StephOC
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Everything posted by StephOC
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Stirling, Scotland has loads and loads. My boyfriend has a farm in Angus and they have quite a lot up there too. I grew up just outside Bridgend, South Wales, and had almost none on the commons and hills there.
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I have had ferrets for almost a year, and really enjoy working them. I'd not thought about a ferret finder until I started reading posts on here about doubling bags, etc, and now mum's agreed to get me one for my birthday, next week So, which would you reccommend? I'd probably assume that the Deben MK3 was the best... but if you people think that another is just as good/better, please tell me and say why. Thanks for your time.
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I don't have a locator... hope to get one for my birthday I have also had some sucess without nets or dogs... Part of my permission was full of rabbits under big, low, conifer trees, but was also a golf course, and it was I was told that I could ferret there, but not to draw attension to myself. It was really hard to get to any of the burrows, and the holes were quite spread out... if I netted the burrows, and caught rabbits, there'd be loads of noise and if anyone came by it would be so obvious what was going on that I didn't have the confidence. I'd normaly put my box over one hole, bag
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wow! very cool!
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I also use used a hose. Just said 'In' once, sternly, and then hose. Only have to do it about 3 times. Funnily enough, my dog loves water, and playing with the hose, but with my serious face and voice on, he knew it was a punishment.
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Black liner is fine to use with sand or carpet or similar underneath, obviously remove all sharp stones, etc. Try to include areas of varying depth if possible. Most people end up with the ugly liner very much on show around the edge of the pond. This is bad because as well as looking unsightly, the sun wears the plastic, and it never seems quite as 'natural'. I have drawn a diagram of how to hide your liner, and include a ledge (underlined in red) to plant your reeds and stuff in - you can put soil in this area, or try putting the soil in old sacking laid in this ledge (you'll need to cut
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If its anywhere near Stirling I could go for a drive and have a look one lunch time if it helps ~ I have WAY too much ground already so promise not to steal it!
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This is Toby, he's useless, but loves comming out with the ferrets. He is slightly useful for frightening any escaped rabbits back into the ground so they can be ferreted into (hopefully better set!) nets.
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Hoverflies are flies and not related to bees or wasps. They get their name from their habit of hovering during flight. Most species of hoverfly are black and yellow/orange and sometimes very closely mimic the colouration of bees and wasps, (some are even big and hairy like bumblbees). This colouration gives the flies some protection as birds and other would-be predators avoid such coloured insects, incorectly assuming they have a sting and are dangerous. A lovely picture!
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I research bumblebee ecology. I have a sniffer dog who was trained by the DAC to sniff out the nests. So I spend the spring and summer wandering round fields and hills with my dog looking for bees. Its sweet.
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Had a few female goats slaughtered in Norway a few years ago. They weren't fattened or finished though, so not a lot of meat on them, but cooked in casserole or curry they tasted lovely. To be honest, I wouldn't touch a Billy goat - they stink so badly!
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I have a golf course, they are picky, have to go out of golfing hours, so can't do it in the middle of winter. Never used a spade - The guy who showed me how to ferret didn't use one, said I just had to be patient and call to the ferrets if they'd not surfaced for a while. There are so many rabbits, but the warrens are under trees, which means crawling. I tend to only net 3-5 closest holes, that I know I can deal with fast, catching a couple, and out of the rest of the holes, I sadly watch loads of bunnies scamper to safely! (I don't have a freezer, so 6 rabbits is fine for ferrets, d
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Really interesting! I'm suprised how many invertebrates were positively identified, (especially ants!) My job for the next few years is to find out which mammals eat bumblebee nests. Foxes have been accused of doing so, but as of yet there's no proof of this happening in the UK. This gives me hope! - did the student publish?
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Wow, thanks for everyones' feedback and replies. I got my friend to take a few pictures last night, but the images are all far too big to upload here. So I've cropped one down and hope it works, to give an idea of the differences between my two adult jills. I also measured them, (tightly, to avoid winter fur playing too much of a part) around their widest part...albino is 8" and polecat is 11"! All comments and suggestions most welcome.
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Ok, so I've been feeding them freely, they have a bowl which they empty every 3 days and probably holds about 10-12 handfulls, it doesn't seem like an unreasonably large amount of food, but I guess big ferret must get through more than her fair share! I'm suprised that they are ok to be fed once a day, - Sure I'd read somewhere that they had to feed several times a day, but if its ok, I might change to doing that. I quite like the idea of taking them out to be fed, and so being able to monitor how much they each eat. cheers for this, steph
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Thanks for replies, don't have a camera, will try to borrow one off my friend this evening and get some snaps on here tomorrow morning.
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I've got three ferrets in the summer, never kept them before, so I'm a novice. They are jills, get on well and live in the same cage. Two polecats, mother and daughter, one (unrelated) albino. The three of them are lovely! playful, bright, never bite. They don't work very well, but so long as they bolt a few rabbits, I'm happy. I give them a little bit of ferretone in the morning when I check them, ad.lib. complete dry food (forgotten who its made by - Jame Well - something?) and when I've got rabbits, road kill, or pigeon, they get that too. I try to get them out hunting every week, and
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My foolish springer spaniel chased a rabbit onto a frozen loch last weekend - rabbit ran over the ice ok, dog got so far and went threw... Very funny, and there was a fallen tree just near to him so he clambered out ok, still very happy with himself
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Hi, I'm in Stirling, and also looking for someone to take me out shooting/introduce me to guns as I'd like to get an air riffle but have no idea where to start - local farmers/gamekeepers don't seem to take girls very seriously. I have a fair bit of ferretting permission - Stirling University Estate, Dumyat Hill and two farms if anyone would like to come out sometime that would be great as I only got my ferrets in the summer and I'm new and am making it up as I go at the moment. And Hannah, and I lived in Newcastle as a student before I moved here - in Fenham..?
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Hi, I'm from Stirling, central Scotland. I bought three ferrets in the summer, and take them out whenever I can, with mixed success! I really like it, even if I only come home with one or two bunnies. I have a springer spaniel who is utterly useless for hunting. Used to go ratting with my jack russell when I was a kid and lived in Wales, and thoroughly enjoy working/hunting with dogs, so I'd like to get a lurcher sometime. Santa is bringing me an air riffle for Christmas - I have no idea about anything to do with guns, but there are lots of rabbits, rats and pigeons that I'd like