A Day On New Permission And Problem Ferret

[GreyRake 108]

Hi, I'm new to the forums... And ferreting. Used to have ferrets and do a little working when I was at school and thought I'd get back into it so got myself a working stock hob and jill in the summer, both as kits. Not taken the hob out as I prefer the jills. After a bit of ferreting before Christmas decided to get another jill so went to a rescue and got another young silver jill.

 

So out on a new permission at the weekend, farmer was having problems and said he was in the middle of a purge at the moment, great! "Holes and rabbits everywhere". Shame it was all think hedgerows full of thorns. Because I've only just started up I've only got twenty purse nets and no long nets but anyway, me and friend set off with my silver mitt Athena, my original jill, left the rescue silver in the car. We walked to the first hedgerow and straight away came across a set of five holes, two of which had long stretches of fresh dirt streaming away from them. My friend offered to do the crawling about under the hedge on the agreement he just passes and rabbits caught to me to dispatch, I wasn't arguing. Took him a while to crawl about in the think layer of fallen thorns but he got it netted and I passed him Athena, she was straight down. After a minute there was alot of thumping, my friend was still crouched in the hedge and could feel the battle underfoot, after another minute one bolted, straight into the net, then it turned whilst still in the net and ran back down the hole. My friend was pulling the cord but it wasn't budging, I'm shouting "just pull it harder"! So he did and out it came, with Athena hanging off it's face. He passed it to me and set a new net. Was tricky getting that thing out of the net with a ferret hanging off it, the net was in-between it's toes and everything. After I sorted that I passed Athena back and she shot down the hole! Must be another. Straight away it bolted out the other well used run. He passed it to me and Athena came out and started sniffing around, can only mean we got them all. Carried on doing the whole hedgerow, lots of holes, one set looked well used but no more rabbits.

 

Went back to the car to swap ferrets and have a drink. Decided to have a walk around his land to get an idea of the best spots. Didn't see any holes for about twenty minutes then came across another hedgerow full of holes, great, more thorns. At least the holes are in little sets of four to six. So netted up a set of fives holes, one of which looked like a well used run and tried to put the rescue in, Selene. Now this was Selenes chance to prove herself as she doesn't want to go in holes and when she does she just pops out another and runs around outside. On the last outing she did bolt a rabbit so I was hoping this had caught her interest... It would seem not. After a bit of faffing about got her to go down the hole and we got in position and waited. After about twenty minutes we were getting restless, I went for a look behind the hedge to see if there was a hole we had missed and maybe she had gone walk about. No sign of her or a hole. Waited a bit longer, still nothing. I came across an old spade under some leaves in a small set of trees nearby and thought oh great, must be a sign! Certainly wasn't the place to be digging, thick hedge on a steep banking, so we kept waiting. After an hour I went to the car and got a rabbit we caught earlier, some malt paste and water for me and my friend. So gutted rabbit and a large dose of malt paste at the hole entrance, we waited longer. Nothing. We are talking about what may be going on, nest of babies? Flooded hole? Large drop in the hole she can't climb back out? Surly Selenes not managed a kill in, she's useless! Haha. After an hour and a half we pack up the nets and I'm shouting down the hole "SELENE, COME"! and poking sticks to see where these holes go. Nothing. So we are sitting on the ferret box having cigarette and suddenly a fat rabbit comes bolting out! Down the track track and into the next set of holes. b*****d! Just tool the bloody nets off! But still no Selene. More shouting and prodding. Decided to try and smoke her out, both rolled a fat cigarette and started blowing down a hole each, was certainly getting foggy down there. Rolled another, lit both ends and threw it deep down the hole then blocked off all the holes with bags and coats. Waited five, lifted a coat and there was a cloud of smoke with Selene in the middle of it. Little bitch haha, had to carefully coax her out with some malt paste first as she was be funny with us but managed to grab her. No sign of blood or fur on her, just mud, on her front legs, chest and nose, little cows just been having a great time digging! Spent and hour and a half in a hole with a bloody rabbit and all you've done is dig about!

 

Was getting late in the day so headed back to the car. Decided we would go back for the escapee rabbit. Selene in the car, Athena back into the ferret box and walked back to where we seen the rabbit go. Nets down, Athena in, rabbit out, Athena out, no messing about.

 

So I'm not sure what to do with Selene. I certainly want another working jill for next season and won't be going through the rescue. Working stock all the way. Next weekend I'll only be taking Athena!

 

Bob

[gnipper 6,475]

I'd of had to stuck the one that messed about in behind the rabbit just to see what she did that time.

What do you feed her on? I know some people feed nothing but dry and say their ferrets are fine at working but if one was iffy then surely knowing that bunnies were edible could give it that kick up the arse it needed?

[The one 8,479]

You work them with out a locator ?.

[Jamie m 668]

Hi, I'm new to the forums... And ferreting. Used to have ferrets and do a little working when I was at school and thought I'd get back into it so got myself a working stock hob and jill in the summer, both as kits. Not taken the hob out as I prefer the jills. After a bit of ferreting before Christmas decided to get another jill so went to a rescue and got another young silver jill.

 

So out on a new permission at the weekend, farmer was having problems and said he was in the middle of a purge at the moment, great! "Holes and rabbits everywhere". Shame it was all think hedgerows full of thorns. Because I've only just started up I've only got twenty purse nets and no long nets but anyway, me and friend set off with my silver mitt Athena, my original jill, left the rescue silver in the car. We walked to the first hedgerow and straight away came across a set of five holes, two of which had long stretches of fresh dirt streaming away from them. My friend offered to do the crawling about under the hedge on the agreement he just passes and rabbits caught to me to dispatch, I wasn't arguing. Took him a while to crawl about in the think layer of fallen thorns but he got it netted and I passed him Athena, she was straight down. After a minute there was alot of thumping, my friend was still crouched in the hedge and could feel the battle underfoot, after another minute one bolted, straight into the net, then it turned whilst still in the net and ran back down the hole. My friend was pulling the cord but it wasn't budging, I'm shouting "just pull it harder"! So he did and out it came, with Athena hanging off it's face. He passed it to me and set a new net. Was tricky getting that thing out of the net with a ferret hanging off it, the net was in-between it's toes and everything. After I sorted that I passed Athena back and she shot down the hole! Must be another. Straight away it bolted out the other well used run. He passed it to me and Athena came out and started sniffing around, can only mean we got them all. Carried on doing the whole hedgerow, lots of holes, one set looked well used but no more rabbits.

 

Went back to the car to swap ferrets and have a drink. Decided to have a walk around his land to get an idea of the best spots. Didn't see any holes for about twenty minutes then came across another hedgerow full of holes, great, more thorns. At least the holes are in little sets of four to six. So netted up a set of fives holes, one of which looked like a well used run and tried to put the rescue in, Selene. Now this was Selenes chance to prove herself as she doesn't want to go in holes and when she does she just pops out another and runs around outside. On the last outing she did bolt a rabbit so I was hoping this had caught her interest... It would seem not. After a bit of faffing about got her to go down the hole and we got in position and waited. After about twenty minutes we were getting restless, I went for a look behind the hedge to see if there was a hole we had missed and maybe she had gone walk about. No sign of her or a hole. Waited a bit longer, still nothing. I came across an old spade under some leaves in a small set of trees nearby and thought oh great, must be a sign! Certainly wasn't the place to be digging, thick hedge on a steep banking, so we kept waiting. After an hour I went to the car and got a rabbit we caught earlier, some malt paste and water for me and my friend. So gutted rabbit and a large dose of malt paste at the hole entrance, we waited longer. Nothing. We are talking about what may be going on, nest of babies? Flooded hole? Large drop in the hole she can't climb back out? Surly Selenes not managed a kill in, she's useless! Haha. After an hour and a half we pack up the nets and I'm shouting down the hole "SELENE, COME"! and poking sticks to see where these holes go. Nothing. So we are sitting on the ferret box having cigarette and suddenly a fat rabbit comes bolting out! Down the track track and into the next set of holes. b*****d! Just tool the bloody nets off! But still no Selene. More shouting and prodding. Decided to try and smoke her out, both rolled a fat cigarette and started blowing down a hole each, was certainly getting foggy down there. Rolled another, lit both ends and threw it deep down the hole then blocked off all the holes with bags and coats. Waited five, lifted a coat and there was a cloud of smoke with Selene in the middle of it. Little bitch haha, had to carefully coax her out with some malt paste first as she was be funny with us but managed to grab her. No sign of blood or fur on her, just mud, on her front legs, chest and nose, little cows just been having a great time digging! Spent and hour and a half in a hole with a bloody rabbit and all you've done is dig about!

 

Was getting late in the day so headed back to the car. Decided we would go back for the escapee rabbit. Selene in the car, Athena back into the ferret box and walked back to where we seen the rabbit go. Nets down, Athena in, rabbit out, Athena out, no messing about.

 

So I'm not sure what to do with Selene. I certainly want another working jill for next season and won't be going through the rescue. Working stock all the way. Next weekend I'll only be taking Athena!

 

Bob

Could of been rats in there i take it you dont have a locator , and why keep the other ferret in the car you could of put it in when it went quite ??? As long as you enjoyed the day ,

[GreyRake 108]

They do get rabbit meat after a days ferreting but I gut and skin it then cut off the meat for them because I keep them indoors and they drag it everywhere haha. But kibble most of the time yeah.

 

I have been working them without a collar yeah. Just because I'm new in starting, got nets, pegs and a carry box to start to see how things went. I didn't want to invest such a large amount of money until I knew how much I enjoyed it. I've been enjoying it alot and can't get enough of it! Haha. Gutted it's getting to the end of the season. But I thought because it's so close to the end of the season I'd wait and get a locator, more nets and long nets ready for next season. Ive had no sign of young rabbits yet but as soon as I do I'll stop.

 

Leave one in the car only on this paticular farm as it's never a long walk back to the car. If they are both out with me in the carry box they don't rest and I end up with two sleepy ferrets after a few hours. If I leave one in the car she will settle and sleep. Then be more alert when I swap them and take her out. If I'm on other permission where I'm trekking up hills then yeah, they both just come in the box.

 

There may have been rats I suppose but I would have thought they would bolt or she would have came out with battle wounds? And I didn't want to put the other ferret in incase she had found a pile of young rabbits and lay up too. Should I have put her in too?

[daniel123 21]

Sounds like an eventfull day for you mate we never had locators when i was young but they make life a lot easier especaily when youre getting on a bit get one sorted happy hunting

[darkwood 41]

Ive just started using locators my self; after many years of ferreting without one.I woundnt be without one now they make the day much more interesting and add a lot of rabbits to the bag that would have been wasted ,and of course stop you loosing ferrets

[Bradpage 0]

My first advice is loose the rouge ferret, if its no good it's no good and will take a hell of a lot of work to get better.

Secondly keep your ferrets outside and give them a whole un skinned rabbit after a successful day out NOT before keep them hungry before the day

Last thing I'd advise is unless you have real faith in your ferret always take two they always come in handy

 

Also grab yourself a locator you'll not know how you copes without one once you use them

[ferretfatcamp 21]

wouldnt work a ferret without a locater a lost ferret is trouble easiest way to loose your permission

[GreyRake 108]

A locator is definatly on the cards, has been since i started. Just couldnt bring myself to spend 200 pound for possibly one months ferreting. But certainly will have one ready for September!

 

Cant keep them outside as i have a shared garden. Neighbours only know the (stinky) myths and i didnt argue. Plus i live in a town center and i have no doubt a Saturday night drunk wouldn't try to pinch them for fun. Also like to let them out for a few hour rampage around my living room once a day for mental stimulation, now i wouldnt have it any other way!

 

Selene is now living as a well loved pet with a collegue and her other two ferrets. So ive space to gain another working stock kit for September. Athena alone, im sure, will do me proud on the last outing or two.

[Coneytrappr 30]

Chances are the ferret had a stubborn rabbit in a stop end and was scratching at it's arse or trying to dig alongside it to get to it's head, hence the mud on it's feet and face, and the bolted bunny. It may well have been working on another when you smoked it out. I have a jill that will dig up alongside stopend rabbits to get to their heads...once all the easy bolters have been cleared out things will often go quiet for a while. If I locate and dig I will find her with rabbits in a stopend. If I wait quietly then there will be a bolt, sometimes several one after the other. A locator can teach you a lot about what happens in those dead end tubes! I also have ferrets that will enter and bolt the easy ones but which don't put the effort into those holed up in stopends...great for non-diggable places or for when things need to be done quickly.

 

The biggest problem that I can identify with your ferret from your post is that it sounds hand shy and immature/inexperienced. Work on the skulking, give it more work on rabbits next season and you may be surprised. It will almost certainly have a different style of working than your other...but you could find yourself rewarded with rabbits.

 

I would advise against attempting to smoke ferrets out. If your ferret gets stuck behind a rabbit you could end up killing it.

[GreyRake 108]

Could have been a rabbit in a stop end, hadnt thought of that. Only thing that would have me doubting it is how she didnt have any signs of fur or blood in her claws or around her mouth.

 

Shes not really hand shy. I keep them all in the house and they get the run of the living room for a few hours a day and in here they are fine. But when all three are outside they play hard to get. Athena was terrible to start with, coming out then when i approach to re set the net she would dart back in messing it up even more. Apollo my hob who i dont ferret with even gets funny with me when outside and hes the most happy to be handled. But i think alot of it is because they are on guard outside, they dont feel safe and when i approach they dont know its me, just a big shadow figure stumbling towards them. Its only until they smell my hand they relax, but they can decide to run down a hole before smelling my hand first.

 

Yeah i wont be trying to smoke the ferrets out again. Was just a desperate attempt to get her out before it got dark and i had to leave. But will have a locator before next season so ill be digging them out instead.