The one 8,588 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 When gorse is in flower drop a match in it ,thats when its at its most flamable . Or longnet round it or just purse net the runs Quote Link to post
Ideation 8,217 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 Quick update (for anyone that's interested!).....went out early door this morning, not quite as early as I'd hoped but early enough to see where the rabbits were sitting. The main area holds a warren that's sitting on the bank of a stream under really thick gorse....feckin typical, when I get chance I'm going to take a sythe and try and make it a bit more accessible. No sign of any bunnys near either set I tried last time but just for my own curiosity I went over anyway. At both sets I tried the hob first and got an exact repeat performance, on the second set he even along the exact same run along the hedgerow. Down goes the jill, I was dreading her entering and bolting anything but although she had a bit more of a look in both sets, she showed very little interest and was down for a matter of 20 seconds at most. Happy days.......note to self, get a decent mark before netting the sodding warren up and getting annoyed when ferret doesn't enter, it's pityfully amateurish when I think about it!!! Walking over to the patch of bramles where Tilly was marking last time and a rabbit must have heard us coming and bolted across the field.....but we're on the wrong side of the hedge so dog doesn't even see it But I see it enter a warren on the embankment on the far side. Enter hob, straight down and rabbit bolts out of otherside of embankment from an entrance that's under gorse and runs along staying under the gorse so dog has no chance (I really need a terrier!!!). Dog bolts two rabbits out of bushes and but they're too close to a warren, I had a look and it's accessible but it was 8:30am so I had to get back for work. So.....no rabbits caught, but I come back happy because at least I know now that my hob isn't scared of rabbits!!! What do people do when there's a warren under a large patch of gorse? I'm thinking clear it out as much as possible and then ferret it the next day with nets, can't really think of anything else to do. If it was clear on all sides I'll probably enter the ferrets and let them find the entrances and just sit it out if they lay up and let the dog catch any bolters, but it's in them middle of a long patch. Good to hear Rob, as i said before, you learn to trust your animals, they know better than you. It's very easy to 'will' rabbits down there, and interpret vague interest as a half mark. Once you know how Tilly marks, you will be amazed how many very active looking warrens you walk by with no mark. Especially at this time of year. Sounds like you have got the makings of a good team. R.E Gorse, we usually just cut/beat a way into where the holes are, crawl under if we have to and get them netted. You can string a long net around, or if too big, cut pathways through to long net. I wouldn't suggest burning it, for a whole number of reasons. Most of which fairly obvious. Quote Link to post
rob190364 2,594 Posted September 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 Cheers pal, yeah burning not an option....mainly cos although I have permission there it ain't my land!! It's a bloody big patch of brambles aswell, the warren is at one end but I'd say the patch is about 30 meters or so long by 6 or 7 meters wide, it'd be a hell of an inferno if it all went up at once! Plus, it'd look a bit shite if a farmer gives me permission and within a week I'm lighting fires on his farm! I'll try and isolate the brambles directly over the warren, and flush them away from the exits nearest to the rest of the brambles, it's not a big warren so it shouldn't be too difficult, and it'll keep the dog busy on the outside! I got rid of my long net because I was never using it, I'm not a big fan of carrying loads of kit around. The farmer wants me to clear those fields as much as possible and when I've done that he's going to give me the rest of his land to work on.....we're on a mission!!!! Quote Link to post
tubba 38 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 If you get stuck Rob give me a call or p.m i have some of this years kits you can have. Quote Link to post
rob190364 2,594 Posted September 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 If you get stuck Rob give me a call or p.m i have some of this years kits you can have. cheers pal, nice gesture....I'll give you a shout if I need one. Quote Link to post
tubba 38 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 No probs mate. Quote Link to post
rob190364 2,594 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 update on my hob......it's worth an update cos it's just f'ckin ridiculous to be honest! got some new permission yesterday so had a wander round it just to have a look more than anything. Took my hob for a run out just for exercise and my lurcher. There's a bank running inbetween two fields that has a good 6 or 7 small warrens on it so I put him at the entrance to them one by one, every time I put him down he just imediately turned round and came back to me, and I mean imediately....didn't even have a sniff! and yet the dog was marking a couple of them. Persevered for about and hour and then thought f'ck it and went home, bit pissed off cos I either have a permission with no bunnies and a dog that false marks, or a shite hob.......put him back in his hutch and got the jill, went back and had 6 hours ferreting, bolting rabbit after rabbit for the dog. Jill worked like a demon and it was a brilliant day. I am totally bewildered by him to be honest, never seen that before in a ferret. Just doesn't want to know at all......yet the cheeky fat fecker goes mental for rabbit carcasses when I throw them in the hutch. My advice to anyone getting a ferret....make sure it's working stock, there is nothing more frustrating than a ferret that won't even go down a rabbit hole, it'd be like having a lurcher that won't chase prey!!!!! Quote Link to post
darbo 4,779 Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 update on my hob......it's worth an update cos it's just f'ckin ridiculous to be honest! got some new permission yesterday so had a wander round it just to have a look more than anything. Took my hob for a run out just for exercise and my lurcher. There's a bank running inbetween two fields that has a good 6 or 7 small warrens on it so I put him at the entrance to them one by one, every time I put him down he just imediately turned round and came back to me, and I mean imediately....didn't even have a sniff! and yet the dog was marking a couple of them. Persevered for about and hour and then thought f'ck it and went home, bit pissed off cos I either have a permission with no bunnies and a dog that false marks, or a shite hob.......put him back in his hutch and got the jill, went back and had 6 hours ferreting, bolting rabbit after rabbit for the dog. Jill worked like a demon and it was a brilliant day. I am totally bewildered by him to be honest, never seen that before in a ferret. Just doesn't want to know at all......yet the cheeky fat fecker goes mental for rabbit carcasses when I throw them in the hutch. My advice to anyone getting a ferret....make sure it's working stock, there is nothing more frustrating than a ferret that won't even go down a rabbit hole, it'd be like having a lurcher that won't chase prey!!!!! i would personally keep putting the jill in and trying him right behind her on a marked warren. see if it starts him off working. its worked for me before with reluctant ferrets. but i will be the first to admit 1 jill i had would not work after trying everything i could. hope yours comes good. Quote Link to post
rob190364 2,594 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 another update on this, I know it's an old thread but it's worth updating for those that might have been in the same situation and have given up. To summarise for those that can't be arsed reading through it all, my hob was just flatly refusing to work sets that definitely had rabbits in them. I'd basically given up on him completely and whenever I went out I'd leave him at home and just use my jill. Then a couple of weeks ago when we got back from being away over Christmas I decided to take them both out as they'd been stuck in a hutch for 2 weeks at my parents house so will have been bored rigid. Wasn't using any nets as I was just expecting him to do his usual arsing around at the entrances and not bothering actually going in. My jill always works sets well so that would never be an issue with her. Anyway, first set we come across the dog gives a positive mark so I put the hob at the entrance and he's in like a flash, a couple of minutes pass and out flies a rabbit, dog shoots down the hedge row after it but it goes into another warren further down. Hob pops out, back in again for a few more minutes and then back out again so I picked him up, went down the hedge to where the rabbit went, into the warren and he's straight in, 30 seconds later rabbit bolts and is dealt with. I won't waffle on about the rest of the session or the other sessions since then but basically, he has been an absolute dream to work ever since. Totally brilliant! I've been out with the ferrets about five or six times in the last two weeks and now if I'm only taking one ferret I actually favour him. There's no messing about, if there's a rabbit down there he'll bolt it and he'll bolt it quickly. He's fantastic to work with just the dog and no nets as the whole process is so simple, when using my jill without the nets she'll still bolt them but it takes longer as sometimes she'll go through the whole set after the rabbit has bolted, checking the whole thing. He's down, bolts the rabbits and he's out if there's nothing else down there. If the rabbits give him the run around he sticks at them until they bolt. F'ck knows why he's working so well now, he was absolutely dire last year....for some reason the break has turned him into a new ferret. Only downside is he's a bit of a porker now but I'll be getting im out 3 or 4 times a week now to get him fit. Happy days! Quote Link to post
darbo 4,779 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 fair play for sticking with him. some ferrets/dogs etc are written off too soon. glad to hear he is doing well. Quote Link to post
The one 8,588 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Maybe he was slow to mature Quote Link to post
fieldsportsman 107 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 enter jill first, see if hob follows Quote Link to post
The one 8,588 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 'fieldsportsman' timestamp='1326924442' post='2445852'] enter jill first, see if hob follows Hes working now just proves there's ferrets and there's working ferrets Quote Link to post
rob190364 2,594 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Maybe he was slow to mature dunno how old he is cos he's rescue but I've had him for about 5 years, now that would be feckin slow to mature Quote Link to post
Country Joe 1,411 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Rob, as you have your doubts about this Hobs working abilty, and you have given him lots of chances, then i would get rid, as you say your happy with your jill, then I would find who has good working ferrets in your area, and if breeding, then you can either go for another jill or hob, Regarding a good working bedlington, The Working Bedlington Forum is the place to look, and coming from Wales theres a few Welsh lads on there who are working them, Quote Link to post
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