i dont think ramsey would put it on there but i know it was poor but the best one i could find to show people on here i watched over 30 clips and most are cruel and dont show this sport as a good thing as for the idea of making a nat geo type film im far from a pro my ferrets are only in their first year and so is my hawk i have been tought by some of the best falconers and ferreters in the uk but im far from able to guild anyone just yet but if i can ill do you a clip of ferret working rabbit bolting and hawk chasing and hopefully getting a rabbit

they see it as a game its all fun when we start them working they not sure about the dark holes but as we feed them on rabbits from a young age if you find a hole that rabbits are using with a fresh sent they will follow it but its making them play to come out and not grabbing at them or they become hole shy and you can loose one but i always give mine a day old chick after so they really look forward to coming out and playing i roll them around on the floor and tickle there belly
as for the rabbit screaming that is just fear and being handled wrong i was shown how to be around the holes and not make a sound as a scream from a rabbit will keep the rest down the holes

went out with my mates today 6 ferrets and all the nets on to a new farm i've just the hunting rights to so 6 hours we was there found it hard to find the rabbits as most of the holes are flooded but then we found them my jill (daisy) bolted 4 then my mates hob killed down the hole so he got his spade out lol then after he had to dig 4 others (ferrets on kills) of his out my jill bolted 6 more just goes to show how if you train them the right way they will bolt rabbits but try and hunt them when hungry or just dont put the time in then you better have a spade at hand all in all we got 27 rabbits today and have a very happy farmer

Keith,
In all this discussion, I don't think I've seen anything explaining WHO does the actual killing? You don't use guns, so is it the dog, hawk, ferret, or you who kills the most?

Gary

the right way to do things is that if cassy(hawk) gets a rabbit then i dispatch it and she then steps off ready for the next one if the ferrets bolt rabbits into nets then again i dispatch them and replace the nets if the ferrets get hold of one down the holes then normaly by the time i've dug them out the ferret has already killed it my dog dont get the chance to do anything as she's just there to tell me if rabbits are down the holes by finding a fresh sent and by finding hares and other game above ground to so all in all i disptch 99% of anything caught its quicker that way done in seconds i dont use guns as accidents can happen and i have enough to worry about without the worry of how colse behind the rabbit is the ferret and do i pull the trigger and you have to do all that in a split second

Keith, I am amazed to see how well your ferrets look. I have seen ferreting ferrets looking really bad, puppies that
were put in cages with no place to hide and nothing but bare cages with those wire bottoms where they hurt their
feet on. A friend of mine got an entire nest more than once coming from ferreting people and they looked awful.

So, I would like to compliment you on your healthy, happy looking ferrets and wish more people would treat
them this way. Your hawk is absolutely stunning!

That sounds like a realistic and responsible way to go about it. Rabbits are intended to be preyed upon - that's why they are so prolific. That's why their eyes look sideways, whereas with predators, they look straight forward. Rabbits are like roaches: it's just about impossible to eradicate them completely.

Gary

why thank you the way i see it is they work for me and if i didnt look after them they wont work as well as they do i was told years ago a good working ferret is worth its weight in gold and its true so by looking after them means they look after me by not holding up down the holes means i dont have to dig them out and they are fit due to working and having a big run and fresh meat helps keep them keen to work and playfull to perfect pet/work party

your right there and if they are being chased by a ferret they're not looking for nets or hawks the just run makes my work easier
as for eradicate them that will never happen a group of us went out a few weeks ago with 8 ferrets and 200 nets we was out for 6 hours and got 149 rabbits we thought we'd cleared about 80-90% off this feild so i went back with the lamp after dark and there was just about the same amount left

Yep! You said it! You take good care of them and they will good work for you plus they are very fit.
One of the people from the shelter treats them the same way and his ferrets are absolutely healthy and happy.
One of them is part ferret and part polecat and he is so sweet.. but not to rabbits

They are called "frunzing" fret/bunzing here...

I love rabbits but I also know that there are a LOT of them and they are screwing up land like rats are screwing
up our streets.

Keep up the good work