Mk3m failed!

[Jax13 251]

Quick vid from this week's outing. 

 

I was unsure whether or not to bother editing and posting this one for a few reasons (as you will see if you watch it) 

 

Not my best work in the field and definetely not a benchmark for the quality of footage I am hoping to be putting up over the rest of the season but if it helps one person (or gives a couple of people a laugh at my expense) then it will be worth it! 

 

 

[Bobtheferret 1,270]

Fair play to you for putting the footage out even if things didn’t go to plan, it doesn’t all time! That’s why it’s called hunting not catching! Still a nice bit of footage. 

Are you generally struggling for rabbits a bit around you? I was out most of Saturday for 3 but big warrens that a few years ago would have had dozens in...makes it hard going when the holes are still there in numbers but the rabbits aren’t! 

Keep putting the footage up it’s alway good to see. 

[fred90 3,337]

40 minutes ago, Bobtheferret said:

Fair play to you for putting the footage out even if things didn’t go to plan, it doesn’t all time! That’s why it’s called hunting not catching! Still a nice bit of footage. 

Are you generally struggling for rabbits a bit around you? I was out most of Saturday for 3 but big warrens that a few years ago would have had dozens in...makes it hard going when the holes are still there in numbers but the rabbits aren’t! 

Keep putting the footage up it’s alway good to see. 

i think a big percentage of us are struggling for rabbits. been bad here for a few years then heard this morning someone killed 1 with myxy.just got battle on.

[Jax13 251]

I don't really know what's going on with this particular permission to be honest. 

 

There is a lot of fresh digging, a lot of fresh poo and going over the perm at night and looking under nv the areas I've worked so far have had anything up to 8 or 9 bunnies lurking close by a week or two before I've done them. 

On this farm there is a railway track running through the middle of it, a shoot at one side and the motorway along one edge. 

 

I'm wondering if the bunnies are using the hedgerow warrens as bolt holes more than dwellings and migrating back across to the railway embankment for safe cover as it's waist high in brambles. 

 

Things may change when it drops a bit colder and the cover dies back but it certainly hasn't been a promising start to the season with regards to numbers. 

 

I know this permission got hit hard with myxi in June / July so that would account for some loss of life but I'm wondering if the prolonged hot spell took a percentage of kits in the nest through dehydration / overheating. 

[Lee farrington 211]

Fair play to you for still sharing, as said above it's not look very good so far. My last outing resulted in an injured ferret and nothing else. 

Going to go on a new permission this weekend, be for a walk round and there is quite a few there, so fingers crossed. Good luck for the rest of the season 

[Bobtheferret 1,270]

I think rabbits do definitely sometimes use holes at night and then go back to different warrens once they have finished feeding for the night. As Fred said above I think in general most of us are struggling for numbers a bit at the moment, let’s just keep fingers crossed rabbits do what the do best and numbers soon pick up but I fear it may take a few more years of scratching around. 

[ferretracer 24]

Good video and looked a great day for despite some hiccups. Did the ferret come out in the end

[Jax13 251]

3 hours ago, ferretracer said:

Good video and looked a great day for despite some hiccups. Did the ferret come out in the end

3 hours ish. 

 

Me and the dog were sat against a tree bored to tears waiting on her and the little sod just comes sauntering along the top of the bank with a 'what are you two lazy b*****ds doing?' sort of look on her face! 

[Guest vin]

She's a nice looking dog mate.

I would have put the spade in and dropped the rest of the ferrets in when I got bored of waiting after 10 mins...Got myself a mark from one of the other ferrets and started hacking my way down those roots...lol.

If it was any deeper than a few feet and hard going I would have popped the guts on the last caught rabbit over the closest hole to where it was and coaxed it out for a quick sniff at the irresistible odour of fresh bunny guts. . . even when they're scratching away at a balled up bunny in a stop end etc, they can't resist it. you just have to be quick at grabbing them before they spin back down to the live prey..lol It doesn't work every time but beats a 3-hour stand off...heheeee.

Hats off to you for doing all that work on your own. It looks a 2 man job.

 

[Guest vin]

I'll also bet you a tenner that the collar is working fine with a little tap on a hard surface ?

[Jax13 251]

2 hours ago, vin said:

I'll also bet you a tenner that the collar is working fine with a little tap on a hard surface ?

It's still sitting on the kitchen windowsill. 

 

Im giving it a good hard scowl everytime I walk past it! 

[beany01 223]

take the batteries out, give then insides and batteries a wipe  with a tissue. it takes very little dust to stop them from working