The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
Shooting Times & Country|July 26, 2023
A couple of litters from some seasoned ferrets offer a little glimpse into the future
Simon Whitehead
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

As I sat watching my ferrets playing inside their cages, enjoying the peace and tranquillity the bars provide, a neighbour’s head peered over the garden fence. “Why ferrets, Simon?” he asked. It’s a good question and, in all honesty, I cannot give a simple answer.

It’s not that I come from a family that hunts, shoots or fishes — because I don’t. It cannot be from growing up in the countryside, because I am a city boy — although when I was a lad, I was mad about the natural world. I loved every facet of it, especially the freedom and escapism that it offered me. I had a strong interest in birds of prey but ended up with ferrets instead and the rest is history.

One reason that I enjoy working ferrets is that I am able to constantly improve my stock. This year I was keen to redress some wrongs of recent seasons. My jills have had two litters of kits this year; one had four and the other had three. They were very small litters but, thankfully, completely healthy and that is all that matters.

When I start to think ahead and plan for my next generation of ferrets, I hold an extremely hard stance on what characteristics I want to keep, work or use in demonstrations. Likewise, I know the traits that shouldn’t grace my hutches ever again. On the flip side, I have also been guilty of not breeding from ferrets when I should have, only for that misjudgement to come back to haunt me.

Make the grade 

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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 26, 2023-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

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