Ferreting.... whats involved

Umiq88

Seems very populer in england just want to know how you go about it

From what i can see you net all the holes bar one or two stick a ferret down and he chases them out or corners them in which case you dig them out. About right?

How much for the equipment?

Ferret
ferret finder
spade....

And what type of nets are used

fathersymes

http://freespace.virgin.net/ken.knowles/ferrets/index.html

Sparks

Not really relevant to this forum psitta, unless you're hoping the rabbits will emerge from their burrow at sufficient speed to resemble clay pigoens for your shotgun

johngalway

Just saw this morning that psittacosis ferreting thread got locked out. People do shoot rabbits over ferrets. I think the M.L.O. (mod lock option) in this case is turning into M.A.D. (mutually assured destruction). This forum is a hell of a lot quieter than when I joined first. Perhaps the forum should be broadened, or at the least a bit of leeway given to people (who have contributed consistantly and with good info) who have shooting related or indeed even country sports persuits. The two are not unrelated. Shooting in itself is always under scrutiny and alienating people who'd support it in a pinch is a bad idea.

This is not a personal attack on anyone here BUT some shooters who partake in certain activities with their rifles do not seem to be able to grasp that other people use their rifles in the field where tactics need to be mixed to be successful. NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK, I've seen this in the real world as much as online. It's not helping nayone, we should all be sticking together.

Bit more leeway on the threads guys, it wasn't offensive and was a genuine attempt to get information. My 2 cents.

One more thing, I've not talked to psittacosis about any of this, it's just my own observation and opinion.

civdef

As johngalway points out, ferretting can involve shooting, so the thread is relevant.

Sparks

Hmmm. I always thought that ferreting was either about netting the rabbit on the far end or the ferret catching and killing it in the burrow. Never thought there was shooting involved, hence the closing of the thread.

John, you can rest assured there's not much moderating happening at the moment (closing that thread was the first thing - apart from moving the competition announcements from thread to thread - that I've had to do in a while). The board's just being that quiet. Activity levels just go up and down like that, and we're coming down from a lot of activity related to the CJA2006 right now. No doubt it will go back up in the future.

johngalway

Yep people use shotguns when out ferreting too, as from what I know sometimes the rabbits get through the nets and take off.

I hope the board does get busier again

Also hope that no one took offence to my previous post, better IMO to have the board busy than quiet.

Umiq88

Thanks John

I know its not strictly a shooting sport but i thought this would be the place where id get the best answers

Trojan911

psittacosis wrote:

Thanks John

I know its not strictly a shooting sport but i thought this would be the place where id get the best answers

Something I have had an interest in too. Apart from the excellent link above on ferreting has anyone any hands on experience? I would like to take it up as well as shoot...

Cheers...

TJ911...

Umiq88

Is it possible to use ferrets without nets ie to guys one side of the hedga and one on the other to shoot any bolting rabbits or will the ferrets escape and run off or what

Clare gunner

Yes,very possible to use the ferret without nets.A trained ferret will come to you like a well trained dog.They wont run out of the burrow and chase after the wabbitt down the field.You only dig them out if your ferrett corners a wabbitt and kills and lunches down on it and decides it is time for a snooze.:D
Of a day or so..
As such ferretts are not hard to keep,but they do require some work and a very good idea is to get their scent glands removed.They can be pretty smelly critters,which will make you very unsociable to have around .
Properly trained and handled they can be even allowed to play with kids.There was a time when I was in CA ferretts were the IN pet to have in LA. all in all they are a nifty hunters tool,but if you have a Jack Russel terrier watch out.JRs love to hunt rats and stoats and such,your ferrett might have a very untimely end.:(

demonloop

A friend of mne used to ferret and I went with him on one trip. Its great fun watching the bunny fly out the hole and get tangled at 50mph!

Not so much fun when Mr Ferret decides to eat a bunny in the hole and you have to wait most of the day for, the now fat, Mr Ferret to re-appear.

When they sink your teeth in you a pair of pliers is needed to release the buggers too.

They are supposed to be lovely stewed (the ferret not the rabbit) but I was drunk the night I heard that story so might have got it wrong.

demonloop

A friend of mne used to ferret and I went with him on one trip. Its great fun watching the bunny fly out the hole and get tangled at 50mph!

Not so much fun when Mr Ferret decides to eat a bunny in the hole and you have to wait most of the day for, the now fat, Mr Ferret to re-appear.

When they sink your teeth in you a pair of pliers is needed to release the buggers too.

They are supposed to be lovely stewed (the ferret not the rabbit) but I was drunk the night I heard that story so might have got it wrong.

Keelan

I go ferreting once or twice a week.
Its a very efficiant way of controling bunnys for the farmer who is plagued with them.
Some pics below of my sucsess.
Waiting shotguns can be used to shoot the bolting rabbits, providing a strict safety code is followed.
Nets are more productive, as the sound of shotgun fire, stops rabbits bolting after a while.

Rabbits are a major pest and are getting more and more imune to mxy.
The places i visit, are teaming with them.

Hope that clears a few things.

Enjoy the attachments.

Keelan.

Umiq88

My reason for doing it would be more for fun then controlling numbers.

Once the rabbits bolt i take it theres no chance they'll stop and sit at 100yards for the rifle?

Anyone know where to buy a good ferret and how much?

Hezz700

psittacosis wrote:

Once the rabbits bolt i take it theres no chance they'll stop and sit at 100yards for the rifle?

That beautiful little semi of yours should be more than up to that task?;)

Keelan

psittacosis wrote:

My reason for doing it would be more for fun then controlling numbers.

Once the rabbits bolt i take it theres no chance they'll stop and sit at 100yards for the rifle?

Anyone know where to buy a good ferret and how much?

No, most cases they wont sit and wait to be shot.
If you want a ferret, the Buy & Sell have a few:

http://www.buyandsell.ie/browse.php?m=22&s=22&g=00192&

Its where i got mine from.

Keelan.

Umiq88

Hezz700 wrote:

That beautiful little semi of yours should be more than up to that task?;)

Yeah its a fine gun alright only ever seen one other like it its a handmade belgian browning double auto really nice to handle and can load it as quick as you can fire it. Took 2 ducks and another 2 snipe at the weekend with it.


Thanks for the info keelan

Think ill ring a few and might end up getting one cage should be pretty straight foward and everything else should be in the petshop. Only other thing is a ferret finder they seem pretty expensive 60poundsi around and about what they seem to be and for someone whos not looking to get into it seriously its alot are they essential? I was thinking of just getting a metal detector and put something on his collar that will pick it up..... would this work?

Keelan

No, the metal detactor wont work.

Ferret locators are a must, as it saves a hell of a lot of time, otherwise, you could be waiting for hours.

The New MK 3 is good, i have one and it does the job. They have stoped making the old MK 1.

Link below of the new MK 3:

http://www.deben.com/ferretsandterriers/ferretfinder.htm

As for keeping your ferret, a good secure hutch is needed, another link below will show and discribe to you the ways of keeping ferrets, housing, feeding, ect.:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ferreter/index.htm

Good luck,

Keelan.

mozil

a cheaper ferret finder is to put a good loud bell on his collar.

Bisar

Clare gunner wrote:

As such ferretts are not hard to keep,but they do require some work and a very good idea is to get their scent glands removed.They can be pretty smelly critters,which will make you very unsociable to have around .

Actually I dont' think removing the scent glands makes that much difference to their normal smell. As far as I know the glands are a defence mechanism, similar to that of a skunk, so unless you frighten the crap out of your ferret the scent glands shouldn't really contribute to their daily odour. Ferrets do have a pretty strong natural musk though (not necessarily unpleasant, but powerful). I have a couple of hobs and I found this musk almost dissappeared after having them neutered. Not sure what neutering would do to their hunting instincts though, but since meximetosis has wiped out my local bunny population their hunting skills isn't really something i worry about anymore.

abccormac

I was thinking of just getting a metal detector and put something on his collar that will pick it up..... would this work?

You need a licence from the archaeological section of the DOE to use a metal detector, and you won't get one. they're only given out for archaeologists and even then it involves a fair bit of hassle.

maglite

lol who told you that tripe

abccormac

maglite wrote:

lol who told you that tripe

It's not tripe. I'm a profesional archaeologist and I know the law in this area.
Here's the relevant act: link

It was brought in after the derrynaflan chalice was found by metal detectorists in the early eighties. This led to a slew of court cases between the detectorists, the landowners and the state. The end result was that all archaeological artefacts , wherever they are found, now belong to the state, and must be handed in to the national museum or the gardai and metal detecting requires a license. And you won't get one without a valid archaeological reason. Check your facts before you post.
Edit: spelling

civdef

Eh that act says you can't look for archaeological artifacts with one, not that you cant have one doesn't it?

Ferrets aren't archaeological artifacts.

abccormac

It also says that it's up to you to prove that you weren't using it to prospect for archaeological remains. In practice, that means you can't use them at all without getting a license

`Where in a prosecution for an offence under this section it is proved that a detection device was used, it shall be presumed until the contrary is proved that the device was being used for the purpose of searching for archaeological objects'.

You can't prove a negative, so the assumption that you are using a detector to search for archaeological material will always be there. The law regarding metal detectors is a bit odd. It's legal to sell them, and to own them, but using them is a no-no. You can even get small ones in toy shops, but it's intended to prevent the massive vandalism of archaeological sites which happens in many other countries and to try to protect our heritage from treasure hunters

(Interestingly enough, the act also makes it illegal to promote the practice of using metal detectors to search for archaeological remains, which would mean several UK magazines which are fairly widely available here are probably illegal too!)

(end of derail)

Rovi

<resume derail>
So, it would appear then that archaeologists are the only ones professional enough...

:rolleyes:

abccormac

If you don't agree with the law, thats fine, stand for the dail or something. But the reason the laws were put in place was to prevent people from going around digging random holes looking for treasure on irreplacable archaeological sites to sell for profit.

What many non-archaeologists don't understand is that a find on its own stripped of any provenance or context is of no archaeological value. It can't be related to a specific site and is therefore robbed of it's vallue as a piece of evidence in interpreting the past. Also, digging big holes in a site leads to the destruction of important strtigraphic and environmental evidence, evidence which is often far more important from an archaeological perspective than the artifacts themselves. From that point of view, yes, only trained archaeologists are proffesional enough to use them properly.

Rovi

Would it not be more logical to make "digging random holes looking for treasure on irreplacable archaeological sites" an offence, rather than trying to restrict/regulate a piece of equipment that might be used for nefarious amateur Indiana Jones activities?

This smacks of the same sort of thinking that seeks to put a halt to murders, bank robberies, etc, by putting more and more onerous restrictions on law abiding gun owners, while ignoring the fact that the criminals who commit these crimes are somewhat (:rolleyes:) unlikely to obey the gun laws whilst ignoring the ones dealing with murder and the rest.


My apologies to the O.P. for furthering the drift of your thread, I know nothing of ferrets.

Ronan Raver77

mozil wrote:

a cheaper ferret finder is to put a good loud bell on his collar.

How would you hear the bell 3 or 4 feet underground:)
I owned two ferrets a couple of years ago and went hunting a good few times.Good craic and something i may get back into again if i get my own place....

Went ferreting one day and put down all the nets over 5 or 6 rabbit holes then sent in the ferret.Two minutes later a fox bolts out of a hole we hadnt seen..very funny,wish we had a gun that day.Either the rabbits were dead and the fox had an ajoining warren who know.
Before someone says it was a fox hole,there was fresh rabbit s**t at two or three of the holes.Never used the guns with ferreting at all but someting for the future:)




I think i have a video or dvd around somewhere.....

Keelan

As i have stated before, metal detectors, are NO GOOD, for the purpose of finding your ferret.!

Common sense comes into a lot of this aswell.

Keelan.