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Axholme Ferreter

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Everything posted by Axholme Ferreter

  1. Axholme Ferreter
    Not sure about the taste but I was ferreting some new permission earlier this year when I found something strange. When I peed all the rabbits they were all peeing blood!! Then I gutted them and all their internal organs were bright red and the flesh too. I was a bit concerned thet they had got some strange disease and was going to bury them when I realised that we were next to a field of Beetroot. They had been tucking in on the beet and it had stained their urine, guts and everything!! This tast idea is interesting though, if you fed rabbits the right stuff they could season themselves befo
  2. Axholme Ferreter
    Had a quick serach in the shed and found these. I used them once and did not get on very well. Very fiddly to use. Better off with the flat clips. All the best AF
  3. Axholme Ferreter
    Hi John, I may be wrong but I think these are called Hog Rings, used a lot for fencing. Also used in upholstery. Can also be used of course to hold wire mesh together. all the best AF
  4. Axholme Ferreter
    I agree there are other ways of controlling greys but the point is to use the most effective and best method for the circumstances whilst still being legal and humane. I like the idea of these vertical boxes for some locations as they would be a lot less prone to interference/vandalism/theft/malicious acts and complaints from bunny huggers. I already have a load of Fenns so the outlay would not be much (Kanias are great traps but couldnt afford to put many of them out). I also think body grips are very effective but they are not as easy to set, need supports etc or arguably as versatile as
  5. Axholme Ferreter
    Thanks for the interest and suggestions. I like the idea of using a bodygrip too, it would almost certainly be a more effective catch but with the springs sticking out of the sides they would be a lot more obvious than a fenn in this type of box. I have just dug my copy of Pest magazine out, I obviously missed this article when I first got it (don't know how though, it is a big article). There is a picture of a caught squirrel and the fenn appears to have very cleanly across the back of the neck. I am not sure what the double floor is for in the box? Another photo shows the top of the box wi
  6. Axholme Ferreter
    There was a thread on here some time ago about 'Squirrel Wars'. There was quite a bit of debate about some of the methods used but one caught my interest. On this TV documentary the pest controller was using Mk4 spring traps at the bottom of a wooden box with an open top. This looked to me quite an effective way to use the Mk4 for squirrels as it entered the trap head first downwards. The box could be mounted on a tree trunk up out of the way of interfering fingers and looked a bit like a bird box so may not attract too much attention. It had a hinged front for easy checking. Has anyone used t
  7. Axholme Ferreter
    I got hold of a couple of solid kitchen cabinet doors from someone 'refurnishing' their kitchen (more money than sense), cut some pegs out of the frame and loads out of the centre pannel. All the best AF
  8. Axholme Ferreter
    I bought ten Solway Mk6s last year to try. The traps initially look OK and appear to compare well with Springer and Fenn traps in respect of the spring strength etc. However the design is slightly different and out of the first 6 rabbits I caught with these traps 5 were still alive in the trap!! I contacted Solway who were indifferent about the matter. The guy even stated that he would not personally use the traps himself to catch rabbits and that they were intended more for use on mink and they had had no complaints about them. He did say however that they were looking at modifying the traps
  9. Axholme Ferreter
    I had a look at this the other week but didn't have the time to put up a post then. I agree with Matt, in normal circumstances with a Fenn trap when the quary is walking across the trigger plate a roof is needed to keep the target animal in the jaws of the trap. The method used on this programme appeared to be that the squirrels went in to the trap head first, It being at the bottom of an open topped box. Now I know you should not believe everything you see on TV but it looked to me that this method was fairly effective. Has anyone used this method themselves and if so is it as effective as i
  10. Axholme Ferreter
    I have recently been sent a booklet produced by Alpha feeds. It is an owners guide to caring for ferrets. It is a fairly comprehensive 16 page booklet which would be particularly useful to anyone new to ferret keeping. Obviously there is a comprehensive section on feeding and nutrition but also a large section on common illnesses and lots of other interesting and useful information. I can recommend this as a handy reference even for more experience ferret owners. The booklet is free. Contact Jan Phillips jphillips@alphafeeds.com If you mention the forum when you contact Jan. All the be
  11. Axholme Ferreter
    233 + 21 = 254
  12. Axholme Ferreter
    Nice one John. One out of three is not a bad result. I think if most mole catchers got a 33% catch rate all the time they would be happy. Apart from bending the triggers slightly as described The Flat Pack traps do not normally need any adjustment or tuning. They are made in Britain by a small family business who are actually interested in their product and so have developed it and incorporated most of the tweaks and adjustments that you may need to do with other trap makes. Beware this is adictive!! All the best AF
  13. Axholme Ferreter
    If its a humane trap it should be humane death IF the 'humane' trap is checked every 4 hours and IF it has caught (unlikely with the ones I have seen) what do you do with the mole? Release it where the conditions may be suitable as there are mole hills? This will be in another moles territory where they are highly likely to fight and injure or kill each other? Or do you release it where there are no mole hills and so probably not enough worms/food to support a mole? Both would technically be illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act which says you can not release an animal in t
  14. Axholme Ferreter
    If you can make them out of green wood and then let it season. The green wood is like butter to work. I have used whatever I can get. Ash is good, chestnut, oak, whatever. I have made mine 7 to 9 inches depending on the ground intended to use them on. All the best AF
  15. Axholme Ferreter
    One of the farms I control rabbits on is nearly all horse paddocks, some DIY livery so lots of different people around. I have to snare the paddocks when they are empty (in some places on the farm it is the only control method I can use). Despite telling everyone I can there is always a danger of someone putting a horse in one of the paddocks I am snaring by mistake so I put laminated signs on the paddock gates and tapes 'DO NOT USE. Rabbit Control in progress' with my phone number. I have not snared a horse yet and I have had at least 2 calls from curious horse owners about what was happening
  16. Axholme Ferreter
    Got my book today. Thanks OTC for a very fast and efficient transaction. Interesting book. All the best AF
  17. Axholme Ferreter
    Nice one Lets hope its the first double of many. By the look of the trap the conditions are well wet where you are. Its either wet through or frozen solid here. All the best AF
  18. Axholme Ferreter
    As well as putting a marker in, tie a piece of plastic hazard barrier tape to the trap and leave it sticking out of the ground. It is so light it does not stop the trap from working proprerly but if your marker gets pulled out you still have a chance of finding the trap. I used to use wooden or cane markers but for some reason rabbits seem to find these irresistable and chew them. I now use wire markers again with hazard tape tied to them. Cheap as chips and easier to carrry. All the best AF
  19. Axholme Ferreter
    Just had an e-mail from Andrew Gilruth Director of Membership and Marketing saying that this was an issue due to a change over of marketing etc. He has said that my money will be refunded. Hopefully in the future charges will now be made more appropriate or the product will be improved. All the best AF
  20. Axholme Ferreter
    Im hoping to go (work permitting). I went last year and found it very interesting. Lots of stuff out of my subject area (insects, bird proofing etc) but equally a lot of stuff relevant to me. Made some very useful contacts too. Would be nice to meet Glen Waters and others in the flesh. All the best AF
  21. Axholme Ferreter
    Im doing fine with my CZ Style .22lr fitted with a Hawke Varmint 4 - 12 x 44 scope. The thing is I have got a slot for a .17hmr on my ticket burning a hole in my pocket. I am impressed with CZ so it will probably be a rifle from their range but what power scope should I be looking at? Will be using it mostly for longer range rabbits. All the best AF
  22. Axholme Ferreter
    I fancied making some Larsen Traps up for next spring to take care of some magpies on some of the farms I go to. I have got John Bs excellent book but decided to research further as I wanted to make all wire traps rather than timber framed ones. I looked at the topics on here and other forums and got some good ideas and info. I then trawled the internet and got some further info and ideas a lot of which did not seem to match each other but that is another story. I stumbled upon The Game And Wildlife Conservation Trust site and it all seemed to look very professional and legit. They advertis
  23. Axholme Ferreter
    Ta for the info Sully but mine is a plastic mag. I am going to get a replacement anyway so hopefully that will solve the problem. All the best AF
  24. Axholme Ferreter
    Thanks for the replies. I was planning on getting a spare 10 round mag anyway so I will give that a try. All the best AF
  25. Axholme Ferreter
    Just got a brand new CZ style .22LR. Love the gun and doing quite well with it but just one niggle. With a full (5) magazine the top of the nose of the first round sometimes jams on the top of the entry going in to the chamber. I just tap it with my finger and it then goes in OK. The following 4 rounds in the mag go in no problem its only ever the first one. Has anyone else had this problem? Will the gun/mag bed in or have I got a problem? All the best AF
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