AndyL
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Everything posted by AndyL
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If your instincts are making you question sticking the ferrets in, I would leave it. Why take a risk for one or two rabbits at most, if you have other options try elsewhere.
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Cracking pictures as always and good write up. Good to see the weather held up somewhere, I have had to abandon three trips this week due to high winds and rain !
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Priceless when they show up again, just when you start thinking the worst. Finding her is payback for persevering, no doubt she will pay you back with plenty of rabbits.
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Cracking footage, and very good shooting. The stock on your rifle looks excellent, very comfortable looking grip. Thanks, Andy
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Markha / Davy, Checked all the possible causes you guys have mentioned and found that the magazine casing is cracked (spilt running from centre screw). The pellets seem to be sitting low (as if the magazine has dropped in the casing). I bought the gun second hand around a year ago, looks like I have bought it like this and never noticed until now. Will need a new magazine casing at least so will try this and see if it solves the problem, it's the only visible cause I can see everything else you have mentioned seems OK. Next stop eBay. Many thanks, Andy
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I have had an S410 for around a year now and a problem has cropped up with it. When loading the pellet magazine into position and then pushing the bolt arm forward, the bolt wont engage (easily) with the pellet in the magazine. If I move the magazine around slightly the bolt eventually locks in, it then works OK (no sticking as the magazine rotates when reloading), it's only the initial loading of the magazine where the problem occurs. Doesn't sound much of a problem but when your quickly and quietly trying to reload a magazine, it's fecking annoying. Any advice greatly app
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If you can, try and split her from the rest for a while and keep an eye on her. She may just be being bullied by the others if she is the runt, she will be getting pushed out of the way at feeding time (or be reluctant to feed freely and fully) and knocked around by the others when they are at play, due to her smaller frame. I have had similar with my mine a couple of times, they just need a bit of time on their own to build themselves up and gain some weight / muscle. If she is the one with the runs (you will find out if you segregate her), the runs may be stress related, as above
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GL2 works for me, bought the red filter for it and it does reduce the range a bit, but not so much that it prevents me from taking out rabbits, pigeons etc safely within my range. On the plus side the reduced range forces you to improve your stalking skills. Also bought a "Cree" kit for £15 on eBay, does the trick (albeit not as well) at a fraction of the £60+ I spent on the GL2 plus filter. Very much a case of you get what you pay for, with hind sight (and a few extra quid) I would have bought the GL4 if only for the additional range (for spotting) when using the red filter. -
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If you have other burrows to go for I would leave any that are under larger trees. I have wasted a few days ferreting where I have seen rabbits enter burrows under trees, temptation has got the better of me and I've netted them up, entered the ferrets, then waited for hours for them to resurface (impossible to dig). Often when this happens I have heard the rabbit(s) thumping about inside the trunk of the tree. On most occasions where I have ferreted directly under large trees, I have sworn while waiting that I wouldn't do it again ! You may be lucky and the rabbits bolt and th
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I have seen a few DVD's etc where rabbits are chinned in purse nets, how do you do this (properly) ? I have worked ferrets on and off for 20+ years but have only ever despatched rabbits in one way, chinning once out of the net. I use the back legs for purchase when chinning (stretch the rabbit full length then firmly pull back and twist the head) so how do you do this without a grip on the back legs, watching DVD's etc it's over very quickly and difficult to make out what's being done. I suppose I have led a pretty sheltered life with regards ferreting, learned from an old guy and stuc
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VHD is Viral Hemorrahagic Disease, RHD is Rabbit Hemorrahagic Disease they are one and the same, simply explained would be to say that rabbits that pick up this virus bleed internally, a common cause of death is that the rabbit will drown in it's own blood when it gets into their lungs. It affects rabbits very quickly and is highly contageous, you will sometimes see blood on the rabbits nose, ears, rear end etc. A bit like when they have myxi they will be huddled up, lethargic and in great pain / discomfort, some rabbits can survive myxi they cant shrug this off. On a brighter note it
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I pay £23 for the jab to take my Jill out of heat, price has been the same at our local vet for the past 4 years, if my ferret had been younger I would have had her speyed. Got her from the SSPCA as a rescue, she looked to be a bit older when I got her and didn't want to take a chance with the anaesthetic.
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The S410 would be my choice, can't fault them, as said before you should get a complete set up for £500 if you look round the for sale forums. Springers are every bit as good though if you pick the right one, a HW 97K would be my preference, no need for pumps etc with these and they will give the same end result. You'd be best trying a few guns out if you can though, everyone has their own preferences and opinions vary, if a gun feels right, shoots well and is within your budget then it's the right gun for you.
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If it's directly under the mouth it could be an abscess thats causing the swelling / lump. Maybe a splinter of bone (if fed if he's fed on rabbit etc) has lodged between a tooth or in his gum.
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May be that she is being bullied / dominated by the other two, she could have been a runt and is not faring to well when kept with a more dominant couple, Iv'e had that before and had to take the "runt" out and house it on it's own. Best to take her along to a vet, she may need medical help, if she has eaten a small amount and is drinking water then she hasn't given up yet, best get her checked quick, they have a very high metabolism and need to keep eating (and drinking fresh water) regularly. Good luck.
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Anywhere at the base of the neck always works for me with pigeons or corvids (if I can't get a clear head shot). You stand a good chance of hitting the head if you err to high or vital organs if to low (if shooting from front or back). Andy
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Not that i need to explain myself for what i have done or the reason i have done it,but to answer your question the land concerned as a high population of hares,that are damaging crops etc plus as you say come winter everyman and his lurcher is on the fields after them, as they can be seen from the road,they leave gates open and basiclly just become pains in the arse,its hassle the farmer does not need or want,he does not want every hare killed its about control. Hi, Complete novice at snaring, but wondered how do you tell the difference between a hare run and a rabbit run when pl
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I lost a hob a couple of years back, symptoms something similar to yours, he would try and walk / run but his back end kept swinging out until he lost his balance (moved like a sidewinder snake), his back legs seemed to have trouble supporting him. He was also drooling at the mouth and his droppings were black and tarry, but they had been like that before if I had given him something rich (rabbit liver, raw egg). The lack of balance lasted a couple of hours or so, just as I was getting ready to take him to the local vet he picked up again, right as rain, eating and drinking water and walki
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Fantastic pics, you know your in for a treat when you open one of your posts. Thanks for going to the bother of taking and posting pictures of your days out, it would be easy for you not to bother, it's appreciated. Cheers.
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Also one of my ferrets has gone blind in one eye. the eye has turned blue and when you move your finger on the blind side he doest respond while while he does on the other side. for weeks he has been whining and hasn't been very active but recently hes been full of life and seems much better. so is there much of a chance the other eye will go blind?? any help appreciated. thanks It could be a cataract, these can be seen in young ferrets and it is thought to be hereditary, as with people they are also common as old age takes a grip. If it's a cataract the eye will be a whitish blue
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Don't worm it on the off chance it's worms, it could be one of the other many reasons already given, you could do more harm than good if you worm it, the ferret is obviously struggling to get any nutrients from whatever it is eating (if it is eating), dosing it without knowing what's wrong could tip it over the edge. If it has lost the weight very quickly take it to the vet just to be on the safe side, I lost a cracking wee ferret over a couple of days by thinking that it would pick up again, it had lost weight very quickly and died curled up and amaciated in my hands, two hours before it
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Cracking pictures, your a lucky man having permission on land like that. Kind of place you could spend hours with nothing on your mind but ferrets, rabbits and after a while the thought of hauling the lot back to the car as the rabbits pile up.
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All will kill below ground if they get the chance, depends which end of the rabbit they get hold of, if it's a smaller Jill there's more chance of the rabbit throwing the Jill off and bolting, likewise there is an increased chance of the Jill taking a kicking if she gets caught between the back end of a rabbit or turned (especially an older buck) and a stop end. I have had a few Jills (and Hobs) that have came up minus fur, bruised / cut, could hear the rabbit kicking out against the burrow walls, usually stops before I can dig down to the rabbit. I usually send the Jill(s) down first to
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Was out ferreting the other day and bumped into the farmer who's land I have permmission on. I mentioned to him that one of the warrens in a nearby wood looked like it had been taken over by foxes, he told me that it was badgers that had moved in and that last lambing season he had lost a couple of lambs to the badgers (he had to move the ewes and lambs to another field). I didn't know that badgers killed lambs, farmer advised that the badgers tended to chew the lambs (especially their ears) and play with the carcass without actually eating any of the lamb, in his experience anyhow.