Packing up aready are you nuts

[Sirius 1,391]

It's all down to the individual IMO.

I kill'em if they need killing, but in some spots I wont bother to bust my balls digging holes for baby rabbits every five minutes when I dont need to, it just aint my idea of fun.

I live about as south as you can go, and I have been ferreting every week all winter and I have not caught a baby rabbit since August

Edited January 30, 2012 by Sirius

[The one 8,504]

All this week its supposed to be below minus that will stop the buggers breeding and allow us to continue ferreting

[Jamie m 668]

All this week its supposed to be below minus that will stop the buggers breeding and allow us to continue ferreting

yep here's hoping

[BEARINATOR 2,872]

I normally ferret during the autumn and winter then shoot during the spring and summer, but I do it for pest control and not sport

[Ideation 8,216]

First day today that i was putting puff balls out of cover with the dogs, so they are up and about above ground here. Just as we had snow on the hills today.

[Brimmer 220]

This the first season on THL for me and cant belive the amount of members who think having young in the does denotes ending the season it not even febuary yet.

 

I am not having a pop but clearly packing the gear away in january is nuts I think even in worst mild years maybe the 2nd week of march for us and we are in the sunny south.

 

ATB Cookie

 

get a fooking grip.

 

Bit fooking touchie arent you so are saying some only ferret 3 months a year

 

Not fooking touchie at all, just could not be arsed typing an essay in defense of the folks who knock it on the head, rather than carry on. I may have been blunt, but thats how I'd be if I was stood in front of you.

Now with a little bit more time, I'll discuss it in a propper manner.

 

Firstly, how ever you conduct yourself in the field, or any one else, is none of my business, people do things differently, each to there own. My only gripe really is for somebody who obviously does more than most, and gets out a lot, needs to draw public attention to something that does not need any attention at all, and then feels the need to critisize a common sense approach to hunting and a respect for the animals they hunt.

 

I understand on ground further south, and lowland that almost all year round you can see young rabbits, and that the inevitable will happen, part and parcel of the sport, but as stated already, there are windows in the season when there is a lesser chance of it happening. and ferreting into the middle of March is certainly not lessening the chance.

 

We hunt on some really high ground, and even in the coldest winters, by early Feb you see the tubes swelled up, and the odd cherries in them, this is time for us to stop, but in the 4 months we have, we have covered the 1600 acres in the two farms we go on, out all weekend, every weekend, whatever the weather, in a usual year (not the last 2 years due to the wipeout caused by the winter 0f 2009/2010.) we would usually take between 1200 to 1500 average.

 

My point is, if you hit them hard, at the correct time, you dont need to keep going well into breeding season. My personal opinion is if you cannot clear them when they are not breeding, then you have more land than you can hunt, or you are not doing your job well enough, but I understand other folks dont have the time that I have.

 

I can understand that sometimes, if you get new ground, at the back end of a season, then you might need to show willing, but personally, unless I was getting paid a propper wage for doing it, i'd not be ferreting, and probably only be shooting the three quarter grown rabbits, ensuring any milky does dont leave a starving litter. There is no sport in ferreting warrens, killing young and does in kit.

 

If I was a farmer, in deperate need of shifting them, then maybee i'd nail everything.

 

These are my opinions, people do things there own way, and are entitled to theirs and to conduct thereselves however they want.

[Guest cookiemonsterandmerlin]

This the first season on THL for me and cant belive the amount of members who think having young in the does denotes ending the season it not even febuary yet.

 

I am not having a pop but clearly packing the gear away in january is nuts I think even in worst mild years maybe the 2nd week of march for us and we are in the sunny south.

 

ATB Cookie

 

get a fooking grip.

 

Bit fooking touchie arent you so are saying some only ferret 3 months a year

 

Not fooking touchie at all, just could not be arsed typing an essay in defense of the folks who knock it on the head, rather than carry on. I may have been blunt, but thats how I'd be if I was stood in front of you.

Now with a little bit more time, I'll discuss it in a propper manner.

 

Firstly, how ever you conduct yourself in the field, or any one else, is none of my business, people do things differently, each to there own. My only gripe really is for somebody who obviously does more than most, and gets out a lot, needs to draw public attention to something that does not need any attention at all, and then feels the need to critisize a common sense approach to hunting and a respect for the animals they hunt.

 

I understand on ground further south, and lowland that almost all year round you can see young rabbits, and that the inevitable will happen, part and parcel of the sport, but as stated already, there are windows in the season when there is a lesser chance of it happening. and ferreting into the middle of March is certainly not lessening the chance.

 

We hunt on some really high ground, and even in the coldest winters, by early Feb you see the tubes swelled up, and the odd cherries in them, this is time for us to stop, but in the 4 months we have, we have covered the 1600 acres in the two farms we go on, out all weekend, every weekend, whatever the weather, in a usual year (not the last 2 years due to the wipeout caused by the winter 0f 2009/2010.) we would usually take between 1200 to 1500 average.

 

My point is, if you hit them hard, at the correct time, you dont need to keep going well into breeding season. My personal opinion is if you cannot clear them when they are not breeding, then you have more land than you can hunt, or you are not doing your job well enough, but I understand other folks dont have the time that I have.

 

I can understand that sometimes, if you get new ground, at the back end of a season, then you might need to show willing, but personally, unless I was getting paid a propper wage for doing it, i'd not be ferreting, and probably only be shooting the three quarter grown rabbits, ensuring any milky does dont leave a starving litter. There is no sport in ferreting warrens, killing young and does in kit.

 

If I was a farmer, in deperate need of shifting them, then maybee i'd nail everything.

 

These are my opinions, people do things there own way, and are entitled to theirs and to conduct thereselves however they want.

 

So I am correct in thinking that out over every weekend for 4 months is roughly 12 to 14 days in your ferretting season and you cover 1600 acres in them 32 days and catch 1200 /1500 coneys.

giving at worst a catch rate of 37 a day over ferrets or 46 at best a day .

 

I maybe reading your numbers and day wrong .

 

 

Edited my maths is awful

Cheers Cookie

Edited January 30, 2012 by cookiemonsterandmerlin

[johnny boy68 11,726]

As soon has I see my first scutty I'll stop taking the fert's out though I can understand the need to carry on if its pest control.

[BEARINATOR 2,872]

As soon has I see my first scutty I'll stop taking the fert's out though I can understand the need to carry on if its pest control.

 

and it's even better when it's paid pest control

[Ideation 8,216]

This the first season on THL for me and cant belive the amount of members who think having young in the does denotes ending the season it not even febuary yet.

 

I am not having a pop but clearly packing the gear away in january is nuts I think even in worst mild years maybe the 2nd week of march for us and we are in the sunny south.

 

ATB Cookie

 

get a fooking grip.

 

Bit fooking touchie arent you so are saying some only ferret 3 months a year

 

Not fooking touchie at all, just could not be arsed typing an essay in defense of the folks who knock it on the head, rather than carry on. I may have been blunt, but thats how I'd be if I was stood in front of you.

Now with a little bit more time, I'll discuss it in a propper manner.

 

Firstly, how ever you conduct yourself in the field, or any one else, is none of my business, people do things differently, each to there own. My only gripe really is for somebody who obviously does more than most, and gets out a lot, needs to draw public attention to something that does not need any attention at all, and then feels the need to critisize a common sense approach to hunting and a respect for the animals they hunt.

 

I understand on ground further south, and lowland that almost all year round you can see young rabbits, and that the inevitable will happen, part and parcel of the sport, but as stated already, there are windows in the season when there is a lesser chance of it happening. and ferreting into the middle of March is certainly not lessening the chance.

 

We hunt on some really high ground, and even in the coldest winters, by early Feb you see the tubes swelled up, and the odd cherries in them, this is time for us to stop, but in the 4 months we have, we have covered the 1600 acres in the two farms we go on, out all weekend, every weekend, whatever the weather, in a usual year (not the last 2 years due to the wipeout caused by the winter 0f 2009/2010.) we would usually take between 1200 to 1500 average.

 

My point is, if you hit them hard, at the correct time, you dont need to keep going well into breeding season. My personal opinion is if you cannot clear them when they are not breeding, then you have more land than you can hunt, or you are not doing your job well enough, but I understand other folks dont have the time that I have.

 

I can understand that sometimes, if you get new ground, at the back end of a season, then you might need to show willing, but personally, unless I was getting paid a propper wage for doing it, i'd not be ferreting, and probably only be shooting the three quarter grown rabbits, ensuring any milky does dont leave a starving litter. There is no sport in ferreting warrens, killing young and does in kit.

 

If I was a farmer, in deperate need of shifting them, then maybee i'd nail everything.

 

These are my opinions, people do things there own way, and are entitled to theirs and to conduct thereselves however they want.

 

So I am correct in thinking that out over every weekend for 4 months is roughly 12 to 14 days in your ferretting season and you cover 1600 acres in them 12/14 days and catch 1200 /1500 coneys.

giving at worst a catch rate of 85 a day over ferrets or at best 100 a day .

 

I maybe reading your numbers and day wrong .

 

Cheers Cookie

 

How did you work that out? 4 months = 16 weeks.

 

16 weekends, both days, would take it to 32 days out.

 

Which would leave him at an average of 37.5 - 46.8 rabbits a day.

 

And is that really the only thing you can pick up on in that whole post?

 

P.S Brimmer - very well said mate

[Ideation 8,216]

As soon has I see my first scutty I'll stop taking the fert's out though I can understand the need to carry on if its pest control.

 

Nailed one out of cover today mate and seen a couple more hopping about above ground for the first time Give me a call later about the w/e.

[Brimmer 220]

Cookie, that would be an average, as you have said, its your first year on thl, if you go and trawl through the posts in was putting up 3 years ago, i think you,d probably get your answer.

[NEWKID 27,372]

Wont be doing much on the main farm we've done all year as, I'm the only one with permision and I'm looking forward to next years sport on a farm which is just up the road we've had a fair few off it this year so there's no need for us to keep hammering it for the sake of it.

Got a couple other places we've been asked to go on and one is supposed to be crawling (heard that before) so I will still be out for a few weeks yet, but don't think I'll be doing much after the end of this month with the ferrets. Personally I don't like to be seeing loads of young and pregnant does being killed, just my opinion,

I think Tomo's right as well Better to start a month earlier and finish a month earlier

ATB

Kev

[Ideation 8,216]

Cookie, that would be an average, as you have said, its your first year on thl, if you go and trawl through the posts in was putting up 3 years ago, i think you,d probably get your answer.

 

You think they are building up again slowly mate?

[stealthy1 3,964]

For me, crop protecion is paramount, if there's any damage, they get removed, wether in kit or not, if no damage, then they can wait until next winter to be ferreted, damage in the summer see's the rabbits being shot and trapped, because as you all know, rabbits travel from neighbouring land, which you may not have permission to take quarry from, so do you let the damage continue, or do what your supposed to do, and control the amount of damage though out the summer?