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Simon Whitehead

A Suffolk-based professional ferreter and rabbit controller, author and Shooting Times contributor, Simon is known widely as The Ferret Man and acknowledged as the last full-time warrener operating in Britain. Born in Middlesbrough in 1968, he moved with his parents to Suffolk in 1984 after the collapse of Cleveland’s steel industry, and turned a boyhood fascination into a business in 2001, demonstrating ferreting at country shows nationwide through the summer and controlling rabbits in rural and urban East Anglia through the winter. Simon has become ferreting’s premier demonstrator in the UK, sits on the Shooting Times expert panel and writes regularly for the magazine. He is the author of four books, including Ferreting: An Essential Guide, published by Crowood, and Ahead of the Game, celebrating wild rabbit as food, and has appeared in television programmes on rabbit management.

33 articles

Latest articles by Simon Whitehead

Ferreting
What are the benefits of ferreting with hawks?
11 January 2023
Ferreting
5 ways of ferreting
6 December 2017
Ferreting
Buying your first ferret
8 June 2016
Ferreting
Ferreting in Suffolk: The return of the Jolly boys
Simon Whitehead plays host to old friends on a fruitful two-day ferreting jaunt amid the deep, sandy warrens of Suffolk
22 January 2014
Ferreting
Ferret thefts on the rise
Owners are forced to go to extreme measures to protect their ferrets from being stolen
13 January 2014
Ferreting
Ferreting in the Yorkshire Dales part 2
Simon Whitehead travels to North Yorkshire, where he takes a young teenager out on his first day’s ferreting
6 December 2013
Ferreting
Should I get my ferrets chipped and tattooed?
Their ears aren't really big enough to tattoo but a good working ferret is an asset and you should get yours chipped if you value it
26 November 2013
Ferreting
Can I feed my ferrets too much fish?
Ferrets like fish, it makes their coats looks great and it's safe to feed them fish every other day
20 November 2013
Ferreting
Sporting Answers: Locating a lost ferret
Q) I have just started ferreting with some new friends and we tend to spend long periods waiting for our ferrets to return. None of us has a ferret finder and we…
20 October 2013
Ferreting
Does handling ferrets regularly make them less likely to work?
One reader asks if a warning that regular handling will stop a ferret from working is correct
20 October 2013