What’s the minimum number of ferrets for a day’s shooting?

Ferrets
EDWARD COOK says: It’s hard for me to say, but no less than two. If there’s only a handful of rabbits and a few burrows on the farm then that will be enough to do the job.

However, if you suspect you may be bolting 20 or more a day then maybe four would be better. When bolting and shooting rabbits a lot of ferreters seem to forget a rabbit can hole hop a fair amount, something that can’t happen if you put purse nets on each hole. Depending on the terrain and situation of the burrow ‘hole hoppers’ can be hard work for a ferret.


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About the author

Edward Cook

A professional rabbit catcher and ferreting expert, he served for many years on the Shooting Times question-and-answer panels, answering readers on ferret feeding, welfare and working, and wrote features on rabbit control, including shooting alongside the combine harvester.

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