Ratting with ferrets

[B.P.R 2,798]

Just reading a book I was given by a member off here : OF PEDIGREE UNKNOWN by Phil Drabble.

 

In it he recalls how when r was younger his main sport was ratting with ferrets. He used to put stocking over the holes and catch the rats in them to sell onto people to train their dogs/pits etc. At escapees used to be caught by his staff x foxhound.

 

He used to lose ferrets through injuries or after so many fights the ferret would refuse to enter so was useless. He stopped the sport as his last 2 Staffordshire bull terriers died of

Jaundice. Anybody heard of this way of ratting with ferrets/nets/ stockings or any cases where the dogs died of jaundice contracted from rats?

[Ideation 8,216]

Yes to the first bit.

[Moll. 1,770]

Yes to everything except the stockings

 

Ferret in and waiting....

 

[Moll. 1,770]

[3175darren 1,100]

Dad used to have bean tins,sown in the opening of the stocking,and force the end into the hole, he said you could hear them entering the stocking, with black stockings they wouldnt bite cos it was dark, him and grandad washed their hands in meths or parrafin before hand, they had some big days on them back then,they kept two sets of ferrets the smaller more agrresive /fast ones for rats, the medium sized for rabbits,and really large ferrets for under sheds/buildings or klinker sets on rabbits or rats,he used to speak fondly of them days,he always had a good terrier,people like that are missing in todays world, real hard men /men of character who had real knowledge of their quary and could / would catch them by all available methods, back then no one had the money to buy an old chainsaw, to smoke them out, and relied on snares traps and ferrets to catch them,these people hunted using instinct,

[Millet 4,497]

Ive done load's of it over the year's and never lost a ferret to rat bite's seen some bad bite's and a missing tail one time..they do eventually jib but they still good for bunnies after that...i used to use net's on awkward spot's and i can remember one time having a ferret and a rat in a net at the same time.. ..good job the terrier's where well broken to ferret's..

On the jaundice side of thing's i have lost a terrier to it at 8yr's old..but when they get put among hundred's of rat's over a long period of time anything can happen..

 

 

[whin 463]

as youngster we done a fair bit of ratting ,rabbits were scarce in walking distance plenty hares but we never had a [bANNED TEXT] hare dog just mongrely whippet type and terrier type , good crack never netted them either dogs or 4 10 shot them , it was al carrotts alot of root crops and no bypass places were sniding with hares , would a loved to have the dogs now back them put up a dozen a walk , we used to try and snare them got afew , plus feral cats foxes then i stopped it to much carrying on ,then we got some bigger faster lurchers ferrets took aback seat as we were hare mad , and mate had transport so rabbted further a feild ,wouldnt use ferrets for rats unless only way not got tones of jills now just odd jill and rest dog ferrets

[paulus 26]

if this is the right link its a good read of ratcatching in the factorys of manchester in the victorian erea http://www.booksshou...nal_Rat-catcher including suppling the rat pits of london

[3175darren 1,100]

Its facinating to think that a whole industry of supply and demand, grew around the rat pits of old and controlling rats was a way of life for people back then,what happened,we still have a need to control rats probably as much as ever,people even made there own baits,and traps of all discriptions,a multitude of different dog breeds were crossed for speed and agility,It was massive and a crying shame most of this is now lost,I might try and find a few old books and read up on some of the old methods,its as diverse a subject as poaching itself,

[poacher3161 1,766]

We as kids used to ferret tips and a maggot farm in s.yorks we used to swear blind the rats at the maggot farms carried flick knives with the state the ferrets were in after a days hunting their.

[paulus 26]

We as kids used to ferret tips and a maggot farm in s.yorks we used to swear blind the rats at the maggot farms carried flick knives with the state the ferrets were in after a days hunting their.

i used to ferret at a sewerage farm where there stuff came in there was these 2 machines that sorted the turds from the piss comb like things about 10 foot long, the rat holes were like badger sets you were lucky if your ferret came out, the same at wykin tip a local landfill site only ever had first year kits work them if they survived the initial outings they soon jacked and would back out with a tail like a bottle brush

[Joe67 239]

each to there own,f**k that though i wouldnt put my ferrets into a set working for rats..

[B.P.R 2,798]

each to there own,f**k that though i wouldnt put my ferrets into a set working for rats..

 

That's because you've got

Dalketh ferrets

[Joe67 239]

lol the same dalkeith jills that keep kicking f**k out your hobs kinda like the englishman in the dalkeith tesco car park

[B.P.R 2,798]