Walker570 Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) I was sat this morning waiting for some tree rats to come to a flip top feeder when I caught a slight movement to my right about a yard and a half away. I very slowly turned my head ( Was in full head to toe camo) there half out of a small hole was a weazel staring at me eye to eye. I gave a light squeek through my lips and it came out of the hole and advanced towards me until about three feet away. It then darted back into the hole and a few seconds later I caught a slight movement to my left and it had emerged from another old rabbit hole and was sat bolt upright looking in my direction. I squeeked again and it came to about two feet and obviously caught a scent because in just a blur it raced back into the hole. A few seonds passed and it came out of the other hole again, gave me a glance and ran off into the undergrowth. These tiny little creatures are facinating. I have not seen one so close before and not for many years. The highlight of my day. Edited February 7, 2020 by Walker570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 I think they are remarkable creatures. I was once stalking squigs through a wood with an air rifle and saw about 3 mice run past me. A weasel came out of a tree branch, ran over and boot and into the under growth after the mice. It didn't give me a second look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 Saw one in my garden a couple of weeks ago..........watched it mooching about.....haven’t seen it since! We seem to have acquired a resident vole though, it flits about the patio....I guess looking for seeds spilt off the bird feeder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 I'm just really glad you didn't say you shot it, great creatures to watch, I've only seen two or three in the wild. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) Every shoot I've been on they get shot on sight. Still good to watch. Edited February 7, 2020 by figgy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 And if you shoot one and pick it up you can’t get the smell off you hands for days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 11 minutes ago, Mice! said: I'm just really glad you didn't say you shot it, great creatures to watch, I've only seen two or three in the wild. 👍 I have no desire to shoot one. I have many years in the countryside under my belt and the likely damage by a weazel to wildlife in general is very small. I have a similar view on stoats. Not enough about to cause any imbalance of nature, unlike their family member the badger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 9 minutes ago, Walker570 said: I have no desire to shoot one. I have many years in the countryside under my belt and the likely damage by a weazel to wildlife in general is very small. I have a similar view on stoats. Not enough about to cause any imbalance of nature, unlike their family member the badger. That's my view as well, but not everyone thinks that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnphilip Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 I treat myself to a trail cam for Christmas . I live in the middle of nowhere so I desided to set it up in my shed , as I get the odd mouse in there from time to time . Did not expect to catch this on cam , the first time . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 11 hours ago, Mice! said: I'm just really glad you didn't say you shot it, great creatures to watch, I've only seen two or three in the wild. 👍 I was watching 5 in one go once. Wonderful little things to watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Once shooting roosting pigeon I was stood quiet and still with several dead birds at my feet, there was a strange crunching noise which turned out to be a weasel right at my feet eating his way into one of my pigeon. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Cracking animal, I remember sitting against an Oak growing in a bank in N Wales, and a family of weasels kept popping out of holes around me, mesmerising 15 mins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centrepin Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Tis a shame you don't have a "hemet" or body type cam. I've often wondered about one to grab the shots its impossible to get the camera too. Just one picture in my mind would justify the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 12 minutes ago, Centrepin said: Tis a shame you don't have a "hemet" or body type cam. I've often wondered about one to grab the shots its impossible to get the camera too. Just one picture in my mind would justify the cost. Like many years ago watching a Stoat dragging a half grown rabbit across the road, and disappearing into a wall, on the approach to Lindisfarne Castle, in full view of us, and many other tourists!.......I would have loved a photo of that.....but I have one in my minds eye anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOXHUNTER1 Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 4 hours ago, Blackpowder said: Once shooting roosting pigeon I was stood quiet and still with several dead birds at my feet, there was a strange crunching noise which turned out to be a weasel right at my feet eating his way into one of my pigeon. Blackpowder I was rabbiting one day in the Borders pulling rabbits from dry stone walls which the terrier had marked. I had half a dozen legged together on my carrier and was busy trying to get a rabbit out of some rocks when I noticed the rabbits moving , I thought *** then noticed a weasel pulling on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted February 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 8 hours ago, Centrepin said: Tis a shame you don't have a "hemet" or body type cam. I've often wondered about one to grab the shots its impossible to get the camera too. Just one picture in my mind would justify the cost. The human brain is such a brilliant bit of kit. That encounter is logged in there forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arron yeates Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Had a similar insident with a monkjack i was in my jack pyke oak leaf ghilly suit sitting in the leaves against a tree when it appreared qnd got wothing probably 2 meters and then got weary of a smell but couldnt figure out where from. I was extremely impressed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltings Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 as a kid I watched a weasel kill a rat four or five times its size and carry it up a vertical digging about 10 or 12 ft really strong little suckers also learned how to stalk rabbits in an open field by watching a weasel dancing around in decreasing circles also watched them flush rabbits and the rabbit give up only to be killed by the weasel then drag it back to the kits nature at its best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SO3isme Posted February 9, 2020 Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 We had one as a pet when I was a kid. They are indeed incredible. Our dog caught it as a a youngster (a few weeks old). Much like a puppy, it became socialised with us. Later on, we tried to release it into the area where we found it, but when we went back a couple of days later it came running to greet us! It was more than capable of catching and killing mice. The action was so fast, you could barely see what went on. I do remember it having rather sharp teeth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powler Posted February 9, 2020 Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 On 07/02/2020 at 21:04, Walker570 said: I was sat this morning waiting for some tree rats to come to a flip top feeder when I caught a slight movement to my right about a yard and a half away. I very slowly turned my head ( Was in full head to toe camo) there half out of a small hole was a weazel staring at me eye to eye. I gave a light squeek through my lips and it came out of the hole and advanced towards me until about three feet away. It then darted back into the hole and a few seconds later I caught a slight movement to my left and it had emerged from another old rabbit hole and was sat bolt upright looking in my direction. I squeeked again and it came to about two feet and obviously caught a scent because in just a blur it raced back into the hole. A few seonds passed and it came out of the other hole again, gave me a glance and ran off into the undergrowth. These tiny little creatures are facinating. I have not seen one so close before and not for many years. The highlight of my day. Fantastic, this is one of the things I love about being out and about something like this turning a normal day into a great day, makes getting up in the morning and getting out worth the effort. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted February 10, 2020 Report Share Posted February 10, 2020 We have a family of stoats in our garden from time to time. They don't live there as far as I can tell, but come visit every so often. Last year it was the parents and three or four youngsters running and jumping and playing. My wife saw an adult stoat a couple of days ago, hope to see more soon - lovely to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted February 11, 2020 Report Share Posted February 11, 2020 Don’t know why any body would want to shoot a stoat or weasel . The amount of damage to game they cause is minimal ,leave them alone they are intitled to a living . Couple of winters ago I saw my first and only stoat in ermin ,a wonder little creature ,made my day . harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longstrider Posted February 11, 2020 Report Share Posted February 11, 2020 Years ago when I was a bailiff for the local angling club there were a family of weasels that lived in a hole beside the concrete edge of a weir on the river. It was wonderful to sit there fishing and watching the young weasels dancing and play-fighting. The adults were no fools though, and soon cottoned on to the fact that anglers often had food. They wouldn't come very close no matter how still you were, but they would happily accept tit-bits thrown close enough to them. Ham from a sandwich or a bit of cold sausage was pounced on like food was going out of fashion ! Out rabbiting once, I scanned a field of mown grass one afternoon and saw a rabbit some 200yds away bobbing towards me in a really peculiar way. Looking through the scope I could see it was on it's side ... A minute or so later I could see the stoat that was propelling it. The bunny must have weighed 5 or 6 times as much as the stoat, but that little creature dragged it the whole length of the field and into a timber stack off to my left without giving me a second look as it passed not 20 feet in front of me. Tenacious little perishers they are, and wonderful to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raja Clavata Posted February 11, 2020 Report Share Posted February 11, 2020 I've been fortunate to see them while fishing, shooting, walking the dog and cycling in recent times - I just think it's a good job they don't grow to the size of a labrador 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retsdon Posted February 11, 2020 Report Share Posted February 11, 2020 On 08/02/2020 at 00:27, figgy said: Every shoot I've been on they get shot on sight. I'd say that's a loss of perspective. In the days when shoots relied on wild birds to make up number there might have been some sort of argument for treating the mustelids as vermin. But nowadays that's hardly the case when every bird that's put over the guns started its life in a hatchery. And where do you draw the line? Pine martens? Otters? I don't know. To my mind the weasel is an indigenous and not very common animal that should have a right to exist unmolested in its own environment, and anyway, any harm it might possibly do is going to be minimal and of no great cost in the overall scheme of things. So for me anyway, I don't think I'd be going back to any shoot that shot weasels as policy. It's like they've completely lost their sense of balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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