Hob Or Jill?

[hawkingyorkshire 6]

what would you lads/ladies say about witch sex is best for working warrens? and why?

[richie1984 191]

My Jill's seem to work quicker than my hob but he seems to get the stubborn rabbits moving.can't compare really,each is better than the other in different situations.atb rich

[Meeks 153]

My own preference is to work my Jill's most of the time and use the big fella on larger warrens.find that works best for me,a lot less digging

[pie-eater 377]

I like to work both but if I could only have 1 Id have a hob.

[potpoacher 27]

mine all work as a good little team, the hob a little more dominant maybe? I have 4 gills and 1 hob, each has their special own points.

2 gills I thought were nervous have turned out to be dangerous when it comes to ratting, they caught 7 between the 2 of them on Saturday just under a couple of sheds.

Edited December 4, 2013 by potpoacher

[xHOUNDx 33]

its the million dollar question mate, tbh i dont see that it matters what sex they are, its like saying do white fellas work better than black fellas? just depends on the ferrets mate, only thing i will say is tend to do more digging with hobs as they got a lot more weight behind them rabbits struggle to get past em, they way i work it is if i'm on a smal warren i use jills as they tend to work the warren quicker, but big warrens i get the hobs out aswelll just for extra man power, all depends on the situation

[Meeks 153]

Never used my ferrets for or been ratting.need to try it sometime.

[potpoacher 27]

Never used my ferrets for or been ratting.need to try it sometime.

its worth it! I didn't think it would be much fun, or that I would get many rats, but you have to actually do it yourself to find out. (just be prepared for head smacking with a stick, those rats get away jolly quick )

[pie-eater 377]

Potpoacher do you use nets or anything to catch the bolters? I thought about trying it myself years ago but heard a few horror stories about ferrets getting torn up.

[The Bunny Basher 6]

both hobs and jills work differently it seems to be that the jills are a little quicker around the warren and can do the job with abit more pace were as the hobs seem to be methodical, take there time and stick with the job until it is done and the warren is empty or what wont bolt is dead, At the moment i keep 4 jills and 2 hobs on of which is vasectomised and the combination of both sexes seems to work just fine for me anyway the main thing to remember is only breed from good workers s**t breeds s**t so only breed from true workers and work whatever you feels works well for you!

Atb TBB

[potpoacher 27]

I haven't had a ferret torn up yet. I use the net that goes round big hay bales, it slows the rats up enough to get a good whacking in! Its the only kind of ferreting that I invite other people along, the more people you have standing around, the less rats you lose.

I cant keep dogs for various reasons, but I have worked with terriers and even lurchers, they all enjoy it!

I am yet to use a shotgun, but would use a .410 if anything.

[potpoacher 27]

sorry, forgot to tell you to tie them trousers up mate!

[bugg 84]

sorry, forgot to tell you to tie them trousers up mate!

Second that lol

[Jamie m 668]

All ferrets work differently if only slightly . Hobs can generally turn a rabbit easier hence a lot more spade work to dead rabbits , But if it's a day there just not shifting then good Jill's should stick . I have a few Jill's that have no interest in dead rabbits if there's more to be bolted. and my young hobs the same , pushes on , they may return on a scent trail to the mark, which thankfully confirms and when there's 6foot of sand between you and a rabbit, you want to know it hasn't moved lol. Sand is challenging very wide tubes . If the ferret can't pin it it's moving. .

[stealthy1 3,964]

I prefer jills, they tend to climb over rabbits in a stop end to get to the heads, which in turn, spins the rabbit round and forces it to bolt, hobs being bigger, tend to chew the arse of a rabbit if it cant get to the head, which takes up more time standing about, and normally results in more digs, its a choice thing