Ferreting Season Getting Shorter?

[Rolfe 2]

Was out for a few hours over the weekend on what was a Busmans Holiday for me, to take my young nephew out for a bit of ferreting. We had a few rabbits and a bit of a short dig.........but what was noticable that each rabbit caught was carrying 5 well developed young. The rabbits seem to be breeding all year round now and i find i am starting to ferret later in the year and finishing earlier. Had i gone out a week later than i did..........i would have been laid up with a nest of youngsters.

 

Just wondered what others are experiencing ferreting this time of the year?

 

Rolfe.

[bill88 6]

The old saying of " hunt when theres an R in the month" is obsolete now the climate has warmed.When i was a kid the frosts started mid september,and getting a late frost in mid may was fairly normal.Now i have citrus trees and olives trees in my garden,and they grow perfectly well unprotected.I have seen half grown rabbits in december,and i was told by a mate that he found young in a rabbit he shot last week. I personally think there maybe parts of the south west where rabbits breed all year,anyone from that way care to comment ?

[stork 1]

Well went out ferreting with some good old mates on some land near us all we did was dig all them were carrying young but we had 12 good bunnys but i can safley say that me finished now Wainting for next time come around so lets hope we all have a better season next time we start.

[Guest reload]

rabbits may stop or at least slow down breeding here for a month or two maximum.

Once theres young on the ground the ferreting gets slow..........I recon two weeks left

[Guest Bigbob]

Last couple of years has seen a change in the ferreting season ,i bought 50 mk6 fenn traps to still do a bit of rabbit cotrol after march .And there handy about august ,september time when there to much cover for ferreting and to keep the farmers sweet you need to thin out some rabbits .

[Hob&Jill 258]

I aim to get out 2 more times and then I am getting the rods out.

 

Had young bolt last week, that was the first all season. Im down south.

[Tyla 3,179]

Caught a few young ones throughout the winter. i reckon they breed all year round if the conditions allow, round here anyway. This winter has been so mild this year theres been little to stop them.

[Stallion 0]

Caught a few young ones throughout the winter. i reckon they breed all year round if the conditions allow, round here anyway. This winter has been so mild this year theres been little to stop them.

I have caught young rabbits in every month of the year, but it does seem to be becoming more and more the norm.

 

Stallion.

[richie 1]

ive been noticing young for a couple of monthe now.

 

i ferret all year round, the young still grow to biggens, might aswell get them whilst their young aswell, & the farmers wouldnt be too pleased if i said i could only ferret seasonal. if i come across over grown areas i get there the week before & get the petrol hedge cutters out to thin sections.

 

richie

[COMPO 54]

Between christmas and the new year had does in season, beginning of January had baby rabbits they looked about 5 weeks old.

 

Funnily enough they seem to breed sooner on one farm than the rest of mine??

 

and there is only a couple of miles eperating the farms, today had a couple with small blobs inside them!

 

i started ferreting in Yorkshire and now ferretin in the south,Bedfordshire,Buckinghamshire,Oxfordshire,Northamptonshire and Warwickshire and they tend to breed more and all year down here than they do up north!

[Neal 1,873]

Not noticed any young yet, but there is already some frogspawn in my local wood and I heard a skylark displaying while out ferreting last weekend.

[MikeTheDog 153]

they tend to breed more and all year down here than they do up north!

That's because it's warmer down here Compo. The forcast is snow over the hill just to the north of me but it will be warm and mild here on the coast.

[bigbulls 26]

The old saying of " hunt when theres an R in the month" is obsolete now the climate has warmed.When i was a kid the frosts started mid september,and getting a late frost in mid may was fairly normal.Now i have citrus trees and olives trees in my garden,and they grow perfectly well unprotected.I have seen half grown rabbits in december,and i was told by a mate that he found young in a rabbit he shot last week. I personally think there maybe parts of the south west where rabbits breed all year,anyone from that way care to comment ?

you are quite right. im out every night with the lamp, not allways hunting, sometimes just walking the bullys after work etc. iv seen propper squeakers right through the winter and caught a few with the hawk. it is only in the last few years that i have noticed this happening regularly, we do have a milder climate and things do breed earlier here anyway but an allready short cornish season seems to be getting shorter.

[jultaylor1972 2]

Its still quite cold here so I'll be ferreting until I see daffodils then my gear will be away. I got a young one in December around 5 weeks old though so god knows whats going on?! The farmer who I have permission for wants me to clear rabbits all season so I'll be putting my rifle to the test shortly. I have permission on the local sand dunes and its sanctioned by defra and the RSPCA to start on 31st Oct - 31st March, all this climate change makes me wonder just how long we will be ferreting in the future?

[COMPO 54]

they tend to breed more and all year down here than they do up north!

That's because it's warmer down here Compo. The forcast is snow over the hill just to the north of me but it will be warm and mild here on the coast.

 

 

Mike

 

I didn't feel it was necessary to state the obvious

 

Compo

 

JulTaylor....daffies and snowdrops rearing their heads in theneighbours garden.........in fact i found a flowering plant whilst ferreting in November!!

 

November flower

 

 

Dont know what it is Oldblueeye did on another website and stated it shouldn't be flowering during the winter