Nailing the rabbits down the hole!!!!!!

[bluhunter 26]

I have two large hobs 1 polecat and 1 albino! They are great workers but often nail a rabbit or two down the hole! I give them a bit grub before I go out so never had them lay up, but this doesn't slow them down any!! Is ther anthing anyone can suggest?? Is there such a thing is a ferret muzzel???

[TOMO 26,962]

They will love you on here asking that.....lol

 

There are such things as muzels for ferts,,, but I wouldn't recommend there use,, if t,he fert comes up against anything else like rats stoats ect,,, it won't defend it's self.... Just youse a locator and dig the boys out

[whippet 99 2,613]

I have two large hobs 1 polecat and 1 albino! They are great workers but often nail a rabbit or two down the hole! I give them a bit grub before I go out so never had them lay up, but this doesn't slow them down any!! Is ther anthing anyone can suggest?? Is there such a thing is a ferret muzzel???

use small jills , more chance of them getting pass the gills in stop ends etc .............and more bolts ,........and its easier for the coney to try and get away....

exactly the same princible for terrier work

this is why i only work small jills for this exact reason....

[tote 856]

I have two large hobs 1 polecat and 1 albino! They are great workers but often nail a rabbit or two down the hole! I give them a bit grub before I go out so never had them lay up, but this doesn't slow them down any!! Is ther anthing anyone can suggest?? Is there such a thing is a ferret muzzel???

 

Aye there's such a thing as muzzles for ferrets but I would think using them will only add to your problem. Your hobs will

come across a rabbit that won't bolt and with a muzzle on they won't be able to kill it and move on so will probably work

away at it for ages with their feet meaning an even longer wait for you.

 

For the reasons Tomo says above ferret muzzles are a no no.

[The one 8,513]

Thats what there supposed to do rabbit doesn't bolt ferret kills it , out with the knocker box and dig it out . You can try other things swapping over to smaller jills etc but after a year or two a good working jill can kill rabbits as easy as your big hobs

[Country Joe 1,411]

I have worked Hobs in the past, but have always used Jills more, so I totally agree with Whippet.

I recently bolted a Rabbit in the net with the Jill attached to its neck.

If that had been a big hob it would have been a dig.

I used to ferret with a Keeper years ago, who had a big hob, who was deadly at killing rabbits.

But if they did not bolt right away, and he gripped then there would be no chance of a bolt.

I used to work two Jills with him, and found that more Rabbits hit the nets with my Jills, and he certainly caught Rabbits, but he spent a lot of time digging.

A dug out Rabbit, is not an easy kill, unless they are shallow burys.

and where we ferreted with the Keeper, it was all hard and deep digging.

[Tug 168]

Right, lets get this straight once and for all:

 

A rabbit in a stop end will sit tight regardless of whether it can get past the ferret or not so size and gender have NOTHING to so with it.

 

Jills tend to be much faster than hobs and are also quicker, so are actually more likely to get over the back of a rabbit to kill.

 

Some ferrets are better at killing than others. My hobs never kill, the jill we work has a real knack for it.

 

I'd suggest people comment using knowledge and experience, rather than recycled opinions they've read on the Internet.

 

 

[bluhunter 26]

Well thanks for all the advise guys!!! I do work with the locator only really had to use it to pin point wer the rabbits been nailled cos after the kill the ferret will just move on to the next and I've never went home empty handed even if it's just been the one dig out! Don't think I would swap for gills just cos mines are beast but my cousin has just got to young ones ATM so we'll see what happen [bANNED TEXT] we go out with the lot!!! Definatly no getting a muzzel tho!!! Lol

this might be a lot of bull but I had someone tell me to put a bell round it's neck so that the rabbit would here them sooner!!! Next thell be saying a should get a harness n take them for walks!!!!!

[Country Joe 1,411]

I'd suggest people comment using knowledge and experience, rather than recycled opinions they've read on the Internet.

So what People is this Tug?

[whippet 99 2,613]

Right, lets get this straight once and for all:

 

A rabbit in a stop end will sit tight regardless of whether it can get past the ferret or not so size and gender have NOTHING to so with it.

 

Jills tend to be much faster than hobs and are also quicker, so are actually more likely to get over the back of a rabbit to kill.

 

Some ferrets are better at killing than others. My hobs never kill, the jill we work has a real knack for it.

 

I'd suggest people comment using knowledge and experience, rather than recycled opinions they've read on the Internet.

what ever pal ive had rabbits bolt with the little jills still attach to them .................so what is your explanation of this ...........?

and size has everything to do with it.......................its not about the internet ,..........

have you ever had a rabbit bolt which you can obviously see its been in contact with a ferret in the warren.................yes of course , we all have had rabbits in the net which have evidence of being in contact with the ferret............now the weight and size of a hobb is an advantage of keeping a rabbit held in a warren ............

when i first started ferreting with me uncle we use to dig more to the hobbs than the jills ............!(thats going on the fact that are hobbs were alot bigger than the jills)

unless you have a camera on your ferrets how the hell do you know what is going on under ground..................my knowledge is going by the sucess rate with the jills is better for me than the hobbs as bolting goes and im sure that alot of those rabbits which have obviously been in contact would not of been able to get away from a bigger , heavier ferret...........

if you got a small hobb then it makes no difference but i will stick by my word that smaller is better for bolting to the nets regardless if its hobb or jill as long as its small.............

now there will be professional rabbit controllers on this site and it will be interesting to see what they say as there out there doing it for a living and if im wrong by going on me own exsperience then i obviously havent done enough to come up with my assumption that smaller is better............

yis....

[Country Joe 1,411]

My two Jills will also kill, I do agreee Tug, that a rabbit jammed up in a stop end will not move, im not saying that using Jills means no digging.

in fact with all the gear a solo Ferreter has to carry, two big heavy Hobs, is the last thing I want to carry, im always thinking of ways to lighten the load.

but thats another subject.

[tote 856]

Right, lets get this straight once and for all:

 

A rabbit in a stop end will sit tight regardless of whether it can get past the ferret or not so size and gender have NOTHING to so with it.

 

Jills tend to be much faster than hobs and are also quicker, so are actually more likely to get over the back of a rabbit to kill.

 

Some ferrets are better at killing than others. My hobs never kill, the jill we work has a real knack for it.

 

I'd suggest people comment using knowledge and experience, rather than recycled opinions they've read on the Internet.

 

Having a bad day Tug?

[Mick C. 229]

When they wont move i always swop the jills for strong hobs.

 

Surprisingly they sometimes get the rabbits on the move.

 

Failing that they are dug too.

 

If we left t hose that the jills had a hard time with our end of day bag would be poor

[whippet 99 2,613]

[whippet 99 2,613]

ok