Late Season Session Yesterday

[chrismdd 787]

Was asked to get on top of the rabbits at the allotments up the road. Had already taken half a dozen recently with the S410 but thought ought to show face with the ferrets to at least show that we're doing something about it. So as Saturday was nice and cool thought it would be okay, then Sunday arrives and its like a summers day (more like Sirblessed's Australia). Fresh stinging nettles, brambles and short sleeves do not go well together. Tried round the allotments and missed the first one which sliipped out of an unseen hole. Then the next three holer yielded a quarter grown rabbit that was far too small to take and my lad thought it too cute to kill so he quietly took it to the other side of the field and released it. We then longnetted a 50 yard section that included two separate buries. Two ferrets down and it took a while for the first rabbit to bolt. This was a full grown one later followed by two more, one of which bolted right in front of Luke's new pup to give it a catch into the net. Had to dig for a quarter grown one that the ferrets had killed and this was taken home for ferret food. Went to look at some more buries but they were also occupied by the ever increasing numbers of badgers round here so not worth the risk of losing a ferret.

 

So moved down the road to our bit of land. A few rabbits were out sunning themselves and a stroll round the field saw a few others of various sizes. Mostly worked a road hedge using pursenets but it was hard going in the heat and the ferrets wern't too keen to go deep and we struggled to just get one more rabbit even though we knew there must of been more down there, it was just too hot for not us but more importantly the ferrets.

 

Interestingly on the bottom hedge of our field the badgers have taken over with a good number of sets and have created huge workings and caverns (including ripping out 50 year old drainage pipes!) there were rabbits using the same workings (do they know that we can't ferret there )

 

So called it a day with four full sized rabbits and one smaller one for the ferrets.

 

Ferrets will now have the summer off until late September when it all starts again.

 

Chris

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

Badgers are a pain in the arse,I ferreted a hill since 1996,now badgers have moved in and took over,nightmare can't go near the place now ?

[Arry 22,357]

Badgers are a pain in the arse,I ferreted a hill since 1996,now badgers have moved in and took over,nightmare can't go near the place now

Same round here some really good ground burries ruined hedges dug out and the rabbit live in with them. I'm not risking the girls putting them in there.

 

Cheers Arry