ferrets

[mossy835]

just bought 2 ferrets now when i go out with them a bit later on is it best to put 1 down the hole at a time or 2 at a time.

[jordan]

i use one feret for every 10 holes if that makes sense so anything under ten ill put one in but if it goes over ten ill put another in etc etc and so on

[mossy835]

jordan,will give it a go when do you start ferreting.

[Frank]

Now is a good time, from my past experiences.

[old rooster]

just bought 2 ferrets now when i go out with them a bit later on is it best to put 1 down the hole at a time or 2 at a time.

Bit of advice if you are just starting:

 

Don't take on massive burys on your own, look for some small jobbies and put in one ferret at a time. We sometimes go out and net up over 60 holes with long nets around the perimeter to catch any that miss the purse nets, up to 6 ferrets working at one time but you have to know when and where that's appropriate or all hell can break loose !!.

 

Couple of tips from my personal experience:

 

When setting your purse net try to put the peg so that you don't have a lot of loose drawcord between it and the moving ring of the net, that way it starts to "purse" as soon as the bunny gets in. Push the fixed ring into the ground whenever possible, that way it will hold the net firm if you get a "backnetter" which is a rabbit going back down the hole from another part of the bury. Not at all uncommon and well worth not having a rabbit back in the bury that's already bolted once (unless you have a digging fetish that is). Push your pegs well into the ground as a bolting rabbit can hit them with a fair old whack, pulling the peg out of the ground and sometimes escaping from the net. If they pull the peg they can sometimes get back down the hole so you lose your net and rabbit. As soon as the rabbit is in the net grab hold of it and despatch it as it's amazing how they can untangle themselves if you give them time ! While doing this put your foot down the hole so that another rabbit can't get out while you are killing the first. Always keep a spare net handy to quickly re-net the hole you've just caught one from, we had five in quick succession from one hole yesterday so it is important to be on your toes.

 

Look at the hole you are netting and put the peg above it so the rabbit runs straight in and starts tensioning, more important to look at the hole when it's on the flat rather than in a bank from that point of view as the escape direction is sometimes less obvious. All common sense I guess and something I do as a matter of course, just reminded me of what can be done wrong when I took a couple of first timers out last week.

 

I prefer hemp nets, bit bulkier than nylon so you can't carry so many but they catch well and don't seem to snag on every last bit of debris you come across. You can make your own or buy them, don't go for anything too small, 3 feet is about right but if making your own you might want to make a few bigger ones for awkward holes, colour code the drawcords with felt pen if you do this so you know which are the bigger nets.

 

We generally catch one or two when we go out and a bit of help is always appreciated so if you fancy coming for a day out and don't mind carrying all the rabbits drop me a PM or email and we can set something up. Taken a couple of other guys out from the forum and have had some good sport. Going to be a bumper year unless the mixxy gets a hold !!!

[fert]

went out sunday with the pup and ferrets got 19 but theres still young about.