One holer?

[Guest little_lloyd]

I found a rabbit sized hole no sign of others on a bank of a ditch.... i sent a ferret down.....she didnt want to go anyfurther than the mouth Anyone ever hace any ideas as who would be down there? Tempet to stick a fenn down there.

[woodchip 2]

dont force the ferret down the hole there could be a wesel or something it doesnt like down there ...

this was a tip given to me be the big fish

[devvo 0]

Are you 100% sure its a hole? maybe just where they have been scratting?

 

 

just a thought

 

Cheers Devvo

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

The Big Fish knows what he's talking about too! Been there. Done that .....

 

It's quite likely, as ye describe it as " Rabbit Sized " a bloody Mink! I remember, when I was a nipper, finding just such a hole, in a dry bank, close to where I was taking rabbits from beneath a fence with wires.

 

Figuring this must obviously be a rabbit hole then, I set my jill down to it. She sniffed. Stiffened. Tail flared up like a bottle brush and off she tried to f*ck! Of course, knowing no better, I simply poked her down it. Only, as fast as I'm shoving her bum in, so her bloody head's twisting round and coming out again! Talk about a marshmallow in a piggy bank!

 

I've always been a determined little shit. I probably tried for a good ten minutes or more to force that poor creature into that damn hole. No way on this earth was she having it though. Such determination not to go down there finally won my respect for her and I instead sat back to contemplate the situation.

 

Stoat was the best I could come up with. Of course, I wasn't to know ~ at that time ~ that we also had feral mink in that precise area.

 

Lloyd; I shouldn't bother with jamming ferret or Fenn down that hole, mate. But how about ye try setting a cage close by? Something meaty and bloody for the bait. Almost bound to come up with something. Then ye can tell us all about it and crack the case

[Guest The Big Fish]

dont force the ferret down the hole there could be a wesel or something it doesnt like down there ...

this was a tip given to me be the big fish

 

Weasels will make good thier escape fairly rapidly, so will stoats, bolted a few stoats in the past and in general ferrets and stoats wont fight each other, its pretty much a stand off with lots of hissing and spitting going on.

 

But Mink? never come across any of those, but i supsect that it would be a different story.

 

Rats maybe? a fair few auld rattys live along the river banks along with the water voles.

[richie 1]

i came across that a while ago when none of my ferrets would go down a certain hole... so i stuck my hand deep inside to see what the score was out of curiosity and my whole hand was submerged in water, no wonder they didnt want to enter..

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

i came across that a while ago when none of my ferrets would go down a certain hole... so i stuck my hand deep inside to see what the score was out of curiosity and my whole hand was submerged in water, no wonder they didnt want to enter..

 

Feck me richie sooner you sticking your arm down a hole then me.What if a rat or mink was down there?.I am not keen of putting me hand down when digging to ferrets,thats why i take my dad .

[Guest JDF]

encountered some thing similar once when the ferret wouldn't enter,pissed about rubbing herself round the mouth of the hole,the hole had been marked so it was blocked and a terrier fetched,nice handy dig to a fox.

[gnipper 6,755]

Did the tube go further than ferret length? Is the ferret any good? Sometimes ye get a ferret that knows when a holes empty so won't bother going down it?

I've had it in the past when the ferrets only gone in so far and its tail was all fluffed up so we let the dogs have a dig (this was 8 years ago when my terrier was a pup) and it turned out to be a rabbit that was side on and wedged tight in the tube that the ferret couldn't shift.

[Guest SJM]

Sounds like a simple bit of advice but youd be amazed how many folks dont think to do this, if you are going to stick yer hand down into the great unknown - make it into a fist first rather than sticking yer hand down with the fingers pointing out, that way if there is anything with teeth in residence you will be less likely to be bitten, and a bite on the knuckles is always less painful than one on the end of your pinkies

[gnipper 6,755]

Or find a stick or dog. A length of bramble works to see what fur is down there too. I really don't like sticking my hand down holes and most of the time i have a glove with me, useful for nettles, brambles, rats and pissed off ferrets.

[alimac 882]

encountered some thing similar once when the ferret wouldn't enter,pissed about rubbing herself round the mouth of the hole,the hole had been marked so it was blocked and a terrier fetched,nice handy dig to a fox.

 

me and a mate were ferreting a big holed sett, we had bolted and shot 2 rabbits, then nothing seen or heard for 5 or so minutes, then out it came , a feckin fox, we were that suprised.. we both missed it if i didnt see it i wouldnt belive it...

[Guest little_lloyd]

Theres hardy any water in this ditch . Ill try get some pics up tommorow. I didnt force her down just poped her back in the box and unetted I am 100% this is a hole as a stick goes right down! Nar way i putting my hand down richie you madhatter

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

One time, Seriously against my own better judgement, I shoved my hand into a simply fasinating looking hole in a belt of pine woodland.

 

I felt a burning stab and had a tourniquet round my arm before ye could say; " Lookslikeajunkie! " ! Lot of Adders in that area.

 

It took about fifteen minutes before I calmed down enough to realise I probably wasn't going to die.

 

F*cking Wasps Nest in there!

 

 

Quite frankly, I can't imagine what Anyone shoving their hand in a potential wild animals hole even Thinks they're playing at. Most things out there will bite - and bite like hell at that. What ye think ye going to do? Pull out a rat or stoat or something, like old matey b*llocks who bought it from that sting ray?

 

Senseless.

[blackdug 90]

a lot of females have there young down one holers then when they are mobile enough they join the bigger sets nearby,never been a fan of one holers, to many lie ups in the past so tend to just leave them now!!!