Nice Quick Walk For a Few Coneys...........

[patterdalejoel 669]

Went out with Charlie Nelly 1 today, we planned to go on some Maize tomorrow, but due to things changing etc, i went up to his and arrived at about half 1, so nice early start...

 

we just took a few ferrets, i took my regular "reliable" jill and a kit. My "reliable" Jill has been shit lately, she is normally one of the best ferrets we take, but t'other day she went in a warren and kept showing, and i was sure it was empty, then a 10yr old hob went in and 3 rabbits bolted normally its her that shows up the other ferts. She got better today, but still not firing on all cylinders, so a bit of a worry there. my Kit did well i think for a first time, staying down and the locator showed her with one of Charlies jill's on a bottled rabbit, so she may turn out half decent. Charlies sandy jill and once-feral hob did well sticking on a couple of digs and persuading a few bunnies to bolt several times even after they had had a close shave with the dog.

 

The first warren we did was on a bank facing opposite to a big field had a good bolt along the grass, the dog got a good catch, the rabbit never seemed to realize there was a dog on it until she had hold of it as usual, on the first warren she is too excited and fcuks around with the rabbit parading with it, and missed a rabbit bolting because of it.

 

second warren looked shit, but good ol' Nelly gave us a good mark on it, it really is great going out with a dog with a solid mark and that's what she gives us. bunny bolted and dogs were after it, Nelly tackled Eve on the turn, she tumbled around and it was quite shitty and shaley, but she just bounces back.

 

we then mooched across some fields and looked around a barn that has some kicking around it, Nelly picked up a Mixy Rabb, but it was a decent Coney that looked like it was recovering rather than suffering, so a good sign. dogs put one up but didn't see it, it made its way back to the warren we last ferreted, the dogs tracked it back for us and gave us a mark. we bolted this and it made its way up a shaley sheep track and Eve jumped

on it and rolled around a few times, tough little bugger

 

we then chucked the ferrets in a warren around a tree at the top of a field bolted 4 i think, dog nabbed a bolter about 20 yards from the warren, and 2 made their way through a gap between a wall, dog also nabbed a hole hopper the third time it bolted after being on its tail a few times.

 

we then followed the rabbits that got through the wall and chucked the stinkers in a 20 holer in the middle of a field, got a hole hop or 2 but unfortunately both ended in Digs, fortunately good soft soil and about a foot down, nice a easy.

 

looks like i wrote more that i intended, but it was a great enjoyable 3 hours without touching a net, ending on 9 Coneys, and the dogs did well again, and eve with some great catches, in my opinion..... amazes me some of the shit and rocks she will run over but she just bounces off it and hasn't even knocked a toe. she is good at concentrating also, even waiting for a bolt after we took the ferrets out

 

i took the rabbs home, had a lovely rabbit dinner, had the loins with rice in a garlic and blue cheese sauce, was lovely, and caught 1-2 hours earlier with the dog lying at the feet that you raised from a pup, cant get better than that then minced the rest for dog food, nothing wasted. cheers all, sorry not a lot of pictures as didt take camera, but thought id write a bit more than usual. thanks AGAIN the Chaz for the trip out to catch a few Coneys, cheers lad

 

[troter58 1,711]

good read mate nice morning out hope your ferret comes round for you atb

[Tyla 3,179]

I really enjoyed that, well written and sounds like a really good day out

[The one 8,513]

nice read and you got a fair few

[Brimmer 220]

Nice one as usual PJ, just out of interest how olds the jill thats showing occasional form? I know mine seem to hit a wall at 5yrs old, (Bit like i am now! ). Liking the look of the little dog, sensible marking type with a few catches starting to show up as well, sort of dog that will have a job all its life.

[takman511 42]

nice 1 well done lads

[patterdalejoel 669]

  On 25/11/2012 at 16:39, Brimmer said:

Nice one as usual PJ, just out of interest how olds the jill thats showing occasional form? I know mine seem to hit a wall at 5yrs old, (Bit like i am now! ). Liking the look of the little dog, sensible marking type with a few catches starting to show up as well, sort of dog that will have a job all its life.

she will be 2 years old in may if remember correctly. she more or less was top notch from the very first trip out she had. but her half sister took a year to show any interest at all. she was on top form all last season and started off this season great, being the best ferret we had on several occasions, and was the best fert on some 50+ days we had, when a friends ferrets were having an off day. i moved on some non workers i had in the same hutch, as they were bullying these 2 off the food, and they are bulking up again more, but even at the height of the bullying they were still working well. bit mystified tbh, but im sure she will pick up

[Brimmer 220]

Ey up feller, I dont know you or your animals, but I,ve known many animals in the past. Now dont jump on me THL, or yourself PJ, but just try knocking the grub down a little feller.

Not to starve any animal at all, but an animal with more than enough will lack the same fire.

Any animal with more in its gut than it needs will not give the same as one with a half empty barrel.

A wild animal will only only hunt when hungry, not for the fun of it. But let my say this in the strongest possible way, hungry and not starving.

Getting that balance is easy to achieve if you handle an animal daily.

[max abell 196]

As said mate a great read and a nice few rabbits for the pot well done

[ferretville 69]

  On 25/11/2012 at 22:25, Brimmer said:

Ey up feller, I dont know you or your animals, but I,ve known many animals in the past. Now dont jump on me THL, or yourself PJ, but just try knocking the grub down a little feller.

Not to starve any animal at all, but an animal with more than enough will lack the same fire.

Any animal with more in its gut than it needs will not give the same as one with a half empty barrel.

A wild animal will only only hunt when hungry, not for the fun of it. But let my say this in the strongest possible way, hungry and not starving.

Getting that balance is easy to achieve if you handle an animal daily.

Spot on

[Guest vin]

great day out PJ.. and great advice Brimmer. . .Its amazing how a good ferret that does it for fun becomes a lethal little machine with a bit of fine tuning. . . a couple of mine really need a bit of lightening on the load..they are like fat puppies...lol.

[patterdalejoel 669]

  On 26/11/2012 at 19:33, vin said:

great day out PJ.. and great advice Brimmer. . .Its amazing how a good ferret that does it for fun becomes a lethal little machine with a bit of fine tuning. . . a couple of mine really need a bit of lightening on the load..they are like fat puppies...lol.

 

Brimmer and vin, she is far from fat, she is probably too lean compared to her prime weight i have seen her bofore, ideally i would like her to put weight on, she is a bit frail and thin for my liking, but i think this is down to 2 fat hungry ferrets that were in the hutch, but as these were non workers, they are currently under the sod as they were risking the welfare of my best working jills, which is just not on. i have no real feeding regime for them, i put food in about 6pm and the day they eat it all, that night i will put more food in, depending on how big the carcass is, rabbit, pigeon, cockerel etc. she has always been fed like this, and has worked brilliantly, and 2 freinds i have also feed like this and their ferrets are spot on working. i will try her on a trip though maybe with a "ration" rather than ad lib feeding from a carcass and see how she goes. cheers, Joel

[Brimmer 220]

  On 27/11/2012 at 12:06, patterdalejoel said:

  On 26/11/2012 at 19:33, vin said:

great day out PJ.. and great advice Brimmer. . .Its amazing how a good ferret that does it for fun becomes a lethal little machine with a bit of fine tuning. . . a couple of mine really need a bit of lightening on the load..they are like fat puppies...lol.

 

Brimmer and vin, she is far from fat, she is probably too lean compared to her prime weight i have seen her bofore, ideally i would like her to put weight on, she is a bit frail and thin for my liking, but i think this is down to 2 fat hungry ferrets that were in the hutch, but as these were non workers, they are currently under the sod as they were risking the welfare of my best working jills, which is just not on. i have no real feeding regime for them, i put food in about 6pm and the day they eat it all, that night i will put more food in, depending on how big the carcass is, rabbit, pigeon, cockerel etc. she has always been fed like this, and has worked brilliantly, and 2 freinds i have also feed like this and their ferrets are spot on working. i will try her on a trip though maybe with a "ration" rather than ad lib feeding from a carcass and see how she goes. cheers, Joel

 

Sounds like you have it sussed PJ, get her back up to fighting weight before you level her off mate. I wouldnt be worried about her performance in the field until she was at a healty weight and balanced there. Let us know how she gets on, she'l soon be back without the 'fatties, hindering her now.