Rabbits

[Hawkmaster]

Not very impressive but, hey I have room for improvement. One month of hawking, mostly at night and my Gos took 4.

[Sniper]

four is better than none..if you want to look at it that way,never flown anything at night so could not possibly comment on your success rate.

But in the day,i have regulary arrived home with at least 3-4 rabbits,and thats without a dog or ferret, the bird just seems to know where to go

[North East Harris Hawker]

i seem to have problems finding rabbits out in the open, i got sick of beating stuff with sticks, had to get a dog.

[Gaz]

Went out with spartheone(jase)sunday ,first proper outing for "G",had two good goes at rabbit(just missed...twice)and a real cracking flight from our mates gos at a cock pheasant..amazing flight wasnt it jase?.........And G caught his first rabbit of the season today!!so hes had his fill of blood tonight!
"A"INT NOTHING BUT A "G" THING BABY" :mrgreen:

[Johnny]

I went out tonight with a m8 ferreting ,jesus the place we went was like water ship down and the ground is all flat we got one ?
Ive brought him home as a pet ,lol
All the best
Johnny

[Darren]

as a pet....do you mean ur redtails pet....LOL

[Shaun Byrne]

Johnny, like watership down and you only got 1, sure you weren't picking blue mushrooms mate? LMAO!!

[Johnny]

Lol i only wanted one pet you muppet h4wka .
I was poaching at the time so we planned our entrance and escape to exact timing ,lol
P.S what do wild rabbits eat ?

IF YOUR GOOD H4WKA I MIGHT TAKE YOU ONE DAY

[Hawkmaster]

Umm, guys this is meant to be a place to log your seasons results. lol

[Shaun Byrne]

Johnny, bring me as many as you can to keep me birds company, I'll name them all "Baggy!" lol!!

[Bill]

P.S what do wild rabbits eat ?


Wild grass I think. lol
No just the same as pet rabbits but it might be a bit shocked try a carrot and some leaves - lettuce and the like.
But you have to man them and get their weight down first.
Johnny the rabbit trainer lol

[Johnny]

lol

[Wightwings]

hope to see some good results up here Sunday night J good luck :wink:

[Johnny]

well lads i got home today went to the park ?
The bird on the hand and the bunny running and a little bit of rain and me bird flew at it and diverted to a tree lol the bunny lives another day ,lol
I tried me bird first to the dummy in me back garden at the time it wasnt raining ?
To make matters worse me wife come home at dinner and filmed a sparrow hawk killing a pigeon and eating it for 30 mins .
Has anyone got a hanky me heads done in ?

[Wightwings]

patience young skywalker patience :P

[Johnny]

I felt the force yoda ,
Do i need to train harder obi one knobi
Why did my red see the bunny when it was raining and fly in a tree and i chased the bunny down the field (getting out of breath ),lol
Me red sat there in the possing down rain and wouldnt come down for 20 mins, his weight was right was it the weather ?
Guide me through the dark times master ?
All the best
Luke sky walker

[Hawkmaster]

More than likely the rain. RT are one of the worse for not wanting to fly in the rain.

[Wightwings]

unlucky with a mixture of inexperience( the bird), and weather i'd say j.
next time just call him down with the DB, better than sitting in the rain for 20 mins. Take heart from the fact HE will have learnt something too and next time he will adjust his own strategy. :D

[Johnny]

thaxks hm you,ve restored the faith in men ,did you do the great spelling test i did better then the mrs ,lol hated school aswell
All the best
johnn y

[North East Harris Hawker]

your not alone mate, mine missed two today as well! :roll:

[Gaz]

Why did my red see the bunny when it was raining and fly in a tree

Fitness dude.and/or weight?? :mrgreen:

[North East Harris Hawker]

Why did my red see the bunny when it was raining and fly in a tree

Fitness dude.and/or weight?? :mrgreen:
its only early days yet fellas, probbably a combination of weight/fitness/weather, give it a month or so, it'll be a completely different ballgame :wink:

[Johnny]

Ive been doing jump ups with him 50 today he seemed to work hard some one said its good fitness training ,i think thats what is needed and some dry weather ,lol
all the best
Johnny

[Darren]

johnny buy him a gortex cape...LOL

[Gaz]

:mrgreen:

[Gaz]

Yum,Yum

[Hawkmaster]

Gaz, does that mean you are chalking one up there for your HH?

[Gaz]

Number 4! :mrgreen:

[Gaz]

5,6,7,8! :mrgreen:

[North East Harris Hawker]

heres the first of the season

[Sniper]

Nice one NEHH, whats the story behind it mate

[Shaun Byrne]

Well, this rabbit was trotting across me patio................................LMAO!!

Nice one NE

[North East Harris Hawker]

heheh it was caught on a local industrial estate, the dog flushed it from one patch and it tried to cross the path to the next patch of vegetation.....
except it forgot to use the green cross code! wallop!

[Kornie]

Caught an over 5 lbs rabbits today, very pleasing...slip from the fist and a good chase. If there was snow you'd think she'd attatched herself to a sleigh singing jingle bells. There was me looking like a right prat running round after my Harris getting given a piggy back by this rabbit for about a minute until she re-arranged her footing and nailed it by the head.

At first she had both her feet together grabbing hold of thescruff of the neck her tail wasn't even touching the ground...quite a funny sight.

[Wightwings]

lmao Kornie i think weve all seen that at some stage. good job the bolt hole want close by doubt both would have fitted :roll: :lol:

[Hawkmaster]

5lbs rabbit? DAMN! What size do they get to?

[North East Harris Hawker]

ive seen a few birds catch rabbits and end up looking like a jockey! itsm funny but they all learn in the long run 8)

[Sniper]

Its areally funny site, it happened to my bird last year but it was on the back of a hare, she was ceremoniuosly dumped of it as it went into cover...it was better than watrching the grand national

[Kornie]

It was so funny I just pictured Trinity....master of the Jamaican bob sleigh team. I was bloody amazede at how long she held on for it would run 50 yrds see me then run again!

HM this was a big bunny it was easily 5lbs++ I breifly weighed it in at 5lbs10 whilst it was in the bagbut the top of the bag wasnt on the scales.

[Jiff]

5lb! a massive rabbit cornie,i can only asume that this buck has been afforded many years of freedom untill now,anyway nice achievement,probably a record,as the biggest i've heard of recorded was
arround the 2kg mark which equates to 4 pound in old money :wink:

[Shaun Byrne]

Kornie, that rabbit didn't have unusually long ears and back legs did it? lol!!

Seriously mate, must have been a real fighter!

[Kornie]

Geez guys im starting to doubt my measurements now...It was massive and Ive said as above the fight it kicked up....But Im positive it was 5lbs-scales dont lie, neither do I.

[Gaz]

9,10 :mrgreen: ..better stop now...(oh,and a f#####g tree rat....cracking flight though!!) :mrgreen:

[Wightwings]

GIT :lol:

[Hawkmaster]

Got the first rabbit this season with Cherry my female Gos!

[Sniper]

It would have been nice to see a few pics HM, whats the story behind it?Got the first rabbit this season with Cherry my female Gos!

[Gaz]

Basically..."the rabbit gets f####d"....."what.f####d f####d ?"..."Na...proper f####d"! :mrgreen:

[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

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[Hawkmaster]

Unfortunately I can't take any pics as we were burgled and they got my camera too.

The first kill above was while I was out lamping with Phil (THANKS MATE FOR ALL THE HARD WORK) Took it rather close about 30 yards, just before the hedge.

TODAY she caught number TWO AND THREE, while out ferreting with Phil, Kelly and Dave Sherman, help by Ferreter John. Good day had by all.

Phils FHH Purdey took her 5th of the season in AWESOME style on about a 150 to 200 yard run out of a tree. Rolf, Kelly's bird, got there first missed as the rabbit flipped into the air and then stayed there and she pursued it all the way to the hedge and JUST got it in the nick of time, GREAT FLIGHT.

[Hawkmaster]

Today while out ferreting with Phil, Cherry caught her Seventh Rabbit of the season. Four rabbits in one day, truely great!

Purdey, Phils FHH caught one too, bringing her to a total of 6 rabbits.

[Jiff]

hey guy's on the subject of rabbits,lately i've been ferreting land that has never been ferreted before,now everyones expectation is of entering the ferret the rabbits run out the hawk chases,catches or misses,on virgin land heres a rather bemusing trate the rabbits have,enter the ferret the rabbit runs to the exit,walks out checks the surroundings and runs down the next hole,to spite only having two with sky i've actualy taken 21 from this land with the aid of nets,but on occasion have had to walk forward and startle the rabbits in order to get the nets to close arround them,just thought i'd share that with ya's

[North East Harris Hawker]

great pics there kev, but not for the squeamish 8)

[Hawkmaster]

Yesterday we went ferreting on the moors and Cherry caught another TWO rabbits to take her to 9.

Purdey got ONE and so did Rolf, that was Kelly's first for the season and Phils seventh!

Good day and some cracking new land

[Hawkmaster]

Out with the flying trio again today and Cherry caught 3 rabbits, up to 12 now.

Purdey caught another 2, which takes her to a total of 9 now.

Rolf never got one unfortunately :cry:

[Shaun Byrne]

Nice pic HM, bagging up now mate!

[Hawkmaster]

Cheers, unfortunately she lost feathers on her head going into a Black Thorn Hedge.

[Sniper]

Upto around 7 seven rabbits and 1 pheasant this season, do not use ferrets or dogs so the bird has done quite well.....doing it this way makes the bird a better predator all round, i can truly say she is well focused when she is out.

[Hosehead]

Scarlett's up to six rabbits and one squirrel. Weather has been wet lately and the temperature changing so weight control has been a pain. Finally have her at a stable weight and she's starting to score again. Hoping things freeze up around here because the hunting fields are a mess. On the brite side I've found several more fields full of rabbits.
Good luck to all,Kurt

[Hawkmaster]

Sunday we took a trip out to Dartmoor and I only had two slips with the Gos. Unfortunately she never caught one but had a great second chase, connected and never held on as it changed direction.

Purdey however caught her number TEN, well done, Phil. Only two behind the Gossie, and now she is ill you may catch up! lol

[Hosehead]

Scarlett's gotten a couple more this week. She'll be at weight in the morning and we're going to try her on a double. She's crashing the brush hard so tonight I have some feather straightening to do. Kutr

[Kevin Massey]

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[Jiff]

sky's upto nine rabbits now,trying her on the lamp sunday night,where i'm sure the tally will rise. :D

[Kevin Massey]

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[Jiff]

cheers kev,i can't believe these harris' , untill now i've been a dog man,this bird of mine is as good as any dog on rabbit if not better,i never knew what to expect but i'm pretty gob smacked to be honnest, :D

[Kevin Massey]

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[Jiff]

to be brutaly honest they make it look so easy,with a dog there's jinks and twitches,with a bird it's nailed,don't get me wrong i love it! but it's hares for me my mate and if she nails hares this easy,i'll be slightly dissopointed :lol:

[Sean]

Stay away from this bad boy

[Sniper]

The buzz just gets better Jiff, only into my second season with my bird and it just mgets better, the weekend does not arrive quick enough.
cheers kev,i can't believe these harris' , untill now i've been a dog man,this bird of mine is as good as any dog on rabbit if not better,i never knew what to expect but i'm pretty gob smacked to be honnest, :D

[North East Harris Hawker]

just make sure that you leave some for me jiff! :wink:

[Hosehead]

Scarlett's caught eleven bunnies now and if the weather holds we'll try for a couple more tomorrow. She's getting better with every slip and her aggression towards game is fantastic. Kurt

[Jiff]

never got out on the lamp,and to be honest things have gone slightly backover so we'r still on nine,but don't hold you'r breath,we'll soon have things right and be back at em! :twisted:

[Kevin Massey]

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[North East Harris Hawker]

great photos :D weere they good chases?

[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

jeds kill yesterday.......daylight raid.

[Hawkmaster]

Yesterday saw the Gossie in fine form as we ferreted through a woods as the wind was so high it blew the Gos to another field on the first slip. She caught another two and lost one, taking her to 14 and Purdey was good to and follwed on all day, to take a very good long flight from a tree and around a bank and through some brambles to catch her number 11, but only because I never released the Gos! lol

[Kevin Massey]

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[Jiff]

i'm saying nowt,sky baged another to take her into double figures,but every time i tell you how good she is she takes a turn for the worst,i'm sure i jinx her by bragging :lol:

[Jiff]

P.S
i can't get my pics on they'r too big apparently,i'll reduce her weight to see if it makes a differance :lol:

[Wightwings]

lmao good one jiff :lol: :lol:

[Jiff]

right guy's i kid you not, took sky out today,started off pretty bad with a couple of easy misses the day dragged on and i started to think of ways to gaurantee one for her,the land i was on was pretty new to me so the options we'r few,i only had one ferret so bigger warrens we'r out,in the end i decided to chance a real big one in the corner of a wood,sky's up the tree and in goes the ferret,15 minutes later and i'm worried,this is a deep set,out comes the locater,another 10 mins later and i've pinpointed the ferret,right near the surface,i start my dig and right on que a thump and a rabbit exits,sky's on it's case and nails it to the ground, thats 11,yep 11,anyway i killed it and whent back for the ferret,no sign of it,back to sort sky out,i leave her tied to me bag and feasting on her kill,back for the ferret and out with the locater,again i locate him near the surface,i dig in and find him on the back of a rabbit,out with the thing and despatch it,the ferret bolts back in,thats odd i think,i pull the ferret out stick me hand in and 'get in there another arsed up,out it comes,back goes the ferret, and sure enough there's another in the same block end, 4 rabbits from a day that was going bad,i love rabbits me!

[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

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[Shaun Byrne]

Nice one Kev, just got a nice bit of rabbit land to try, off out manday weather permitting (and wife not in labour) so I'll let you know how I get on.

[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

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[Wightwings]

bloody hell the birds using a zat gun in the first piccy no wonder its catching so many :minigun:

[Kevin Massey]

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[BrianM]

lol i thought that she was using a tazer on them rabbits

[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

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[BrianM]

just a thought maxi but what are you doing out rabbiting on xmas night ??shouldnt you be like the rest of us snoozing on the sofa full of xmas pud and turkey wearing that horrible sweater that the mother in law bought us???,,, lol

[Kevin Massey]

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[Kevin Massey]

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[Shaun Byrne]

Do you have her bowed out on top of the Christmas tree to save buying lights? PMSL!!!

[Kevin Massey]

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[Hosehead]

Scarletts at fourteen bunnies now and she's flying at 90% of her trapped weight. Over the last week though she's picked up the habit of attacking any wild hawks in the field and driving them off before she's willing to hunt. These are fields we haven't hunted before so I don't think it's a terratorial thing.The number of wild birds in the area has tripled since the temps have dropped.Best of luck,Kurt

[Kevin Massey]

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[Hawkmaster]

Hey Kev, want to export some bunnies down here to Devon as we only have two left in the county? lol

[Shaun Byrne]

2 Left? That Gos cant be much good then!!!PMSL!!

[Kevin Massey]

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[Hawkmaster]

Are they out in the open in the daytime?

[Kevin Massey]

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[Ian Wileman]

I wonder, has anyone noticed the condition of rabbits this season. The bunnies I have caught this year are in THE PEAK of health! Almost every one has a good line of fat running along and beneath the back bone. All bright eyed! All, as fit as they were in the summer! GLOBAL WARMING FOLKS!!! These rabbit are living the life of riley with this mild winter we are having up here. I think ther has been 6 or 7 days with a frost so far and we are in January! I was hunting today...could have been out in a t-shirt and shorts........

[Jiff]

i've had a fair few rabbits in my time,this year was no real exception,untill i bagged three in december carrying young,i've on occasion caught the odd one in winter carrying young but three in the same sesion, global warming(dont know much about that) this has been a mild winter without doupt.

[Kevin Massey]

jiff we,ve had 1 this year with young it her.........end of last january ferret bought a baby to the mouth of the burrow.
kev

[Jiff]

maxi mate you know the saying at it like rabbits,well! put some sun on theire backs and they'r at it, but 3 in december,in the same area not normal if you ask me.

[Hawkmaster]

Went Ferreting yesterday with my old mate Phil and we took Rolf, flown by young Trevor, Richard and his daughter done the ferreting for us, Purdey the FHH and my Gos.

The day started slow but then took up some slack and we got some rabbits bolting. We knew we were going to have a good day as we all left our cameras at home.

The Gos usually takes at least 80% of the rabbits that bolt but today, it was not the case. Rolf was the most impressive as he showed some awesome turns of speed and in one case almost beat the Gos to the kill.

Results for the end of the day were:

Rolf 0
Purdey 1
Ferrets 2
Goshawk 3

Taking Purdey to 12 and the Gos to 17.

[Hawkmaster]

Got another rabbit today with the Gos!

[Hosehead]

At the winter meet this weekend Scarlett got her 17th & 18th bunnies. This with the temps around -12C, thinking about electric socks for the girl.Kurt

[Hawkmaster]

Cherry was slipped on a seagull, which she just ignored, flew off and crashed into a door, as the wind was too high. BTW I could have spat on the gull? :x

Slipped her on a pair of ducks, but because we were too close to cars she was already nervous and then just bogged off. We left her there so we could go retrieve Phils Pere/Saker and then found the Gos afterwards on a rabbit.

Half an hour before finding her, we saw her flying a few hundred feet up in the turbulent air and high winds. That was awesome!

The first picture is her 19th rabbit for her this season. Unfortunately this is the first one she has caught that was not from my fist and out of a tree too I presume.

Last piccie is her satisfaction and happiness. :lol:

[Kevin Massey]

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[Jay]

2 Bunnies taken at our mini meet yesterday. My sponsors 6th year Gos took one bunnie and NAFA president Darryl Perkins first year Gos got one as well. Both were taken in long distance flights. My bird has been sick and couldnt not fly yesterday, other wise I expect there would be another bunnie on the list.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/hazardpaintball2/P1190015.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/hazardpaintball2/P1190012.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/hazardpaintball2/P1190011.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/hazardpaintball2/P1190010.jpg

[Hawkmaster]

Good picture Jay, well done. Were you flying too?

[Jay]

Nope bird has been sick. Got a bone stuck in the crop wednesday night. Blocked a crop full of duck up for over 24 hours before I got it removed. Lucky the duck didnt go sour. But he was still putting the crop over extreamly slowly upunill just a few hours ago. At that time of the meet he was 75g under flying weight, he was with us so I could keep an eye on him. Since he has gained almost an ounce and is putting over the crop normaly. I expect to have him back on the wing Saturday.

[Hawkmaster]

Well I suppose it could have been a disaster? So keep us informed.

[Bones]

First rabbit of the year with new MHH

[Finnish]

Well done mate and there be plenty more where they come from.

[Bones]

Well done mate and there be plenty more where they come from.
Yea counted fifthteen rabbits tonight just sitting out what a B***H its his first rabbit kill under me and i had too let him feed up on it me lad was gutted he wanted more lol

[Finnish]

Plenty of time yet Bones. :wink:

[Bones]

Plenty of time yet Bones. :wink:
I know rome wasn't built in a day but hey i not got much patience where theres quarry to be taken :wink:
PAUL

[Adam Barrett]

my girl took her 12th bunny of the season last night-we still have a fair few babies round though :twisted:

[Gaz]

12th bunny of the season
Of what season???????..we still have a fair few babies round though
So whats the point????

[Bones]

and another

[ColdZero]

Nice job, i can't wait to get hunting now :twisted:

[Adam Barrett]

12th bunny of the season

Of what season???????..
Quote:we still have a fair few babies round though

So whats the point????

MY hawking season since my bird finished moulting and started flying again.

fair few babies around i know thats why iv started flying rook and gull :wink:

[Arthur]

Guddaye ,
with respect ....
Watching the rabbit population and the sentiments expressed whether or not to 'follow' conies due to what the anti's think when 'following' milky does or to be seen by an employer giving the public the wrong opinion if you are using M/O.D. land ........
The argument that you are essentially clearing a despot specie that causes much damage both to crops and produce seems a very salient point ..
IF YOU ARE LUCKY enough 'own' or 'fly' ,maybe some one elses bird , and then you get the best of both worlds ..
But the arguement that to NOT rid the ground when the breeding in conies is happening and the arguement that that they should be left for sport later in the year all pales to nort when you witness ,as we are , a COMPLETE COLLAPSE of the rabbit here in our lanes , on our verges an open spaces ..
Not taking them early in the season may well be a mistake as the thinning early may well arrest the spread , like wild fire , of the latest Mixy outbreak ..
Yes they will recover ,, they have in the past 50 years ......
But they are GOing GOne NOW just as the as friends Hawks are coming of moult ..
Anyway that is what is happening .. arguement or no arguement ..
Hope you all continue to enjoy developing this pastime,
As I intro'd ,,
with respect ,
Arthur ..

[Bones]

With respect ARTHUR and dont take this the wrong way please i fly at rabbit because its one of the only species in season at the moment and we have a few in abundance so i think taking a few now wont hurt the rabbit population in later months.A freind of mine where i fly my birds has been shooting rabbits all summer just to control the numbers mate but too no affect he's been averaging 50 rabbits a week and there breeding as fast as he shoots them mate and like you say he has had no mixxy on the farm up to yet whilst other surrounding farms have so like yer say perhaps thinning them out early does really work who knows only time will tell
CHEERS PAUL
PS i prefer pheasant and feathered flights mate myself

[Arthur]

Helloh Bones ,
i commented on the futility of conserving some thing and in part to conserve hastens the spread because there are SO many cuddled up in lessening numbers of burrows ..
Our Dad netted . ferreted when rabbit was a staple part of the families food and i remember him claiming , rightly or wrongly , that a Buck could service 40 does in a night ... FLEA LADEN !!!!!!!!
A person better qualified than i blames himself for helping to spread Mixy by ferreting as he and his friends remark upon fleas jumping around in the net bag from the last area they cleared some 4 miles away on the other side of the river ..
Apparently Mixy laden fleas survive for some 6 weeks in the deep warm burrows after the area has been cleared for the farmer/landowner ..
Again i would say i hope everyone enjoys developing this pastime but it's a sod if you looked forward to the end of the moult and the colonies have collapsed ..
I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE ... i watched several mixy rabbits trying to negotiate a verve .. it was appalling ....
When we used to shoot along the cliffs you could toss them ,culled, into sea .... where the hell do you put them in our semi- conurbation area that is Torbay ..
regards ,
arthur ,
(*v*) ...

[Bones]

like isaid mate no offence taken speak as yer find mate as do i hope the feelings are mutual thats all
PAUL

[Arthur]

aye aye Bones ...
there arne't any to squabble over ,
so at most it's a' turf war'((:-)) .
Obviousely geography and topography affect Mixy because the further North you go you hear about conies having thier litters in scrapes and of course it tends to be colder and more inclement in the Nor East .
I worked for McConnells the tractor people 30 years ago and even in those days the hedge rows were a source of much industry in the need for hedge flail/cutters.
They boasted to have made their millions in the Sou West .. ..
This gives an insight into just how deep and vast some of our Warrens/burrows are ..
regards,
arthur,
(*v*) ...

[Bones]

so at most it's a' turf war'((:-)) .
Obviousely geography and topography affect Mixy because the further North you go you hear about conies having thier litters in scrapes and of course it tends to be colder and more inclement in the Nor East
No its just that we are harder up north and that goes for our quarry as well lol
pmsl
PAUL

[Bones]

8th rabbit of this season taken today
PAUL

[Wightwings]

**** you early guys amaze me........all this cover and young quarry.....fair play guys......