Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Dotty shows net worth
Simon Whitehead’s young lurcher learns the vital lessons that not every rabbit will jump into her mouth and stoats are not ferrets
To the walkers on the moor, we were simply another man and his dog admiring the view. But behind the large rock sat my ferret box, a sturdy spade and a probe. We were watching the rabbits’ scuts bob, weave and run among grassy tussocks under the crisp morning sun.
For the first time in many months, I could see my breath hanging in the air as I talked to my young lurcher, Dotty — a sure sign that the rabbiting season is well and truly under way.
The air carried a little sharpness. Not too much, but enough to let us know that it won’t be too long before jumpers are replaced by jackets. These cooler days have helped me and my dogs get fit. Both Dotty and her mother Tawny have been running with me over the moors and through the woods. This is not only good for the soul, but also excellent for building their stamina and hardening those feet and pads.
Luxury
Dotty is now 18 months old and her body is starting to mature, but I am mindful not to break her will and rush her into situations she isn’t ready for yet. I cannot recall a time when I had the luxury of actually holding a dog back, training it thoroughly and introducing it to rabbits at its own pace and not mine.
In the past, I have had work to do and almost rushed my puppies’ training to fit in with my schedule. Sometimes this was a good thing, as the vast exposure and experience quickly hid my training mistakes, or the shortcomings of the particular dog’s breeding. With Dotty, I have revelled in the calmness of her training and entering. This is one of the positives from the pandemic.
I noticed that the rabbits, on the side of the farm I was on, had been hit by disease. The few running in looked quite thin in comparison to the bruisers I passed on the drive. Scenting the field that we were in, working the air and ground, it wasn’t long before Dotty stood firmly over a hole and looked at me as if to say, “Come on, hurry up.”
The ferrets were scratching at the lid, keen to get to work. When I entered one, it was no time until Dotty was agitated and moving about, staring intently at the ground. A few thumps and bumps later and a rabbit came steaming out. I would have loved the narrative to be as expected, but this rabbit ran Dotty ragged. Twisting and turning, stopping and starting, it was almost laughing at us when it disappeared down a grassfilled gulley.
I smiled and praised Dotty because this will have done her the world of good. Being shown that not every rabbit is going to jump into her mouth — as I think she was expecting — is never a bad thing. She cannot fall into the trap of underestimating rabbits. Peacocking around the warren, full of swagger and confidence, Dotty put her
nose up
towards the sky. Her brindle frame swung 180 degrees and followed a scent. As if by magic, a rabbit rose from its seat. Was this the one that evaded us earlier?
Whatever its thinking, it was clearly convinced that it could outrun Dotty. But she was fuelled by her earlier disappointment and it got barely 10 yards before Dotty’s mouth opened, her head lowered and, in a swift movement mid-stride, she snatched up her rabbit.
No substance
The first retrieve of the day is always the most enjoyable, especially when delivered with such style and gusto. Upon inspection this rabbit was thin; no fat nor substance. So I decided to move over to the other side of the farm in search of the bloaters.
Nowadays I rarely use a pursenet, and that’s a crime. The fashion I used to love has been superseded by my love of the long-net, my usual modus operandi, but this will change this year. After Dotty walked along the bank and stopped in her tracks, I decided to drop all the long-nets in a straight line to avoid a run towards the main road and take my time in putting down a scattering of bright yellow purse-nets. As I laid them, Dotty stood staring at one particular hole. The stand turned to sit and then a lie-down. She was convinced that this was the spot.
I entered a lone albino hob. The ground shook. Boom, a bunny flew out of the hole just in front of Dotty. I watched her response. Instinctively, she rushed towards the net but stopped a yard short and stared intently. Unsure what to do, she rightly let me take the lead. I despatched the rabbit in the net, laid it on the ground and set a new net. I was over the moon because what I didn’t want to see was her rush in, grab the rabbit in the net and try to run off with it or, worse, retrieve it for me.
The net had done its job and, if another bunny came out, I would want Dotty’s attention to be on it, not the one that was going nowhere.
“A few thumps and bumps later, a rabbit came steaming out”