Is it a dying art ?

[tatsblisters 9,689]

19 minutes ago, DIDO.1 said:

Lack of access to air rifles will start to have an effect. Shooting and mooching with air guns was probably the main way into fieldsports for most kids, now they can't take one out the front door 

As kids growing up in Rotherham air guns were very popular as numerous swap shops we called them always had a selection of airguns plus Jefferson's photography shop in the town had a couple of racks of shiny new guns we used to break our bsa meteors down and put part down our trouser leg and the stock would go in the poacers pocket of our parkas till we got to our hunting grounds as if any coppers patrolling in their panda car saw a gang of youth's with guns in their bags you were guaranteed to a grilling off them and sent home. I had a bsa scorpion air pistol bought as a Christmas present and ended up in court at 14 with it as an off duty copper caught me down some local woods shooting with it.lol

[Arry 21,820]

15 minutes ago, DIDO.1 said:

Lack of access to air rifles will start to have an effect. Shooting and mooching with air guns was probably the main way into fieldsports for most kids, now they can't take one out the front door 

Although thats true I don't think thats the main reason part of it mind.

Think its more we had nothing we made are own excitement we followed our fathers in country pursuits. We loved ferreting, snaring, shoot borrowing the odd fish or pheasant. Sneaking off to the woods at dusk to knock a long tail off his perch with a 410. It's the way we got our excitement out witting the keeper.

As we got older we drank together and are friendship is still there. If I meet any of the lads thats an hour gone just standing on the corner jawing.

Youngsters today it's not enough, too much like hard work. They sooner sit behind a screen playing games firing a coffee and a bigmac back their neck. Twiddling on the iPhone or getting the latest pair of pumps. Theres excitement in so many other places these days.

Not many of us had cars a 16 it was motor bikes first they were more affordable.

Cheers Arry

 

[Aled 481]

I don't think its unique to ferreting. I was born on the banks of a well known Welsh Sea Trout river, as a child nearly all my mates fished as the angling association was very affordable for us youngsters, also the local sport shop set up a club so you could pay £1 off as and when you had some money. I take my son fishing and he's caught sea trout, but he never asks to go fishing and he and his mates don't fish sadly....oh and a junior angling ticket is now £1 a season, it was £10 when i was a child! 

Edited October 10, 2022 by Aled

[Aussie Whip 4,098]

With the lack of rabbits around these days maybe it's a good thing most young folk don't hunt, be nothing left for us, lol.

[Sirblessed 2,511]

3 hours ago, Arry said:

 

I sell my fair share of ferrets every year Arry and most go to working homes, I suppose the youtube and facebook pages help with that but Ive always got a waiting list, not sure but from what I can see ferreting is making a bit of a comeback with a lot more kids picking it up the last few years, funny how things go but as you said certainly nowhere near what it was like when I was a kid most of my mates kept and worked them. Atb mate

[Sirblessed 2,511]

1 hour ago, Aussie Whip said:

With the lack of rabbits around these days maybe it's a good thing most young folk don't hunt, be nothing left for us, lol.

 

1 hour ago, Aussie Whip said:

With the lack of rabbits around these days maybe it's a good thing most young folk don't hunt, be nothing left for us, lol.

Pete Taylor last weekend 163 in 1 day S.A yea not many around depends where you are.

[Daniel cain 45,356]

3 hours ago, DIDO.1 said:

Lack of access to air rifles will start to have an effect. Shooting and mooching with air guns was probably the main way into fieldsports for most kids, now they can't take one out the front door 

my eldest lads 12,every day after school he grabs a fishing rod and he's out the door until 9 o'clock down the brook,catching perch,roach,chub..most of the time I got to go find him,my daughter walks 4/5 terriers most days ,she will walk my 27" Wheaton/bull grey x no problem...all off the lead because she's that confident...both fish,set up their own rods etc,shoot airguns(under my supervision),a catty will eat any game/fish no questions asked ...my youngest you can't pry away from the Xbox...but he does enjoy drawing me pictures of fish,my dogs...and loves camping so there's hope for him yet...

obviously when most of us was younger,we had more freedom to go about doing what we did....these days the majority of parents just throw money at their kids to stay the f**k out of their way...I was lucky my dad used to take me everywhere with him,and that made me who I am....it's no hardship to have some patience and show someone else something new,everyone should be able to catch a fish and be able to feed themselves from the countryside imo

[Borr 6,000]

4 hours ago, DIDO.1 said:

Lack of access to air rifles will start to have an effect. Shooting and mooching with air guns was probably the main way into fieldsports for most kids, now they can't take one out the front door 

I used to go fill furnaces with the oldman as a kid and we'd set up a range in the foundry and do some plinking, then we were fortunate enough to have a decent garden and I was away with 410 and airguns, access is the hard part , I got my boys a gun but currently a small garden , where do you take it and all new builds etc are pretty tight on space , so it a club or perm and the time to get to either , so I'd say it's accessibility to land and or finaces for many. I'm seriously contemplating join a syndicate shoot , not for shooting game but for access to the countryside , bit of beating and somewhere to plink an airgun. Doesn't help we've moved about a fair amount either but hoping to settle permanently here now so willing to pay for it, but again many won't have financial access...

[Aussie Whip 4,098]

21 minutes ago, Sirblessed said:

Pete Taylor last weekend 163 in 1 day S.A yea not many around depends where you are.

A bit far to go for the weekend for me, lol. We used to get up to 300 for a weekend in the Southern Tablelands NSW, be lucky to get 20 now in that area.

[Sirblessed 2,511]

Just now, Aussie Whip said:

A bit far to go for the weekend for me, lol. We used to get up to 300 for a weekend in the Southern Tablelands NSW, be lucky to get 20 now in that area.

I hear ya my old stomping grounds nothing like it was still a few there nice country for them though will be doing a trip end of this month stay tuned

[Aussie Whip 4,098]

19 minutes ago, Sirblessed said:

I hear ya my old stomping grounds nothing like it was still a few there nice country for them though will be doing a trip end of this month stay tuned

It's good to see there are still numbers like that around. 

[Luckee legs 467]

13 hours ago, DIDO.1 said:

I'd say it's a mix of the new electronic cyber YouTube world that kids live in and lack of rabbits. My lad would love a ferret but we just don't have any quarry. 

For a young lad to take up something like ferreting they need a couple of mates to go with, yes we can take em to begin with but eventually, to really get the bug they need to wander and roam with friends. 

Reckon you nailed it there. Maybe we might not be rabbiting if there had been this level of electronic entertainment alternatives as kids. And I took both my kids out, they loved it until about 10 years, getting dirty, digging, handling animals etc. But no one else was interested and they didn't carry on 

[welsh_hunter12 119]

On 10/10/2022 at 09:41, Arry said:

Although thats true I don't think thats the main reason part of it mind.

Think its more we had nothing we made are own excitement we followed our fathers in country pursuits. We loved ferreting, snaring, shoot borrowing the odd fish or pheasant. Sneaking off to the woods at dusk to knock a long tail off his perch with a 410. It's the way we got our excitement out witting the keeper.

As we got older we drank together and are friendship is still there. If I meet any of the lads thats an hour gone just standing on the corner jawing.

Youngsters today it's not enough, too much like hard work. They sooner sit behind a screen playing games firing a coffee and a bigmac back their neck. Twiddling on the iPhone or getting the latest pair of pumps. Theres excitement in so many other places these days.

Not many of us had cars a 16 it was motor bikes first they were more affordable.

Cheers Arry

 

I’m 36 and from the age of 12 i started ferreting on my own back no lessons just stories about my taid (grandad) doing it years ago.I have a son that is 2 at the moment but he’ll be doing the same as me.obviously he’ll be glued to a screen sometimes there’s no getting away from it these days. But I’ll make sure he knows being out with dogs and ferrets is more important