When to start digging

[max abell 196]

Does anyone else find that some ferreters are a bit to eager to start digging to ferts ?

We took a bloke ferreting with us last winter on a few occasions we did big and small

burries no sooner had the ferts tails dissapeared he had the locator on and was crashing

about all over the holes we had to tell him to give the ferts chance to bolt them and to calm down

the ferts we use are all normally experianced jills and beetween them there aint much they dont find

this bloke was a digging fanatic and just couldnt wait to start digging ?

Personaly we dig when we have to and not befour there does seem to be a trend on some of these dvds

to start digging as soon as the ferts dissapear for 30 seconds not so much with the pro dvds but some of

the hand made ones seem to be a bit shovel happy

As i said we dig as a very last resort we give the ferts plenty of time to bolt them naturally first

Is this near instant digging a new trend i dont know about

how long do other ferreters give there ferts time to work the burrie

[skp_2k8 1]

me and my mates gives like 20 -30 depending on the set u dont wanna runin ur set by digging it if u havent got to

[jamestwo 0]

twenty mins then use locater pin point ferrit wait ten mins if in same place dig remove rabbit if lucky rabbits then put ferrit back in to check its clear

[Giro 2,648]

just depends if its a small shallow set and i know its huckled one 10 mins or so if its a big place i give more time to work.. If its showing 5/6 foot on the box i will wait half anhour then get stuck in... had a seven foof dig that sickend me last season..

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

twenty mins then use locater pin point ferrit wait ten mins if in same place dig remove rabbit if lucky rabbits then put ferrit back in to check its clear

I simply dont have the time to be waiting half an hour, id be digging well before that. I get payed to clear rabbits in numbers, also sell spares to game dealer and butchers etc

Personally, when the ferret is killing a rabbit in the burry, il locate it and dig it out, as I wouldnt want to miss out on the carcass, as every one counts for me. No good waiting around doing nothing, as my ferrets will soon leave the rabbit once it has been dispatched, and move on to find others in the burry.

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

just depends if its a small shallow set and i know its huckled one 10 mins or so if its a big place i give more time to work.. If its showing 5/6 foot on the box i will wait half anhour then get stuck in... had a seven foof dig that sickend me last season..

Ive just got to add that I wouldnt be digging more than a couple of feet for a rabbit, and i dont bother in the hedge bottoms etc... feck that, i do enough digging to the dogs! The ferrets i keep will come away from a rabbit after a short time, i dont like the ones that keep you waiting.

[The one 8,503]

Found myself looking at my watch when i put a ferret to ground then if it's quiet i will get the box out and try to find them after another ten minutes if there still in the same place out comes the spade

[Brimmer 220]

Nice post, topic right up my alley!

If the ferret is on the quarry and not moving them you can be digging in as little as 1 minute, why wait until it has killed and moved on to the next?

If you know your animals, then don't wait for 45 mins for a blooded ferret to emerge after its nailed 3 or 4 bunnies, all left to rot down there, nothing spoils burries more than corpses rotting away down there.

If your on deep warrens then use the jills and nets to bolt, and give them a little time to work, they are not in the same league as a medium sized hob on easy warrens.

No need to be 'Afraid Of The Spade' on anything less than 3 ft in my book.

[Giro 2,648]

No need to be 'Afraid Of The Spade' on anything less than 3 ft in my book.

 

 

totally agree

[Brimmer 220]

In fact maybee Max, from what i can see in your post, the guy you took out could probably point you in a direction you had not considered before, and one well worth trying out.

Maybee he understands what the animals are doing below ground, and is reacting to this, rather than waiting for the aftermath.

[sikastag_1 689]

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Edited September 3, 2019 by grant_c

[sikastag_1 689]

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Edited September 3, 2019 by grant_c

[supersam 64]

if i gave any of my ferrets 10 minutes they would have killed and moved on and the rabbit would be lost, i usually jsut play it by ear if i hear bumping but no rabbits bolting ill leave it a minute a quick look with the locator box will tell you either the ferrets still and killing a rabbit or if its still moving just click the box back off and stand back again if my ferrets in the same place for a wee minute or so ill give the spot a wee mark but every situation will be different but if i think my ferrets killed ill dig down, in my opinion you learn each individual ferret the more you work it you can almost put together in your head whats happening below you with each ferre t( or at least hope lol) because you should know how they work, this bits just in response to the post saying wait 10 minutes iv got a wee dark jill the first hole i put her in she bolted 1 then i put an experienced ferret in nothing home, the next day we had her out she killed 3 down a hole lightening quick shes a demon so if she was located and left for 10 minutes she would be out and wanting back in her box as the job is done and youd have lost rabbits and this was only a young ferret i would never wait on a ferret 10 minutes in the 1 spot to be honest i wouldnt want a ferret that will take 10 minutes to kill a rabbit although twice this year iv had to dig to a ferret in the 1 place for a long time but that was because the rabbit was arse on and the ferret couldnt get in to kill it (ps this aint a dig just my opinion and no offence to the ferrets), so the answer to the question is youll decide when to dig because you should know your ferret.

spot on mate

ill stand back and when i hear the ferret on a rabbit ill give it a few mins for it to bolt..if nothing is showing then check on the locator...if the ferret is in one spot for about a min i usually turn the sod and have a quick check before i continue diggin....if i check and he is on the move again then i stand back and give it another few mins...when doing ditches i use it more as in my permission the burries run a good distance so every few mins i check where the ferret is so i can move up and down the ditch so the dogs are in the right position for the bolters..i do this as i dont use nets so it helps the dogs to put them where the rabbit is likely to bolt to give em a better chance of a catch...

also as it puts the bro in the right position for a few pics

[max abell 196]

In fact maybee Max, from what i can see in your post, the guy you took out could probably point you in a direction you had not considered before, and one well worth trying out.

Maybee he understands what the animals are doing below ground, and is reacting to this, rather than waiting for the aftermath.

Brimmer You maybe right food for thought im thinking