Hunting daylight (not rabbits)

[gollum 1]

My little Jill has this habit of going down the hole then popping up again at the nearest hole.... if the hob is entered in the same hole he just gets on with the job, comes up occasionally and waits at the net for me to lift it to let him come out when he is sure there are no bunnies in that part of the bury. She on the the other hand comes up then grabs the net and runs back down the hole with it... :wallbash: Its getting to be very frustrating having to constantly reset nets on every hole as she disturbs them all. This seems to be getting worse on a daily basis. Could I be working them too hard? We go out every day which I had thought was a good thing... The Hob seems to love it and I get no sign from him that he is anything but a happy ferret. She is also very happy and friendly but just seems to be getting paranoid about nets

That said, they both come to my call when they surface so it cant be a fear of me....

 

Its not helping my catch rate, and I am sure the reason its taking a long time to bolt the bunnies is down to me having to move around resetting nets.....I guess the rabbits would rather face the ferrets than me and the net!

 

 

Anyone else get this problem or know of any solutions?

 

Cheers all.

 

G

[stubby 175]

Id say, age, maybe get another jill (lend from friend etc) and put both jills down together, same hole, the inexperienced will normally follow the older fert down, or you may just have a fert thats not a great worker, Ive got a couple of those types, so they are kept back, or only taken out with older ferts

 

failing that, I'll take her off ya

[allgame 0]

try doing a few holes without nets try a shotty or dog but if you own nether just see what she dose with no nets its proberly just a game for her so without the nets she should want to catch rabbits instead

[gollum 1]

Id say, age, maybe get another jill (lend from friend etc) and put both jills down together, same hole, the inexperienced will normally follow the older fert down, or you may just have a fert thats not a great worker, Ive got a couple of those types, so they are kept back, or only taken out with older ferts

 

failing that, I'll take her off ya

 

Thanks Stubby, I tried her with less nets today, pursing one side of a hedge and long netting the other where the majority of bolt holes were located. She did seem better behaved and I got 6 so was happy with the day and that my long net (made myself with sheet netting) was successful. 3 to the purses 3 to the long net and she only pulled a couple of nets.

 

However, her new trick for today was laying up....3 1/2 feet down in the middle of the hedge! An hours digging in the most cramped space imaginable (thanks be for army surplus spades with short handles) and I found her wide awake with no rabbit...so I assume she hadnt killed and was just goofing around

 

The hob is the same age and I think you may have a point. There from different stock and he comes from a long line of good workers though I found out on sunday that her parentage is less highly esteemed At one point this afternoon I observed her come out of a hole, then wait for the hob and pounce on him when he appeared....she is clearly taking things as a bit of a game still..fun to watch though

 

My plan is to give them a still warm kidney each at the end of each set that they succesfully bolt from to try and reinforce the idea that they are hunting for food.

 

Goodness knows what to do about the underground chill outs though

 

Coudn't let her go though mate, she's got a great personality and if she ends up as a pet so be it, love her to bits..though maybe not quite so much after a long dig

 

G

[mooster 1]

Hi Gollum. All my ferrets occasionally play and drag the nets,both old and young.

They sometimes mess around and sometimes work hard,just like people!

You describe her as your little jill, so asume she is a youngster and an experienced mentor will help a lot.

If you want my advice,forget talking about a "catch rate" and enjoy one rabbit at a time.

Are you digging down to her too soon?

 

I always treat ferreting like fishing....enjoy getting my equipment ready,check out the river and tides,see where the fish are feeding,prepare the land beforehand,get excited the night before the first trip of the season, etc etc.

By the time i've actually caught a fish/rabbit, (if I do) i'm already enjoying myself and fulfilling my need to hunt/fish and a "catch rate" doesn't enter into my mind.I've never caught rabbits or fish in double figures but i'm not in a competition so it has no effect on my enjoyment!

All i'm saying is,maybe you need to give yer ferret a bit of time to mature and enjoy the journey with her rather than worrying about the prize!

Enjoy your ferrets mate and good luck untangling those nets.....you're not alone!

[Lilyferret 0]

Sorry for laughing, but she sounds like a right little character, and is having a whale of a time down there

 

I've never been ferreting, so can't offer any advice. Good luck with training her though

[whin 463]

lilly what the fech do you do with the ferrets strange not rabbiting , what do you hunt with them and what country do you come from

[gollum 1]

"catch rate" doesn't enter into my mind.I've never caught rabbits or fish in double figures but i'm not in a competition so it has no effect on my enjoyment!

 

Fair point mate, though I didn't intend to come across as a numbers kind of person. I could tell you all about the fantastic things I am seeing, deer the last 3 trips, kingfishers when I'm chasing trout in the summer, long summer days catching crayfish and lazing on the banks of my favourite streams. Being out in the wilds and just observing nature is a joy in itself. I had a couple of stoats chase each other across a bury I was netting last week and today it was freezing fog giving the landscape an ethereal beauty that can so easily be missed if stuck in an office.

 

I feel its a huge priviledge just to be given permission to roam across a farmers land and like you, catchin the bunnies is the icing on the cake. I had only meant to illustrate that since she started the net pulling antics I am catching less. This I put down to the noise I am making when resetting nets, however quiet I am, and I have no doubts that the bunnies detect movement through vibrations in the soil and thus moving over the bury to reset is warning them of my presence.

 

Cheers for the tips.

 

G

[Lilyferret 0]

lilly what the fech do you do with the ferrets strange not rabbiting , what do you hunt with them and what country do you come from

Well, it might be strange to you, but not to me. I find ferrets a pleasure to have around just as other people find it pleasurable having a cat/dog around. I've never been ferreting simply because I've never had the opportunity. I live in the City and can't drive due to being visually impaired, don't know any ferreters, either. So there's no way I could go even if I wanted to.

 

Oh, and I assume I'm in the same Country as you - the UK?

[Lilyferret 0]

you are welcome to come with me ferreting lily ferret i feel sad you have never been but yes as you say getting hear would be an issue

and yes i find my ferrets fun aswell all the stuff the yget up too better then a dog or a cat as a pet any time

Yes, it would be way too far for me, but thank you for saying I'd be welcome to come along

[whin 463]

lily you dont no many people who go ferreting well there plenty who would take you , get them out catching doing what they were bred to do ,the yanks feched ferrets up show ferrets lab ferrets dont let this country do the same get them some sport and you dont need to go ferreting for long , i hate and detest all these poxy shows on ferrets unless for juveniles , a ferrets job for me is to eradicate varmints, ive heard people say on here they are show bred etc i wouldnt have them on a hunting site or if i do ,i would make a channel for showing etc had ferrets for thirty years worked them since a kid , i do know they make good pets as a kid we mucked about with them but if they were no good at the game good nite ,i know it souinds harsh but the hunting game can be ,as there not many soft cushions out there , get them out and enjoy the sport

[stubby 175]

lily you dont no many people who go ferreting well there plenty who would take you , get them out catching doing what they were bred to do ,the yanks feched ferrets up show ferrets lab ferrets dont let this country do the same get them some sport and you dont need to go ferreting for long , i hate and detest all these poxy shows on ferrets unless for juveniles , a ferrets job for me is to eradicate varmints, ive heard people say on here they are show bred etc i wouldnt have them on a hunting site or if i do ,i would make a channel for showing etc had ferrets for thirty years worked them since a kid , i do know they make good pets as a kid we mucked about with them but if they were no good at the game good nite ,i know it souinds harsh but the hunting game can be ,as there not many soft cushions out there , get them out and enjoy the sport

 

 

whin, why has it got to be "your way" or the highway

its obvious lily ferret keep's ferts as pets, there's nothing wrong with that, or should we kill all ferrets and dogs that "dont make the mark"

that sort of thing would really give the anti's some ammunition against us

 

note to lily ferret;

welcome to the forum, if you fill out your profile with a location, rather than just uk, you may find people in your area mighten you?

not just ferreters, but ferret keepers too

[andy s410c 61]

Looks like the rest of the world is out of step except for you Whin.............of course

[Lilyferret 0]

note to lily ferret;

welcome to the forum, if you fill out your profile with a location, rather than just uk, you may find people in your area mighten you?

not just ferreters, but ferret keepers too

thanks for the welcome, and the tip about putting my location

[earth&hounds 94]

Id say, age, maybe get another jill (lend from friend etc) and put both jills down together, same hole, the inexperienced will normally follow the older fert down, or you may just have a fert thats not a great worker, Ive got a couple of those types, so they are kept back, or only taken out with older ferts

 

failing that, I'll take her off ya

 

Thanks Stubby, I tried her with less nets today, pursing one side of a hedge and long netting the other where the majority of bolt holes were located. She did seem better behaved and I got 6 so was happy with the day and that my long net (made myself with sheet netting) was successful. 3 to the purses 3 to the long net and she only pulled a couple of nets.

 

However, her new trick for today was laying up....3 1/2 feet down in the middle of the hedge! An hours digging in the most cramped space imaginable (thanks be for army surplus spades with short handles) and I found her wide awake with no rabbit...so I assume she hadnt killed and was just goofing around

 

The hob is the same age and I think you may have a point. There from different stock and he comes from a long line of good workers though I found out on sunday that her parentage is less highly esteemed At one point this afternoon I observed her come out of a hole, then wait for the hob and pounce on him when he appeared....she is clearly taking things as a bit of a game still..fun to watch though

 

My plan is to give them a still warm kidney each at the end of each set that they succesfully bolt from to try and reinforce the idea that they are hunting for food.

 

Goodness knows what to do about the underground chill outs though

 

Coudn't let her go though mate, she's got a great personality and if she ends up as a pet so be it, love her to bits..though maybe not quite so much after a long dig

 

G

cut down her snap and keep trying her mate they get it in the end i tease them with fresh killed rabbits let them follow it and have a game of tug o war with them o i only feed meet not dry find them more up for the chalange