Hole cut in the fence

[southerncomfort]

Someone has cut a hole in my perimeter fence at ground level.

Anyone any ideas why someone might do that? Its about big enough for a medium size dog to go through.

Someone rabbiting or hare coursing?

Obviously I'll bolster my fencing but what else should I do? Do I report to community police rural unit?

Absolutely hate the thought of people on my land at night especially as its close to where the ponies are currently.

 

[katastrophykat]

Can you electrify a strand on the outside of that section at that level? And yes- report to rural crime team.

I’d assume it is for poachers,Nasty B*$74£ds that they are. ?

 

[southerncomfort]

Can you electrify a strand on the outside of that section at that level? And yes- report to rural crime team.

I’d assume it is for poachers,Nasty B*$74£ds that they are. ?

Yes good call.

I may have to put a strand of barbed wire along the top too. Hate the stuff but can't have people coming in at night.

 

[emilylou]

I'd normally fence the inside then double fence it with barbed wire on the outside and put a private property notice up, maybe electrify it too.
We had this problem years ago with dog walkers cutting large holes in our fencing so they could walk their dogs!! Took a few attempts for them to get the message.

 

[southerncomfort]

I'd normally fence the inside then double fence it with barbed wire on the outside and put a private property notice up, maybe electrify it too.
We had this problem years ago with dog walkers cutting large holes in our fencing so they could walk their dogs!! Took a few attempts for them to get the message.

Thanks for that.

I'll order a sign and get some fencing up.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

There is someones who has been doing that for years in my summer cabin garden fence, then they spend the night burrowing up the lawn looking for insects.
Think large rump, black, and white, and a name which begins with a B, and ends with adger.

They have a favourite spot where they want to walk through, and it is bad enough when they do it there, so my bitches can wander out the other direction, but the worst was one year when I came out, and found that they'd increased their fence altering to also include a path straight through the cat enclosure.

 

[vhf]

As FL says...
Before you panic massively, see if you can prove this is the culprit! They will go through stock fence, wooden fence... they are determined creatures of habit and the holes in fences do look incredibly neat, and about the size for a collie-type to duck through.
They are currently trashing my schooling area with their digging. They have routes that have clearly been in use for decades or longer, and every so often, will create a new one. Then everyone else uses it... They have also destroyed several haynets taking the hay out for bedding, as apparently the small holes didn't allow them to pull enough out at once...

 

[southerncomfort]

There is someones who has been doing that for years in my summer cabin garden fence, then they spend the night burrowing up the lawn looking for insects.
Think large rump, black, and white, and a name which begins with a B, and ends with adger.

They have a favourite spot where they want to walk through, and it is bad enough when they do it there, so my bitches can wander out the other direction, but the worst was one year when I came out, and found that they'd increased their fence altering to also include a path straight through the cat enclosure.

I would never have thought of badgers!

They sound very determined!

I need to do something about the hole because my JRT is bound to go wandering.

 

[southerncomfort]

As FL says...
Before you panic massively, see if you can prove this is the culprit! They will go through stock fence, wooden fence... they are determined creatures of habit and the holes in fences do look incredibly neat, and about the size for a collie-type to duck through.
They are currently trashing my schooling area with their digging. They have routes that have clearly been in use for decades or longer, and every so often, will create a new one. Then everyone else uses it... They have also destroyed several haynets taking the hay out for bedding, as apparently the small holes didn't allow them to pull enough out at once...

Ah...ive also been finding patches that have been dug up. I was blaming the rabbits but maybe it is a badger.

I might try and borrow a wildlife camera and see if I can catch them in the act.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Does sound like it might be a badger. They have been rooting around a lot in our field and outside. Make quite a mess and you can clearly see their regular routes under or through fences.

 

[vhf]

Ah...ive also been finding patches that have been dug up. I was blaming the rabbits but maybe it is a badger.

I might try and borrow a wildlife camera and see if I can catch them in the act.

We've got pictures and video. Lovely to see wearing my naturalists' hat, but my horsey hat is spitting feathers!

 

[southerncomfort]

Oh crikey, the do make a mess don't they!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Fortunately "my" badgers haven't yet caused as much damage as Vhf's badgers. Mine more scatters out little holes here and there over the lawn. Probably a sign of that there isn't as much life below my lawn as it should be, I should probably try to fertilize it next year. Although, then the badgers would have even more reasons to want to visit...

The holes they've made in my fences have definitely been neat enough to easily mistake for being made by a human.

 

[southerncomfort]

Yes I would have sworn it had been done with wire cutters.

My husband who first spotted it said that it did look like something had pushed through it.

 

[vhf]

Fortunately "my" badgers haven't yet caused as much damage as Vhf's badgers. Mine more scatters out little holes here and there over the lawn. Probably a sign of that there isn't as much life below my lawn as it should be, I should probably try to fertilize it next year. Although, then the badgers would have even more reasons to want to visit...

The holes they've made in my fences have definitely been neat enough to easily mistake for being made by a human.

We try and keep the fields as natural as possible, and it would appear the local wildlife approves.
They have done the best part of an acre now, all told. I have no idea how I'm going to get it safe to ride without hiring in someone with a decent harrow and roller. My little quad-jobbies don't touch it. They did it last winter too, most of which is still unrideable but on the slopes; this year they started earlier and with my schooling area. Cornish hedges and electric fence, so at least they mostly don't trash that although they cause some rock-falls. A rare down-side to rural living!

 

[fredflop]

If it is human, I’d go for dog walkers over poachers. There’s simply more of them, and many people just believe they are entitled to walk where they want, and just pull down fencing to get there.

 

[ponyparty]

A rare down-side to rural living!

Not just rural living! My mum (in suburban Birmingham) has a problem with them in her back garden. They dig big holes under the fence so her dogs escape (she's patched them up several times including with concrete blocks, but they must be incredibly strong as the just bulldoze through all her attempts!) and tear up all her lawn. They're a total PITA!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Not just rural living! My mum (in suburban Birmingham) has a problem with them in her back garden. They dig big holes under the fence so her dogs escape (she's patched them up several times including with concrete blocks, but they must be incredibly strong as the just bulldoze through all her attempts!) and tear up all her lawn. They're a total PITA!

I think badgers are very cute to look at.

But when one of my bitches finds the badger's latest hole in my fence before me, and my heart sinks to somewhere near my ankles in worry over that if she haven't gone up into the woods, she will be up on the rural road where too many drivers drive by as if they think they're formula 1 drivers, then I wish that all badgers where teleported to a very hot place.

 

[southerncomfort]

If it is human, I’d go for dog walkers over poachers. There’s simply more of them, and many people just believe they are entitled to walk where they want, and just pull down fencing to get there.

We do get a lot of dog walkers along the track. Some of them feed my dog treats through fence! ?

 

[southerncomfort]

I have to admit badgers don't do a lot for me but I suppose I get why other people like them.

Do they eat rabbits?

We were overrun with them this summer. Rabbit man failed to catch a single one, and now I haven't seen for weeks.

Having said that, it looks like we might have stoats. Caught this little fella staring in the window!

 

[Gloi]

Having said that, it looks like we might have stoats. Caught this little fella staring in the window!

I've never seen as many stoats and weasels as I've seen this last couple of months!

 

[southerncomfort]

I've never seen as many stoats and weasels as I've seen this last couple of months!

I'd never seen one before but it was actually tapping on the window!

 

[Gloi]

I'd never seen one before but it was actually tapping on the window!

Cheeky sod ! I saw a weasel the other day stuck to the throat of a screaming rabbit many times its size. They ran across the road just in front of my pony.
Where we go on holiday they have terrible trouble with badgers chewing through doors and getting into the cattle feed store, they have to put metal sheeting on them all. Last time we were there one chewed its way into their garage.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

I'd never seen one before but it was actually tapping on the window!

Maybe he was trying to draw your attention to the badger breaking through the fence ?

 

[southerncomfort]

Cheeky sod ! I saw a weasel the other day stuck to the throat of a screaming rabbit many times its size. They ran across the road just in front of my pony.
Where we go on holiday they have terrible trouble with badgers chewing through doors and getting into the cattle feed store, they have to put metal sheeting on them all. Last time we were there one chewed its way into their garage.

??

 

[southerncomfort]

Maybe he was trying to draw your attention to the badger breaking through the fence ?

?