A few days ago, my girlfriend’s quail met a sudden and disasterous end. Without warning, rats descended on the hapless birds and literally ripped them into pieces. There was none of the savage delicacy of a stoat or a weasel, which just puncture a hole in the back of their prey’s skull – the rats Continue reading

After a great year trapping stoats and weasels in 2011, I’m keen to try some new tactics. I’ve found that these little devils seem to be pretty territorial, so if one rumbles your trap site, not only will he avoid it but the fact that he is holding the area against incomers means that nothing Continue reading

A stroke of fine good fortune has today seen me on the receiving end of a prototype ladder trap designed and built by Solway Feeders. It certainly looks like a promising piece of kit, and given that I’ve seen similar contraptions working wonders on corbie crows from Caithness to the Peak District, I’m keen to Continue reading

After a hard evening’s duck flighting yesterday, I had hoped for a good night’s sleep. It was not to be. As I took the pup out for a final wander up the hill at midnight, I heard an old dog fox yammering to himself on the other side of the valley. It wasn’t nearby, but Continue reading

After three months of feeding wild birds with my pheasant hoppers, I finally have concrete evidence to suggest that pheasants and chaffinches are not the only ones to be benefitting. On the offchance, I set a Fenn trap in a wooden tunnel beside one of my hoppers last month. This morning, I had a visitor. Continue reading

Everyone likes a good gadget, if only for the novelty value. My latest acquisition has been a screenlite kit for my lamping torch, and what a difference it’s made to my lamping up on the hill. All my lamping used to be done on foot with a gun light, but there’s so much room on Continue reading

Just a few hours after declaring my intention to start a full scale war on the fox population of the Chayne, the first steps have been taken. The villain responsible for terrorising my partridges over the past few weeks was brought to book under a silvery moon last night. It was the first shot fired Continue reading

Coming into the third year of my project up on the hill, I realise that the problem of foxes has still not been properly addressed. I’ve shot my fair share either while lamping or happening across them during early morning patrols, but I haven’t found any reliable or systematic way of dealing with them. They Continue reading

I am now the proud owner of a bolt action CZ .222 rifle. After the paperwork had gone through, it was simply a matter of signing on the dotted line and passing over the cash. Up on the hill, I had my highest hopes confirmed after the first shot which was still devastatingly loud, but Continue reading

After having snared for just less than a year on the Chayne, I need to refine my technique. Foxes use the land very sporadically, and they always seem to be passing through more than occupying set territories. Finding frequently used runs out in the open is a nightmare because the hill is a maze of Continue reading