looking for advice

[gaz1980 0]

Good Morning,

I'm looking for as much advice as possible surrounding ferrets and ferreting. I have never owned ferrets but have recently taken on two albino's (hobs) for a small piece of permission we have ( 20 acres ).

We can mainly shoot and lamp however there is sections that we will need to use ferrets for safety reasons and due to the rabbits been so shy.

 

I have read up some great stuff on here.

 

Just looking for as much info as possible and advice.

 

Really would appreciate as much input from as many of you that have experience or use them please

 

Thanks for reading

[Leeview 791]

Good Morning,

I'm looking for as much advice as possible surrounding ferrets and ferreting. I have never owned ferrets but have recently taken on two albino's (hobs) for a small piece of permission we have ( 20 acres ).

We can mainly shoot and lamp however there is sections that we will need to use ferrets for safety reasons and due to the rabbits been so shy.

 

I have read up some great stuff on here.

 

Just looking for as much info as possible and advice.

 

Really would appreciate as much input from as many of you that have experience or use them please

 

Thanks for reading

Just a thought as the permission is small Have you considered getting someone with ferrets and experience to assist you? and then take it from there

Y.I.S Leeview

[gaz1980 0]

Yeah i have a couple of guys who will help out but at present the landowner just wants the two of us there. But eventually i will have someone pop up with us.

[Leeview 791]

OK sorry just read your other post about you already have your ferrets

Good Luck

Y.I.S Leeview

[gaz1980 0]

Can anyone help with the above please?

[Jamie m 668]

Where abouts

[scothunter 12,609]

well your gonna need nets the choice of hemp or nylon is uo to you mate.me personally i use hemp as i find they do not tangle as much as the nylon ones.although they do need a bit more care.hang them up after your day out and dry them out or they will throgh time rot if left wet.will need a carry box,you can make one yourself if you are handy or get a joiner to rattle one up for you.do a search you will get an idea of the dimensions and types.locators well thats up to you but i would suggest getting one if you are new to the game although i must stress not a must they will set you back anything from 80quid from second hand to 130 new.make sure you set nets properly leaving a the bottom of the net slightly tucked in at the bottom inwards into the mouth of the burrow hole.be quiet when you are setting nets and try not to walk over the warren as a rabbit will rather face a fert tan bolt into the unknown.wont go into the ins and outs of a lie up without a locator but do a search there plenty been wrote about it.be prepared to do a bit of digging or you can wait if you have patience.give the ferts a light feed before setting out ie egg yolk or somethin like that.i dispatch any bolted rabbits while still in the net,easire to take a dead bunny out of a net than a live one,also i was always taught to dispatch my quary as quick as possible.its only fair.im sure i have missed a few things but you will get the idea and hopefully will get the ball rolling for more comments.hope this helps and all the best and welcome to the world of ferreting.its a good pastime and an enjoyable day out.

[gaz1980 0]

Thanks for the response.

I have bought 10 nylon nets and found one hemp on my permission left by poachers ( Twats ). The nylon seem to be tangled already and we havent had them out to work yet.

I started the box a couple of days ago, just needing to get hinges for them. Locator seems abit to much right now so will be sitting and waiting unless something cheap comes up for sale on here.

 

What age do you normally start running them from?

 

cheers for all the advice

[jenksi87 3]

i run my kits by october/november behind an experienced ferret, dont expect 2 much from them straight away though. as with anything experience and time is the key. ferrets will enter themselves basically. theres nothing you can do to make them work better. keep them fit and get them in the field and they will get the hang of it.

best of luck

[Ideation 8,216]

i run my kits by october/november behind an experienced ferret, dont expect 2 much from them straight away though. as with anything experience and time is the key. ferrets will enter themselves basically. theres nothing you can do to make them work better. keep them fit and get them in the field and they will get the hang of it.

best of luck

 

 

There are definatly things you can do to make them work better . . . . .

[kobi2k4 2]

I thort we disgused most of this while u was here, but then again i was proberly ramberling on eh lol ... ul need a fair few more nets for a starter id say 10 aint really enough just incase, a little bit of food a hour or so beffore u take them out should stop the lay ups, they will be ready to be enter later this munth if u feel comfy enough doing so (they are big enough to take a kicking if it comes to it), like already mentiond dont expect too much all at once, if they are owt like their parents then they will catch on in a few trips out, do the treat thing like i told u and a noise to attract them to u so they know theres something in it for them when they come out the hole and u want them ( but dont go to grab them too quick ul just startul them and make them prance about or maybe go right back down.

i have faith in u aswell as them man or i wouldnt of let them go with ye, u got ye mate to help too so ul get on just fine, and im at the end of the phone or here if needs be. il give ye the nod sometime too bowt comeing with us when we get going properly fella.

atb Danny

[jenksi87 3]

i run my kits by october/november behind an experienced ferret, dont expect 2 much from them straight away though. as with anything experience and time is the key. ferrets will enter themselves basically. theres nothing you can do to make them work better. keep them fit and get them in the field and they will get the hang of it.

best of luck

 

 

There are definatly things you can do to make them work better . . . . .

 

such as?

[jenksi87 3]

well?

[Ideation 8,216]

Sorry -

 

I would start by making sure that they have plenty of tubes to run through, and spend a lot of time handling them, especially as they come in and out of the tubes, this will reduce any chance of skulking at the mouth of the holes. I would also spend sometime letting them run around your feet, maybe in a garage or the garden, this just makes them a bit more used to your feet and will make them less hassle when your working around them.

 

Also you can try using a particular whistle or noise when you are feeding them, this can be really handy if you need to whistle a ferret out of a warren or some thick cover.

 

Then - when entering them for the first few times (as you dont have an experienced ferret to work them with) i would pick out some small sets where you are sure there are some rabbits, but not somewhere where they will be overmatched by the size of the warren or number of rabbits. Net up quietly etc and the enter the ferrets. When one bolts into the net i like to pull it out quickly, neck it and drop the twitching body next to the hole it came out of, usually the ferret will fire out and jump on the rabbit. I give them a little play with the body and make some excitable noises (quietly) I find this helps as the ferrets get used to the idea that they push them out and then the rabbits are killed, or caught and the whole process is a good thing. If they keep coming up and finding no rabbit and are then shoved back down they can sometimes put more effort into trying to pin the rabbits in the warren.

 

Other than this, not forcing them down a hole when they dont want to go is important, and handling them gently and getting to know them well and make them comfortable with you is always handy.

 

My old man used to say 'always trust your ferret'.

[gaz1980 0]

Great advice thank you very much for the excellent replys.

 

Sorry Danny i know you told me a heap of stuff i should probably walk around with a note pad and pen im that useless at remembering when theres a shit load to take in my bad.