best course

[BRAN 0]

Being bored like I'm sure the rest of you, I'd like to throw this one to the masses. Over the years, and probably since time began, hunters coming back relaying details of the hunt has been a huge crowd pleaser back in the day it was the Native Americans, chewing the fat around the fire about the buffalo? Now recently I've found myself with ex hunters or those getting long in the tooth, telling them about the day's craic and how much they appreciate the yarn. Maybe it's the familiarity with the land that was tilled, or the lines of dogs involved but they can't get enough off it! What became apparent is that even though these aul' hands hadn't been near dogs in a few years, they all had scorched into their memory the best course they had ever seen, and could go into great detail of what dog was involved, the land, and the escape route(or not ) the hare took. I found this fascinating, and exactly the same as old boxing or football fans recounting their favorite sporting moments - So lads let's hear them ? Here's mine:

 

The best course I ever seen was in Ireland, 5 years ago last week of November and it was double handed (not intentional) my mobile phone bleated at 11 and spooked a hare that jumped 50-70 yards of a big, young cream saluki dog I had bought for big dough, because of the lines involved (Willie Tuffy R.I.P/Sweeney). This dog was collected from an abandoned fiesta in Mayo, in the middle of the night! He was 18 months, and I would have told you he was black on collection, but he was really cream. He had a head on him like a breezeblock and had seen 3 tails before this, and caught none! The dog was a complete weirdo, it chose to hide under my aul' pigeon shed instead of a warm block bed, and seemed to be constantly staring into the distance at nada.

 

One thing I had noticed on prior runs, beside a cumbersomeness, was an aloof gait what I mean by that was he ran slightly with his head cocked, and seemed loose on the turn ( I think correctly he was not fully on). Anyways this hare jumps, and is streaming to the nearest gate a hundred yards away full pelt like an exocet. I had slipped, to be honest mostly trigger happy, and the big sapling headed after the hare. As the hare met the gate, my mate's bitch came through the gate skipping looking for another hare that had lost her in the previous field. This bitch was a whole different prospect, to what I had. A mature and in prime bitch off a full saluki to an accomplished lurcher that had more than a eputation.

 

The field was a prime dairy park surrounded by stubble, and sewed fields. The bitch must have took between thirty and forty turns out of the hare in the dairy field boxing it expertly away from the the two main exits in a field. The hare was small and lean and complete with that ratty appearance the hare takes when it pins the ears back, and is doing everything in it's life to escape! After the inital domination of the bitch, I noticed a marked difference in the young dog when the bitch tried to pick the hare and the hare in a last ditch effort leapt six feet vertically in the air near falling into the young dog's mouth.

 

Whatever it was, this lit the touch paper! It was like watching a different animal, he locked on big time. Swing for swing with the bitch, the hare eventually made it into a huge sewn field that was heavy going. I sprinted to the only gate in the this field which to confound matters was a five bar gate that had been turned sideways. I counted 5 times the hare and dogs went through that gate, and then into the distance then back again then into the dairy park and then into the stubble!

 

I cut across the plough, sinking bogged into the calves, thinking no way could they still be on the hare by the time I got out of this. But I was wrong, for when finally got onto a tractor lane, there the merry dance was returning. I remember clear as day hearing the hare pass me not two feet away, and the hare breathing heavy through it's nose, the dogs panting and the incredible image of the steam flying off the dogs. Three times I counted teeth snipping, and once the bitch nipped his arse sending fur like a pistol shot into a duvet. But this hare wasn't for stopping , up another gear he would go, tucking his arse into his body. The big dog in front of my own eyes, went from a pup to a dog, prior to this he was always slamming into gates, now he would twist his torso like a contortionist and slide like a letter through the sideways gate. The hare finally got onto a concrete lane and there wasn't another turn. My phone rang, my mate trying to find his bitch, as they disappeared into the distance it was 11.07 - 7 minutes is the longest run I ever saw in Ireland.

 

About five minutes later bitch came back blowing through her hole, no sign off the dog. I heard yelping in the distance and headed towards it. I found an area covered in five strand electric bull wire full blip, and no sign of the dog. We searched all day for the dog to no avail, until some wanker came upon on us and started giving off about hunting hares , and phoning guards, farmers and everybody bar the U.S calvary so we had to f**k off. Never heard head nor tail off that dog, but I tell you what? He was worth what was give for him on the basis of that one race alone

[lamper12 30]

sounds a legend of a course mate...

my grandad had a big white dog called ghost mustard he was absolutely mustard but would kill any other dog so didnt get the work he needed which is a shame,he accidently got to an old bitsa bitch what looked like a greyhound,

cut a long story short me and my brother had a pup each me a dog him a bitch,the rest went to my two uncles ,cousins..

and a few travellers had 2 off us,well my cousins pup was killed in a kennel fight my uncles ate rat poisoning and the other got run over and we never heard from the travellers again.

my pup was not meant to be he was a bas***d,but like all the other pups what met there fate my brothers bitch was hansome,pure white like her fater about 24-25 tts and slighty lighter built than ghost,

so one morning we get off early my brothers white bitch my uncles saluki x bitch the white bith being 10 months old my uncle bitch bein 18 months old and running well,we found a hare sat out in the stubble walked him up 40 -50 yard up he goes shakes off ears back and he gone like s**t off a stick.

slip the bitches and this is the young white bitches first run on anything off she goes like a rocket hard pressing the hare from the first turn to the end up down twist turn twist turn and the saluki x bitch was always 10 yards behind the white bitch,the white bitch was striking all over the place she made a big swoop and bowled over then the hare made for the road with the bitch losing ground,she was soon gaining though the went out the field on the road and we heard nothing we run out there there she is with her hare and the saluki bitch trying for a grab at it.

the course lasted for about 3 minuites but was short sharp turns all the way what i like to see in the smaller field,cant beat an up and at them type.

the bitch went on to kill 2-3 the next week end on the lamp then 2-2 one sunday morning the i was walking her over the field with my dog and the ghost,jumped long grass landed on a fallen branch went through her back end,gutted

 

2 weeks and 500 pound later had to have her put down due to infection,she would have been something that bitch would.

R.I.P LUCKY.

 

the dog i had turned into a fin lookin dog but didnt have the drive which i would say he was the bad egg in the litter.

he went to a pet home and old ghost is still about now i thenk as my grandad could no longer give him the exersize needed the rspca took him without my grandads consent even though the dog was 8 he needed miles a day walking they reckoned and took him when he was at work.

enough from me

atb,lamper12