea of how a pine marten may choose to locate and house it's nest. But this one just reeked of it. I'd imagine a mink would just have used a bank side burrow? And, talking of reeking? I stuck my face in the hole and had a damn good sniff: Nothing. I suspect a minks nest would have a smell about it?

 

Now that I've discovered it, I can actually go back to it again without too much hardship. It's just a couple of fields below Pat's place. Obviously, I will. I'll also get round and look at it from differant angles and shall get some shots of those tracks. Piney and mink tracks both look extremely alike, to me. Same type. Same size. I'll have to get on Google and suss out a distinguishing feature - unless anybody here knows?

 

Obviously, assuming it Is a piney, I have absolutely no intentions towards this nest. I doubt I could ever come up with a photograph of marten kits playing outside it and I'm sure as hell not interested in cage trapping the adult what ever it is, just to see what it is. But I'm sure as hell excited about this find. It's an absolutely story book old tree 'stump' and, if I have found a pineys nest? Well; Isn't that just the coolest shit anyone could hope for?

[leegreen 2,100]

Certainly something I have never encountered.

well done son

[cúagusgiorraí 57]

I have seen the same thing here as well. I honestly dont know what lies within. I have seen PMs, otters, and mink within the area.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

The plot thickens!

 

I was back down there this evening. In fact, I now realise that I can plainly see even the Hole from when I'm standing up on the road! I spotted the tree as I walked along to the gate, and the hole itself sticks out like a punch in the mouth - once ye have a reason to look, that is. So, I can observe it from about the fifty to seventy five yard mark without even needing to leave the road. I feel that could somehow prove handy.

 

Anyway, what a f*cking pollava getting the shot! I only have a gammy pair of chink made trainers just now. The ditch running beside the tree proved to be quite well provided with water. What wasn't under water was quite deep mud and the only high and dry spots? F*cking creature was already making full use of those! Mud it was then

 

Then, as if That wasn't enough, this tree stands right at the junction of four fields. Thus Pat, in an effort to brace up several runs of high powered electric fencing, had somehow managed to present me with a criss cross of horizontal fence posts as well as the vicious wires themselves!

 

Picture it, can't ye? Clambouring into a deep ditch, full of deep mud. Barely able to pick a spot to tread. Terrified of blowing my brains out on one of those strands as I played Twister with the poles ~ all the time trying desperately not to actually touch or disturb Anything.

 

Was it worth it? I think so! Gentlemen; I bring you, The Glittering Prize!

 

(I've deliberately left it unreduced, so those who may want to can click it open and see the bigger picture. Personally, I find it shows better whilst smaller though. About a quarter bigger than life sized)

 

 

 

But Whose The F*ck Is It???

 

 

No one under the age of twenty one need even offer their input on this one, thankyou. Let's just hear it from some of you time served men. It's one of the obvious trio of suspects, isn't it? But they all look so bloody alike and I could only find this one, worthwhile track. But, and I think ye'll agree; It IS a f*cking belter! No?

[OldTrapCollector 376]

Get a cage in beside that old fence post Ditch, with a signal that you can see from the road ~ that way you can check without having to conduct the gladatorial effort every day to get there

 

OTC

[alimac 882]

at a guess id say not a stinker (mink) or pm as the print looks a little to broad .. maybe a little to small for a otter.... adult prints or young i wonder .... as for the hole id say it wasnt a otter holt but more likley to be a stinker or pm .... so the top and bottom of it is im not too sure

[cúagusgiorraí 57]

My best guess is a Pine Martin.

[stone-cold 0]

i'd of thought that a mink would have a bankside burrow as would an otter,i've come across mink burrows before whilst fishing and they do have a muddy fishy sort of smell,that print you found is small enough to be a mink print which you say is similar to a pine marten.

i know very little about the pine marten but your hunch on it being so is the more likely in my oppinion.

it's an excellent find and tell's me you like to explore as i do,always looking for new burrows/prints and run's,sign's of feeding etc

what about setting a trap and release it if it is a marten?

or keep an early morning vigil?

either way it's a bloody good find

[Rolfe 2]

The plot thickens!

 

I was back down there this evening. In fact, I now realise that I can plainly see even the Hole from when I'm standing up on the road! I spotted the tree as I walked along to the gate, and the hole itself sticks out like a punch in the mouth - once ye have a reason to look, that is. So, I can observe it from about the fifty to seventy five yard mark without even needing to leave the road. I feel that could somehow prove handy.

 

Anyway, what a f*cking pollava getting the shot! I only have a gammy pair of chink made trainers just now. The ditch running beside the tree proved to be quite well provided with water. What wasn't under water was quite deep mud and the only high and dry spots? F*cking creature was already making full use of those! Mud it was then

 

Then, as if That wasn't enough, this tree stands right at the junction of four fields. Thus Pat, in an effort to brace up several runs of high powered electric fencing, had somehow managed to present me with a criss cross of horizontal fence posts as well as the vicious wires themselves!

 

Picture it, can't ye? Clambouring into a deep ditch, full of deep mud. Barely able to pick a spot to tread. Terrified of blowing my brains out on one of those strands as I played Twister with the poles ~ all the time trying desperately not to actually touch or disturb Anything.

 

Was it worth it? I think so! Gentlemen; I bring you, The Glittering Prize!

 

(I've deliberately left it unreduced, so those who may want to can click it open and see the bigger picture. Personally, I find it shows better whilst smaller though. About a quarter bigger than life sized)

 

 

 

But Whose The F*ck Is It???

 

 

No one under the age of twenty one need even offer their input on this one, thankyou. Let's just hear it from some of you time served men. It's one of the obvious trio of suspects, isn't it? But they all look so bloody alike and I could only find this one, worthwhile track. But, and I think ye'll agree; It IS a f*cking belter! No?

Well i don't know enough about PM's to judge........but i can say with a fair degree of certainty that it's NOT a mink print.

I have to deal with mink on a regular basis........and unless it has been double printed it is not like any mink print i have ever seen.........and i see an awful lot.

 

Rolfe.

[foxdropper 17,092]

Might just be the angle im looking at it or something but it looks for all the world like a young badger .Certainly not mink which are a distinct spread toe walker on soft stuff .As to the den or holt mate ,if theres no scratching up the trunk or loose sawdust below then its only that ,a hole in a tree .

[Rolfe 2]

Might just be the angle im looking at it or something but it looks for all the world like a young badger .Certainly not mink which are a distinct spread toe walker on soft stuff .As to the den or holt mate ,if theres no scratching up the trunk or loose sawdust below then its only that ,a hole in a tree .

My initial thought was a badger....looking at the print....albeit a small one........and they do love ripping open old stumps for grubs..........but it just looks too small for me........interesting though.

 

Rolfe.

[pegandgun 51]

If that was a badger young or old it would have claw marks in mud that soft....P&G.....

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

This whole project's giving me murders. I'm trying so hard to take you guys to the site and show ye exactly what I'm seeing there. But angulation, light and focus is just making that impossible for me. But that's still leaving you guys at a serious handicap. Ye can't see that single foot print in relation to the pathway through the grass before it. Ye can't examine that tree, its hole and that around it. That genuinely is a shame. Because it's like nothing I've ever encountered before and - now that I'm happy I know what it is - it's something I'd like more to be able to study and take from.

 

 

If theres no scratching up the trunk or loose sawdust below then its only that ,a hole in a tree .

 

 

 

 

 

I took this shot yesterday. Still trying to better illustrate exactly what Drops is now looking for. The trees inside has been fairly and obviously 'worked on'. And this is no bird or badger. Height, depth, nature of the sign inside ..... Hell, ye'll just have to accept that I've had my face in there and actually do have a clue what I'm talking about. I know whats den it is. I've just never found one before.

 

I was wondering if any of the people who Woodga appears so uptight about, because they read my Posts, may have picked up the clue by simply following my chronological sweep across the land here. But then I guess, I gave no indication of geography. No one reading any number of my posts could have put the links together and known that, barely seventy five yards from this den, I hunted the hunter. Now I know where he lives; Mansion du le Chat Savauge Noir.

 

Now re evaluate. Or just sit back and wait while I figure out how best to come up with this b*stard. He's on Pat's ground. Pat implicitly doesn't want him on his ground. Game on!