Ferreting 2020 , 2021 season

[Aussie Whip 4,091]

16 hours ago, Trev70 said:

A few more today

You're getting a bit messy there Trev,line them up better,lol.

[Trev70 5,185]

Keep them happy until we can get them out with the ferrets on Sunday 

[Trev70 5,185]

Started in a garden and ended on a bit of new land today.A mix of ferreting, long net then purse nets and finished with a bit of bolting to the dogs.

[Trev70 5,185]

Vid from today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxH_zxnxkQA

[Trev70 5,185]

38 today 

[Bobtheferret 1,248]

Amazing the numbers you consistently put away, fair play. Do you have to travel far? (Not after locations just curious if these are on your doorstep or if you put some miles in). 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Brilliant lads .Wish we had few about here like years past .Would go whole year and not see 20 here ,sad really .

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

1 minute ago, foxdropper said:

Brilliant lads .Wish we had few about here like years past .Would go whole year and not see 20 here ,sad really .

Very sad mate. Cant have everything I suppose , you have loads of foxes and deer I have made an effort this year on the bunnies and really enjoyed it , 680 up to now.

[Bobtheferret 1,248]

11 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Very sad mate. Cant have everything I suppose , you have loads of foxes and deer I have made an effort this year on the bunnies and really enjoyed it , 680 up to now.

Out of interest before this year had you more or less let the old coney be and numbers built up as a result? The more I understand about the lower rabbit numbers to more it seems that whilst disease is definitely a factor it seems over hunting is possibly a bigger factor. Permission I have that I know I am the only person that hunts rabbits on the rabbits seem to manage to maintain a reasonable population (I only take a few just enough to be doing your job) but where landowner shoots or multiple people ferret etc they just keep going down. That may sound obvious but my point is the disease is bad but not necessarily fatal to whole populations but heavy hunting and disease are. It’s just very strange that within a few miles places have been wiped out yet some still have an ok population. 

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

I never let them be as always good numbers but this year due to being furloughed and not the foxes about I have filled my time in with the bunnies. Plus the farmers want rabbits eradicating but I always leave enough to breed.

Edited December 6, 2020 by FOXHUNTER

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Second to disease and the obnoxious phostoxin ,ferreting is THE most devastating effect on rabbits when done in ernest .

We were at plague proportion 1996 ,I remember it well .Everyone had ferrets back then and dealers paying well for carcasses .Even a dedicated society for rabbit clearance back then locally .The Marlborough downs rabbit clearance society it was called .

Operators were given a budget to control areas with any legal method .Most went for ferreting and wiped out swathes of the Wilts countryside which at the time was needed but rabbits never recovered .Small pockets were hit with either mixy or VHD .

Biproduct of ferreting is that any left behind succumb to mixy very easy through stress .

[Trev70 5,185]

3 hours ago, Bobtheferret said:

Amazing the numbers you consistently put away, fair play. Do you have to travel far? (Not after locations just curious if these are on your doorstep or if you put some miles in). 

Half hour away from home today mate but do a lot of travelling too, I like a change , cheers

[Trev70 5,185]

Vid from yesterday                                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifDpqhWDK-0

[Trev70 5,185]

First trip for the cockapoo this morning for a couple of hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKNPmS7mzjE