Visitors from Canada

[bshadle 5]

Had a couple friends from Canada stop by for the weekend. Quick bite and conversation until it cooled off a bit, then out to the orchard Friday evening. They took a nice small Russell and a Russell x Border, I took my Russell. Dogs bolted one fast, then we dug one at a nice easy two feet and another at a tough foot and a half wrapped around the roots of a cherry tree. Started losing daylight, so we returned home for some good brews and better conversation.

 

 

Forecast of triple digit temps for Saturday so we got an early start. Hit one farm with their 12-year-old “queen†Russell, a younger Russell and young Border as well as my Russell. The old bitch bolted one, then we dug one at three feet before moving on to another farm.

 

 

 

Stepped through the treeline and saw that the groundhogs had eaten a swath through the beans 50 feet out from the trees. Looked promising. Again, the dogs bolted one before we dug four more. The last dig held two in the den - a fourteen pound female and an eight pound youngster.

 

 

 

I make one heck of a draw dog if I do say so myself!

 

 

And this is what an honest fourteen pound groundhog looks like.

 

 

A twelve year old bitch still working:

 

 

Has to say something about the dog and the breeding program I think.

 

Temps finally drove us from the fields by noon. Cleaned up the dogs, diggers and tools, threw some steaks on the grill, and enjoyed a hot but pleasant evening sharing a good meal, good conversation and more than a few good brews.

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

Ace Whereabouts in Canada are your friends from, and do they dig up there with the dogs?

 

That is one big-ass groundhog I should think he'd have a hell of a time seeing his own shadow in spring

[glamour 1]

Sounds like a really good day mate, must be nice having good weather!

[samba 534]

EXCELLENT NICE TO SEE DIFFERENT QUARRY BEING

WORKED

[bshadle 5]

Ace Whereabouts in Canada are your friends from, and do they dig up there with the dogs?

 

That is one big-ass groundhog I should think he'd have a hell of a time seeing his own shadow in spring

They're from the Toronto area. They dig to raccoon primarily and harvest the pelts. There're some groundhog nearby, but he tells me they've had a big increase in coyote and the groundhog numbers are dropping fast. Only a few areas where the soil allows the groundhogs to dig away from the coyotes faster than the coyotes can dig to the groundhogs.

 

That was a good size groundhog, especially for this early in the year. I'd think she'd have a hell of a time NOT seeing her shadow though. She'd cast a pretty broad one.

[DogPaddle 0]

Looks like a Great day!

 

I haven't seen a groundhog in years.

 

[Corkonian 44]

Edited June 9, 2009 by Corkonian

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

Ace Whereabouts in Canada are your friends from, and do they dig up there with the dogs?

 

That is one big-ass groundhog I should think he'd have a hell of a time seeing his own shadow in spring

They're from the Toronto area. They dig to raccoon primarily and harvest the pelts. There're some groundhog nearby, but he tells me they've had a big increase in coyote and the groundhog numbers are dropping fast. Only a few areas where the soil allows the groundhogs to dig away from the coyotes faster than the coyotes can dig to the groundhogs.

 

That was a good size groundhog, especially for this early in the year. I'd think she'd have a hell of a time NOT seeing her shadow though. She'd cast a pretty broad one.

 

Well I'll be damned .... goes to show how much I missed out on. I grew up in Toronto and worked for several vets, and never once had the pleasure of meeting a working dog or anyone who actually did it. That's excellent At least if I move back (which I won't) I won't be bored I'd be really interested to see some raccoon digging They are fiesty little beasties.

 

I do recall, before I left, that coyote numbers were increasing and they were starting to get further into the city. I once saw a bunch of them running up a road late at night - poor scruffy looking things, they were only a couple of miles off of the downtown core.

[bshadle 5]

Good Pics!

 

Why don't ye have a lurcher for the ones that bolt? Never seen a groundhog in the flesh - when they bolt do they stay above ground for long? Doesn't look like they can run very fast But seems like it would be good crack with the terriers and lurchers around those hedges.

I have some friends in other states that run lurchers with the terriers for groundhogs. It's a very effective combination all right. And a real pleasure to watch.

 

Here in Pennsylvania where I live hunting with lurchers isn't legal. Doesn't make a lot of sense. Unlike your situation across the pond, I can walk into a gun shop, lay down my money and walk out the door with just about any gun I want and use it to hunt that day, but I can't legally let the dog kill the game. Can't hunt with ferrets either. Guess it comes down to different traditions developed in different countries or even different regions of the same country. Even if it were legal for me I really don't have the space here to keep one properly nor the time to devote to training and working it, but it sure would be nice if I did.

 

Groundhogs can move surprisingly fast for short distances above ground. They normally bolt to the next available denhole or sometimes even another hidden entrance to the den they bolted from, so they're only above ground for a few seconds. Plenty of time for an alert lurcher to do its job though. When they dive underground the second time they immediately start walling themselves off and leave very little scent behind for the dog to find. Even if you spot one feeding above ground and flush it to earth the dogs have a rough time finding it. Better to let that one alone for a while, remember the location of the den and come back to it a little later. It's a common saying here - the ones you see are the hardest to get.

[Corkonian 44]

Here in Pennsylvania where I live hunting with lurchers isn't legal. Doesn't make a lot of sense.

Feck me that would be a tough one to live with!

[bshadle 5]

Here in Pennsylvania where I live hunting with lurchers isn't legal. Doesn't make a lot of sense.

Feck me that would be a tough one to live with!

It is a little for me now that I know about it, but I'd never even heard of lurchers before starting to work the terriers about two years ago. It's been illegal here for so long that it's not something we think about.

 

When I was a youngster just learning to hunt with my Dad we hunted cottontail rabbits with beagles and shotguns. The dogs would flush the rabbits from cover, and if you didn't get a shot on the flush the dogs would scent trail the rabbit and bring it back around to the gun. Every once in a while a beagle would get lucky or a rabbit unlucky and the dog would catch the rabbit and kill it. When that happened my Dad would tell me to put the rabbit in the game bag, but don't say anything to anybody about it.

 

I was a youngster in a time when if your Dad told you to do something you didn't question why, you just did it. He never told me why and I grew up thinking that it was just unsportmanlike to intend to shoot the rabbit but let the dog catch it for you. It wasn't until years later I discovered that it was illegal to let the dog kill the rabbit!

[bradder2k8 7]

nice work mate. would love to dig one of them

[marky r 25]

carnt we let some go over here or maybe some coons lol!