What do use Lads prefer to work Jill's or Hobs

[comanche 3,027]

1 hour ago, OldPhil said:

 Ya know,,...when I think about all the thousands of days (and more than a few nights)spent standing, up behind a bury, waiting on that bolt, and of all the crazy events and experiences, that have occurred,...I often ponder that an interesting, informative and fairly unique book, could be penned ..

At first I used to become sad, at the thought of so many, seemingly wasted years,...but now, I'm not so sure

That's  a bit serendipitous Phil.

Only a couple of days ago l was talking to a woman  who has a local   gardening business. 

As a kid her happiest days had been spent  pottering on her Grandad's allotment ,growing sunflowers on her own little corner of it and getting wet and muddy.

 Despite a successful career in international advertising she's now  doing what she loved  as a child  . She considers herself lucky to have finally found her way back to her   roots( pun intended)...

Some of us have been luckier ; no bulging bank balance perhaps  but life hasn't been wasted lf we can look back along an unbroken line of rich memories   .

Are you considering reraising the pen Phil?   

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by comanche

[OldPhil 5,799]

 Who knows dear Chap

Maybe my mind-set has finally moved on, and maybe I no longer have the passion, for the hunt, within my heart.. 

But,...never say never, eh...

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by OldPhil

[toolebox 1,555]

Over a long number of years the rabbit population within the 100,0000 acres I rabbit on has been dropping ,though at times I questioned if I would be able to " break the back of em". I used a number of different methods & anything else I could think of ,at the time to just get the days work done .Rabbits were nearly everywhere & in good numbers ,once I started ops I found that each area had what Id term a core & the general area was then populated from there .Sadly these days I don't  get enough rabbits to feed  a couple of ferrets .The best I've done so far this year is 6  for the day ,consisting of 3 runners, a sub adult and 1 pair of adults. So  I've had to mix the ferrets diet up by buying some chicken mince ,shooting a few pigeons and the odd trout . So when I  do get a rabbit trapped I don't like to leave it behind ......bugger me ...sometimes you just got to think out side the square ....

Edited March 30, 2022 by toolebox

[toolebox 1,555]

10 hours ago, TOMO said:

so if your not aloud to breed them....and they have to be neutered...and your not aloud to give them away or sell them.....

how are there any legally.....

yes i know "stuff" happens and like you say theres always away.......but legally speaking how are there any domestic ferrets in N.Z..? 

Our so called wild ferrets all at one time came from domestic ferrets that had escaped or had been lost in the early 1900s.We have managed to get our stock from those ferrets . Once they were commonly kept by many to help feed huge families in tuff times, but these days that's no longer required & hunting rabbits holds no interest to our outdoor hunters ,they have bigger game animals to chase .Those that keep ferrets could be counted on two hands now however that's not a bad thing as it requires landowners who are having trouble with rabbits to pay for some form of control. Taking into account that some of these problem areas are now heavily built up means there is a place for ferreting to be valued ,in some cases its the only method that is  expectable  to the general public ,police and local councils. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by toolebox

[toolebox 1,555]

10 hours ago, TOMO said:

when you say cut...you do mean castrated as opposed to a vasectomy ?

Yes Tomo two stone lighter .... a vasectomy buck I call a Vazza 

Edited March 29, 2022 by toolebox

[comanche 3,027]

30 minutes ago, toolebox said:

Over a long number of years the rabbit population within the 100,0000 acres I rabbit on has been dropping ,though at times I questioned if I would be able to " break the back of em".The best Ive done this year is 6 ,consisting of 3 runners, a sub adult and 1 pair of adults. I used a number of different methods & anything else I could think of ,to just get it done .Rabbits were nearly everywhere & in good number ,once I started ops I found the each area had what Id term a core & the general area was populated from there ,these days I don't  enough rabbits to feed  a couple of ferrets so  I've had to mix their diet up by buying some chicken mince ,shooting a few pigeons and the odd trout . So when I  do get a rabbit trapped I don't like to leave it behind ......bugger me ...sometimes you just got to think out side the square ....

Is that a Jack rabbit? 

That'll  be an even sillier comment if what looks to me like a car jack on my very scratched phone screen is actually something else.

Full marks for tenacity!

[toolebox 1,555]

That old phones a keeper sir ! lol 

 

[comanche 3,027]

On 29/03/2022 at 20:22, OldPhil said:

 Who knows dear Chap

Maybe my mind-set has finally moved on, and maybe I no longer have the passion, for the hunt, within my heart.. 

But,...never say never, eh...

I know that feeling: l remember an old  Keeper who borrowed my gun on Beaters' Day  took a fantastically high pheasant with it  and handed it back to me  . " That's  me done " he said. "I've killed enough."   As far as l know he never shot again.

For me the obsessive approach and big numbers has faded into something calmer   .

Far more satifying to take a ferret ,dog  and half a dozen nets and spend a morning   winkling a single bunny from 100 yards of otherwise barren overgrown hedge.

Hunting  ,  with calm tenacity and   cunning , rather than simply harvesting l suppose. 

 Sometimes its  enough to simply note where a couple bunnies might be had ,should they ever be required   . 

The weird thing is my freezer has never been so well stocked!

Edited March 30, 2022 by comanche

[toolebox 1,555]

12 minutes ago, comanche said:

I know that feeling: l remember an old  Keeper who borrowed my gun on Beaters Day', took a fantastically high pheasant and handed it back to me  . " That's  me done " he said. "I've killed enough."   As far as l know he never shot again.

For me the obsessive approach and big numbers has faded into something calmer   .

Far more satifying to take a ferret ,dog  and half a dozen nets and spending a morning   winkling a single bunny from 100 yards of otherwise barren overgrown hedge.

Hunting  ,  with calm tenacity and   cunning , rather than simply harvesting l suppose. 

 Sometimes its  enough to simply note where a couple bunnies might be had ,should they ever be required   . 

The weird thing is my freezer has never been so well stocked!

There is a whole lot of truth in that sir, only understood by those who have traveled that path.

[Guss33 375]

We run two teams of cut bucks (hobs) one team of eleven and another team of seven with two does (Jill’s) found the cut bucks don’t fight when they are in season and can work them all year round and can handle them self against a large rabbit. We are lucky enough we are able to drive up to all our warrens so carrying an amount of ferrets we don’t do. Some of our warrens , large wood piles and large sheds and garden beds we do , we can have up to eight ferret in at once. We just put up the nets put the ferrets in and let the mayhem begin. It’s great fun 

[mush 204]

Jills are best JMO. they dont kill as much and can get round rabbits and bolt them. and you dont spend half the day putting nets back.

one thing i hate is digging which i think is from digging to them to quickly and not letting them work the rabbit.

[Guss33 375]

A couple of photos on some of the places we do from gardens to sheds and houses and rubbish piles. 

[Guss33 375]

OPPS I forgot to ad the photos. 

[max abell 196]

On 27/03/2022 at 21:36, The one said:

A decent sized jill that has the stamina to work all day 4/5 a week 

Totally agree a decent sized Jill takes some beating