Guest vin Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 couple of weeks ago I was out on some of my permission with my mate Tomo and a couple of lads with the shotguns etc etc. We were ferreting the large hedgerows on an estate when all of a sudden like "Mr Ben" out of nowhere arrived a little Jack russel that had wandered off from one of the farms about half a mile away. The little thing seemed ok with our dogs and quite a friendly little thing...Until ! it heard a rabbit squeeling just below ground ! as the rabbit was being pulled out of the hole with the ferret still attached the little b*****d dived in and grabbed the ferret and crunched it and shook it like a rat.. I was diving through the air in a downward flying punch motion at the same time..the dog dropped ferret and was escorted back to the farm very quickly.. To say I was pissed off wouldnt quite be the words ! it was my best Jill, 6years old and the best grafter I owned. . she was a gift a couple of years ago from a good friend who packed up..and he was just as upset as me when i told him. We had plans to mate her next year with a great hob and was looking forward to the future lines. Some will say its only a ferret.. But Im sure theres a few who will also know how hard it is to get one of them special workers..She was the team leader 1st in last out etc etc..perfect manners and a very very efficiant killer. I can honestly say it upset me more than anything has in years..we thought she might be ok at 1st she seemed badly shaken but she was trying to get about..So i took her home and watched her slip away in my lap a while later..she was just smashed up inside obviously..all the time she must have been in absolute agony she never bit me or tried to get away from me she just laid there enjoying her chin beeing tickled and her ears stroked.. .it broke my heart I can tell you all ! still does ! Then last week I was up on the Dales ferreting and bolting for the dogs etc etc.. I was having a great day and the dogs were doing absolutely great.on our way back down the hills the dogs marked up a bunny in a warren on a banking..So I dropped my remaining working jill in the hole and stood back..1 was out in a few seconds which the dog caught. and the ferret went back in..she was a while so I got the disco stick out and got a mark of 6ft..as i started to find a spot to start digging i noticed the warren had previously been dug and some of it was not covered up again and other bits were ok..anyway long story short..I felt a slight movement below ground and the ferret seemd to move position to a better mark of 4ft.. I started digging and had a bit of a drag with a few big slabs etc etc...by the time i got down to my little jill she was Dead (suffocated) it seemed like the rabbit had flipped over and blocked ended the ferret and then with the obvious movement underground previously it had blocked them both in tight.. I tried Reviving her with mouth to mouth and rubbing her lungs trying to get her to come around... Obviously I was too late for her.. to say gutted is not the word. Lesson to be learned from this are so simple it makes me wanna pack in... Do not ever trust any dog that is not your own for even 1`second ! Dig faster and like your life depends upon it ! So I now find myself in the middle of a very busy season with loads of permission and too many rabbits to remove and not 1 decent ferret to work..all I have is kits from this year that have done very very little. . Im sure one or 2 of them will come good after a couple of seasons graft and experience..But they have no team leader or guidence from an older experienced fert... i was at the point of taking the kits and dropping them in after the good old jills were entered.. and to be honest they were looking like babies still...just messing about and hole popping,Not going down and actively searching for bunnies.. This leaves me in state of dread at how things are going to pan out for the rest of this season..I have been on the phone to mates local and none of them have even bred kits this year..never mind having an actual working fert spare for me. And to top it off ..the micro kit i aquired earlier this year is now as big as Tomo ! So if anyone hears about anyone packing up the game and they have a spare old warrior that needs a place to live,Please let me know. ( must admit after reading back this lot.. I wouldnt give me a ferret..ffsake.. lol ) Quote Link to post
Outlaw Pete 2,224 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 ( must admit after reading back this lot.. I wouldnt give me a ferret..ffsake.. lol ) I think you've been hard enough on yeself already, Vin. Shit happens, mate. Chin up! 2 Quote Link to post
Bosun11 537 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Damn shame that Vin. Good ferrets, to those that rely on 'em so much, are worth their weight in gold. I wouldn't worry about that micro ferret, give it to Tomo to work and it'll always look micro..! Onwards and upwards eh, life's too short an all that... Quote Link to post
foxtails 272 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 absolutly gutted for you mate, you sound heart broken, id say just chin up, and keep looking for another worker Quote Link to post
micky 3,325 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 get them young uns in mate ,I had a bit of bad luck with ferrets a couple of years ago so I had too start again with three kits , from day one they worked hard ,show em the rabbits and most will work. 3 Quote Link to post
ferretman89 68 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Where abouts you located mate will ask around Quote Link to post
.WARREN. 288 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 some in for sale section atb Quote Link to post
skycat 6,172 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 What a damned shame: I have felt just as bad if I've lost a ferret before its time. They work so hard, demand nothing, and truly become part of a great team: some of them at any rate. Hope you're sorted soon. 3 Quote Link to post
Guest vin Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 thanks everyone for the kind words...and thanks for all the PMs and offers ...There truly is some good genuine people out there willing to offer help to strangers in this great sport we all love so much. Hopefully I've got it sorted...I'm visiting an old mate in Barnsley tommorow. . . Fingers crossed. Now I've started this thread I will update my progress as the season goes on. atb vin Quote Link to post
jack68 628 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Sounds like some proper bad luck you have had there vin, hope it all changes for the better soon and you get sorted...atb Quote Link to post
crazy ferreter 14 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Same thing happened to my hob the other day but I was lucky enough to get the ferret out of the dog mouth before he got the crunch Quote Link to post
Davesdad 10 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Sorry to hear about your 2 ferrets, gutting when you loose good workers that have seen you through difficult times. Hope you get fixed up with agood worker. Quote Link to post
saluki bulls 118 Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) Shame about what has happened. Atb in your search for a good worker... Edited December 10, 2013 by saluki bulls Quote Link to post
Guest vin Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 I've hopefully sorted my little problem for a while.. I visited a mate today who had a few spares and was finding it hard to get enough graft for all of them ..so he was happy to send one to a working home. hopefully with a bit of time I might get the rest of my kits working also. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to post
ben10 14 Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 That good news Vin, im glad you can still enjoy the season Quote Link to post
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