I would like to congratulate Valerie on her obviously well researched
post on warrening.  However, if I might comment on a few of her points:
 
Muzzles
It is true that these pieces of equipment are still available but
how long one would stay on a ferret working underground is open to
conjecture.  In the bad old days some warreners adopted the decidedly
cruel practice of sewing their ferrets mouths closed.  Nowadays, no
self-respecting ferreter would dream of muzzling their ferrets by any
means.
 
>Sometimes the ferret stops for a snack of baby rabbit or decides to take
>a nap.
 
You stated that the farmers don't want the rabbits wiped out totally.  It
is exactly for that reason that ferretting is usually carried out during
the winter months when there are no baby rabbits around.
 
If a ferret catches a rabbit and is hungry, then of course it will feed
and, having fed, is likely to take a nap as you said.  This of course
makes it obvious that it is bad practice to work a hungry ferret.
 
>I guess in the past the ferrets were conditioned to come to a whistle or
>thump on the ground.  Or, the warrener just waited until it came out.
 
I cannot comment on the idea of whistling or thumping the ground apart
from saying that any noises are likely to stop rabbits bolting from their
burrows even with a ferret chasing them.
 
One method of moving ferrets who were lying up was the use of a "liner".
This quite simply was a hob ferret with a line attached.  The hob was
entered into the burrow and it would then find the other ferret and chase
it out.  I believe also that there were knots at regular intervals along
the line so that if the liner ferret got stuck, the ferreter would know
by counting the knots where he should dig to rescue his ferret.
 
George
[Posted in FML issue 4029]