Day 19

[Brimmer 220]

Took out the quad today and hit the high ground with the old feller, the three runners and three ferrets. Did not expect to see much or have a great deal of sport to be honest.

 

The first day out in the valley bottom last week showed there was still life after the snow, but what rabbits were left would have been better off left.

 

Today was the first time we had looked out on the high ground for nearly two months.

 

Today the large patches of snow were still present, its hard to believe that maybee 150 feet in altitude above the ground in the valley bottom, the snow after near two months still has a command on the depressions, gullies and wall sides where it layed the thickest.

 

Told the old feller it would be worth £250 quid is he did his favorite trick here!

 

 

He told me to "F**k Off!" when he saw I had the camera out!

 

Not many signs of rabbits about, the dogs, a little heavy from the long lay off, looked bored as they covered the ground, trying to find some scent. Not much around at all.

 

Looking like our worst fears were justified.

 

We had hit them hard before the snow came, we were up to 707 bunny's at that point since the start of October after 17 trips out. Giving us a healthy average of over 40 rabbits a trip. Glad we did.

 

Now the high ground is near barren. I don't know whether the snow forced the migration onto the lower ground for them in search of food, (They were barely better off there.) or it killed the rabbits we hadn't yet got to on there patch.

 

One thing is for certain, when you look in on stronghold areas like 'The Graveyard'

 

 

(Due to the amount of rock and no go areas for ferrets), and don't see a single rabbit, then you know things have been hard.

 

During the course of the morning, found a bit of digging to do, though not in the usual sense, but helping the landowners son dig his tractor out of a track in the snow!

 

 

He thought it might finally get through, but no it got bottomed out and would not move! The blade came in handy again!

 

At this point we had only put up one rabbit which was swiftly nailed by the desperate dogs.

 

Another shortly after by a mark off one of the dogs, (bolted by a jill and caught within yards.)

 

Either rabbit did not stand a chance, they were both slim and would be better off still alive up there, they had won the war, but lost the battle.

 

Shortly after another mark.

 

Told the old feller this time to put the young runners on a lead, leaving the old dog Toddy off for a run. (Somehow putting a 10 yr old dog against weak rabbits made it a little more even.)

In went the jill. (The hobs can stay put today!) After a bit of action underground a slow rabbit bolted and beat the dog to another set of holes. Fair play rabbit.

 

We could have got him easy, but enough is enough I think.

 

Only two rabbits for a morning out!

 

At this point finally a meeting of minds took place between the 70 yr old and the 37 year old. (A first I can tell you!)

 

Our season was over.

 

What little rabbits that are left, need to be left. They have come through the thick of it. The weather, the rabbiters, the ferrets, the dogs, the guns, the traps, the snares, the mixi, the stoats and the birds.

 

We would normally be way above the 1000 tally at this point in the season. (Or should I say half a season?)

 

Either way, thats it for us in the Dales rabbiting this year. Maybee i'll still have a go with a few of the lads that have invited me out. Will still be up there every weekend though, now its time to start with the trapping and see what sort of dent we can make on the population of feral ferrets.

 

Best of luck lads. Signing out. Brim.

[auld salmon 28]

nice one again brimmer wish i could total that amount of bunnies dont think anywere near that mabe 150 mark you still have a bit of snow up there well done

[andy s410c 59]

End of your season B...not much longer for me either .Having a look out with the rimmy tomorrow,fancy a change.Still probalies keep going till months end

[Ideation 8,216]

Im intrigued by the feral ferrets? How big a problem is it? Did they survive the snow? Are they just recent escapees or breeding?

 

atb

 

jai.

[Brimmer 220]

Im intrigued by the feral ferrets? How big a problem is it? Did they survive the snow? Are they just recent escapees or breeding?

 

atb

 

jai.

 

 

 

Hopefully all being well, they will have suffered in the snow as well as any other animal.

Over 20 yrs on the land we hunt we have only come across a couple of the ferals until last year.

What was there last year has obviously bred and slammed the bigger warrens this season.

On setting 4 traps at the start of the season, we had 3 in them by morning. All albino's.

The pheasant keeper at the last call had 27 at the last count.

The moorland keeper? well who knows.

 

They seem to live in large warrens picking off the residents at will. Rabbits will live alongside them, we've bolted as many as 4 rabbits out of sets that a resident feral is in. This is why i question the the tenacity of a fat ferret.

They hold back and some rabbits wont bolt until pushed by a ferret with the will to kill.

A fat ferret does not have that.

 

Who knows what impact they have had or will have, but I'm certain that the 60 bags we had this year may have been near the 100 bags if the ferals were not there.

 

Keep a watch on here, i'll take photo's and write the trapping up. Me and the old feller are getting a bit competetive about it.

[Ideation 8,216]

Sounds interesting! Do you know what changed last year to give a larger breeding stock? Also really interesting that they co-habit with the rabbits - maybe the rabbits get used to them, i wonder if those rabbits are therefore harder to bolt if not pursued by a ferret with drive?

 

Do you think there is any way to tame them? It would be interesting to find a litter of feral kits in the spring and raise them. Maybe.

 

atb and let me know hoe it goes?

 

I'm off out to a new permission in the morning with the old man.

 

Jai.

[Brimmer 220]

Sounds interesting! Do you know what changed last year to give a larger breeding stock? Also really interesting that they co-habit with the rabbits - maybe the rabbits get used to them, i wonder if those rabbits are therefore harder to bolt if not pursued by a ferret with drive?

 

Do you think there is any way to tame them? It would be interesting to find a litter of feral kits in the spring and raise them. Maybe.

 

atb and let me know hoe it goes?

 

I'm off out to a new permission in the morning with the old man.

 

Jai.

 

Maybee tame a kit, but the adults are not worth it. Tried around 12 yrs ago. Just tried to kill my own ferrets when mixed, and was a skulking lump.

Nothing better than captive bred working animals. What went into the ferrets you have probs started years before when you were born. Dont go backwards for fingers sake!

[Moe 108]

join the the gang gave up on our patches before x mas ,had a couple of invites out ,last time ferrets sticking on freshly dead rabbits that had died due to snow.think il call it a day,poor rabbits that are local still got mixi from october not good. atb for next season moe

[whin 463]

we still have a good few rabbits in places along the beaches and they are in great knick,going give them some pestcontrol this week and maybe the nest then ease up let them get on with it alot of guys on the high country had rabbits in silage pits lots of them in hay sheds like rats skulking for food ashame realy ,its afunnny old game been in areas were hares been flooded out but rabbits starving only happens once in a while

[maphunter 0]

we went out yesteray and caught 8,couldn,t believe how quiet it was ,very dissapointing.on this permission we were getting this many in the first hour,the weather has certainly taken its toll.

[Ideation 8,216]

Went out today and all the rabbits were fat and healthy. Low ground, but its been flooded recently following the snow, so i was a bit surprised. Just goes to show how tough the little buggers are!

[Ideation 8,216]

Sounds interesting! Do you know what changed last year to give a larger breeding stock? Also really interesting that they co-habit with the rabbits - maybe the rabbits get used to them, i wonder if those rabbits are therefore harder to bolt if not pursued by a ferret with drive?

 

Do you think there is any way to tame them? It would be interesting to find a litter of feral kits in the spring and raise them. Maybe.

 

atb and let me know hoe it goes?

 

I'm off out to a new permission in the morning with the old man.

 

Jai.

 

Maybee tame a kit, but the adults are not worth it. Tried around 12 yrs ago. Just tried to kill my own ferrets when mixed, and was a skulking lump.

Nothing better than captive bred working animals. What went into the ferrets you have probs started years before when you were born. Dont go backwards for fingers sake!

 

 

YEr - i'd have no interest in trying to tame an adult. Like you said - not worth the fingers. Would be interesting to see how a kit worked out just to compare it to the normal ferrets, polecat x's and tame wild polecats i've had/seen. May be no different when raised than a normal ferret, but after a few generations they may have a tougher edge? Who knows.

 

atb

 

Jai.

[grdavison 0]

was on the phone with my uncle last nite he goes rabbitin in nortumberland, he said ther isnt the rabbits up there wear he goes that ther used to be and said that the snow had killed them off

 

gary