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Axholme Ferreter

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Everything posted by Axholme Ferreter

  1. Axholme Ferreter
    the fenn trap may comply with the legislation, but they certainly don,t kill mink , and i,ve seen squirrels still alive in them, i don,t know who passed them , or the springers which are even weaker than the fenn trap , but they are not a humane trap in mink control and i have trapped hundreds over the last 30 years , especially when dog mink are ranging in weight from 4 lbs. to 6 1/2 lbs , the two best traps for these fellows are the 120 bodygrip, and the kania 2000 trap, i have never used the solway trap , but otc. says that they have a pretty strong spring stronger than a fenn trap , i will
  2. Axholme Ferreter
    I agree John b. If the copies were challenged most if not all would perhaps be found to be wanting in some respect. The point is however that other traps not listed COULD in theory be used if they compared to approved traps . As I said the ultimate test would be in a court but I for one don't want to volunteer to test the theory just yet!! At the moment I will continue using genuine Fenn mk6 traps which definitely comply with the legislation and just as importantly kill quickly rather than injuring. However if someone manufactured a decent quality 'equivalent' which was of a similar power a
  3. Axholme Ferreter
    I am not looking to be controversial, I have no vested interest in promoting any type of trap, I am only commenting because I have read various legislation including the Spring Traps Approval Order whilst writing some training materials for rabbit and mole control and so just make a point out of interest to anyone. Excellent post. Very informative and I agree with everything (almost) that has been said. BUT...... Looking at the Spring Traps Approval order it approves the Fenn Mk 6 and Spinger Mk 6 and with the latest variation order the new Solway trap which are all listed in Column 1
  4. Axholme Ferreter
    As far as traps are concerned I think it is a case of 'different strokes for different folks'. Someone who was taught on scissor type and has used the successfully is going to be reluctant to change. I personally think that the Duffus type are the most flexible in use but then they are the ones I was originally taught with!! I use Flatpack traps and think they are great value for the price. All the best AF
  5. Axholme Ferreter
    I have one, bought it new about 6 or 7 years ago for just short of £200 I think. It is quite powerful, not far from the limit I would suspect though I have not checked it. It is fairly accurate and reasonably light. I removed the iron sights to fit a telescopic and this leaves screw holes and the grooves showing on the end of the barrel so not that nice looking. I tried to get a silencer but could not find one that would fit without having to butcher the barrel. A silencer would perhaps not have been much use anyway as it clonks and clangs a bit when fired. I used it fairly successfully for h
  6. Axholme Ferreter
    Well I re-made the flat top trap making it shorter so the distance to the trigger seems about right. I have added the catching loops etc so the trap would actually function if it were used. Having now looked at it I realise that this can not have been a very humane trap, at least using a willow 'spring' at any rate. At best it would be just likely to hold the mole, at worst it may escape injured. With the power of the willow 'spring and the design of the trap it would be unlikely to kill quickly. The more sophisticated versions of this using steel springs and with wire catch loops through a
  7. Axholme Ferreter
    crackin gud reed. All the best AF
  8. Axholme Ferreter
    Thanks for the replies folks and hope the back gets better soon Ditch (my brother slipped a disc once turning over on the settee but he is a lazy git). I know that some people are still using what I will now call 'The gas pipe barrel trap' but I was wondering if anyone has used a flat top type in recent years? I know they are a bit fiddly to set but how do they compare catching wise to the Duffus type? All the best AF
  9. Axholme Ferreter
    Thanks John B, Looks to me as if the top plate is about 3 inches by 5 and a half inches which confirms things. Thanks for the trouble. Rolfe, Snareman put me in touch with a chap from Cumbria called Bob who makes traps out of gas pipe like the one you show, is that your mate? He is a grand bloke and very knowledgable too. I have had a cople of chats with him on the phone, seems he is a champion molecatcher. Thanks to all for the help I will put some more photos up when I have sourced some wood and had a go at the barrel trap. All the best AF
  10. Axholme Ferreter
    I have a relatively modern one of these somewhere - metal spring, wire loops etc. Would any info on that help ? Yes it could well be. I am unsure about the distance between holes in the top plate. They are probably similar to the full barrel that Ditch posted above but if the trap an a tape measure are close to hand I would be grateful for the confirmation before I spoil some more wood. Thanks in anticipation. All the best AF
  11. Axholme Ferreter
    Well here is my first effort at a flat top trap. I have made the hoops, the trigger or 'Mumble pin' and the pegs to hold it in the ground but I have not got round to putting in the catching loops yet and the 'spring' which is a length of willow is not shown. I took the measurements from a rough description in a book I have but now it is made I think the distance between the catching hoops and the trigger is too long so I am going to have another go making one about 1 inch shorter overall. I am in the process of trying to source a piece of Elm to have a go at the barrel trap. Elm would seem
  12. Axholme Ferreter
    Wow!!!!!!! What a very detailed and comprehensive reply. Far more than I expected and very gratefully recieved, it has cleared up a lot of unknown detail for me. I have seen these traps before but not to examine them in close detail so this is extremely useful. I mentioned that I am hoping to build a replica and with the information I have now got I should be able to do this. I will post details when I manage to get it done. Thanks a lot for the info and pics Ditch. Thanks to Snareman too who has put me in touch with a very knowledgeable old mole trapper who has helped me with a lot of
  13. Axholme Ferreter
    Hello, I wonder if anyone who has got a Wooden Full Barrel Mole Trap in their collection would do me a favour? I want to make a replica for display/demonstration purposes. I could have a good guess at the measurements but it would take away some of the guess work if someone would be good enough to pass on some measurements to me. I need to know - internal diameter, extenal diameter, overall length and crucially distance from tigger hole to catch loop holes, also any other deatil or measurements you could think of may be helpfull. I also hope to have a go at a wooden half barrel trap. I
  14. Axholme Ferreter
    I've got a small Jill that does the same. I think she must sneak up on the rabbits and nail them , she doesn't often bolt the rabbits just kills them. I've got other Jills that work fine and Hobs for that matter but this one just seems to kill down all the time. She is very thorough though, I have put other ferrets down holes and they have bolted rabbits and then left the warren as if they were empty, then put her in just to check and she nails a rabbit. A bit of a pain having to dig every one with her though. I do work both Hobs and Jills, they both have their advantages but my own prefere
  15. Axholme Ferreter
    Looks like a good time out mate. I have only just started using stop nets myself. I think they are brilliant for hedgerows. Nice pics by the way. All the best AF
  16. Axholme Ferreter
    Great looking ferrets and a cracking set up - a credit to you. All the best AF
  17. Axholme Ferreter
    I think it may be due to the size of the image. The site has a size limit as to what you can upload and just rejects anything over that size (500mb I think). I have to open my pictures in the Microsoft Paint programme, reduce the size and save them before I can upload. Hope this helps AF
  18. Axholme Ferreter
    Managed to get out for an hour with my mate this morning. I put the stop nets out on one side of a fence but had to use a few purse nets on the other side with my mate guarding them because there were some horses in the paddock there. I popped the ferrets in and within 20 mins we had 3 rabbits in the stop net, all caught fair and square. I am definitelty a convert now, in the right situation they are a lot easier to use than purse nets. Am going to finish setting up the other two nets and hopefully get out again soon. All the best AF
  19. Axholme Ferreter
    Well I invested in some net and have made up some 12 yard stop nets. As I am used to quick set long nets and have never tried the traditional method so I decided to stick with what I know and got some fiberglass poles from Magnum and have made them permanet quick set. I have one pole fixed at each end and another spare non fixed 'floating' pole for the middle. I have made up 2 x 12 yd nets and I am in the process of making up 2 more. I tie the poles together with bungee and have made some nylon bags to which the net goes in to and then ties around the poles for transport. I have picked the net
  20. Axholme Ferreter
    I have been tinkering with ferret boxes for a while now and have gone from very simple to fairly complicated. I have settled for something mid range at the moment. This was my first box given to me by a mate. This was my first attempt but it was a bit big and heavy. This was the next which is fine but is just one big compartment This was the next effort a twin compartment job. This was the latest when I tried putting some drawers in for kit but it was just too bulky to cart around. I just use the dark brown ones now (have flogged the others) but I may have a go at a new very slig
  21. Axholme Ferreter
    Heres mine. 'Ferretopolis 1 and Ferretopolis 2' as I call them. 1 has 2 seperate hutches inside so ferrets can be shut in one while others are out and have a timeshare outside. The second is just one big community though I have given them 2 sleeping boxes in the shed (via tubes) they all tend to sleep in one. all the best AF
  22. Axholme Ferreter
    Quote 'Thanks Axholme fereter, thats a great way of using your normal nets and making them in to drop ones. Do you find that the poles sway in the wind. if so how to do stop it or do you just leave.' I haven't had any problems with it swaying. I pushed each drop net pole abou 12 inches in the ground. If I hit a hard spot I just used a metal spike and hammer to make the hole before pushing the pole in. I do have problems with the end poles leaning in with the weight of the net but I just put a guy line on each ent to a peg anout 10 ft away which solves the problem fine. As long as the net i
  23. Axholme Ferreter
    I had a go at making a drop net after seeing one either on here or 'another' forum. I am too tight to by a net just for the occasional job and the nets I have are all attached to poles so I didnt want to have to take the poles out every time I used it so this is a compromise. I made some double wire loops out of 2.5mm wire (a sort of figure 8 with one loop larger than the other) that grip on to the longnet poles with one loop and slide on the drop net poles with the other. I Drilled a hole through the drop net pole and made some pins with a loop on the end out of wire. After fixing a wire loop
  24. Axholme Ferreter
    Yep, thats the colour. I would have expected that it would make them shy away, obviously I'm wrong looking at your photo. Thanks mate. All the best AF
  25. Axholme Ferreter
    Thanks for the reply MT. I will give it a try. I was never any good at Art but I guess if I get a dark green or dark brown I can not go far wrong? All the best AF
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