Electrifying rabbiting

Simon Whitehead fulfils his dream of developing a remote-control drop-net system that could revolutionise how he harvests rabbits

It has been decades since I first used a drop-net and it has always been an ambition of mine to build a remotecontrolled system that renders the limiting string-and-pin combination redundant. In July 2014, I built a drop-net for less than the cost of three pints. It worked to a degree, but I was looking for something more polished, engineered and professional, which would yield consistent results in the field, garden or paddock.

I have seen a good many systems in the past, but they all relied on a cordand-pin marriage to work, which was too limiting. Until now, as far as I am aware, every net has to be dropped by pulling a cord, whether by hand or remote control; the pins come away from the pole and gravity drops the net. My problem is with the nuts and bolts of this type of system. The pins are connected to a line that pulls them out one by one, making the net drop in a domino fashion. For this reason the net is always in a straight line. Even remote-control systems have relied on the string and pin — until now.

My friend Darren Rogers had noticed how absorbed I had become with my dream of operating a new and improved remote-control dropnet system. Realising it had to meet my strict budget, use an existing fixed long-net system and be realistic in its transport and operation, Darren has removed the straightline handicap and opened up a whole new dimension in drop-netting.

With his ingenious system, I am not restricted to dropping a straight line or maintaining tension in each pole. Instead, it can hug the contours of the land I am working, be it a curve or steep tangent — and have some tolerance in the poles. This is the stuff dreams are made of.

To begin I needed some rigid poles so I bought 10 galvanised 20mm conduit pipes. I went for the 3m lengths to ensure that the belly of the long-net when suspended didn’t hang too low. This would open itself to muntjac or rabbit grazing.

I already had an ample supply of long-nets so that wasn’t an issue. My long-nets are fixed to the poles via grommets, which is vital for this system to work — set at five yards apart, the middle of the top line has the netting whipped in to prevent all of the bagging slipping to either end.

We initially made it for a 45-yard drop. To enable this net to drop smoothly we fixed the long-net to the upright tubes using two 3in pieces of 40mm plastic drainage pipe and some tie wraps. I fitted each long-net