Hi ferret folk,
 
I sent this message the person who responded to my post about hunting with
ferrets.  I thought I might as well post this too, as it might clarify the
situation a bit.
 
By the way, the person I sent this to was kind enough to respond.  He said
that he expected a "flame-o-gram" from me, but was pleasantly surprised to
receive a simple, polite clarification of my views.  Certainly a good way to
avoid starting those nasty flame-wars we've been hearing about.
 
Heather
 
>>Though they may retain the instinct to hunt, and though their wild cousins
>>may hunt to survive, flushing out rabbits and attempting to avoid being
>>killed by birds of prey is NOT WHAT FERRETS DO.
>
>Heather, you're incorrect.  The domestic ferret is bred as a rodent (rats,
>mice, rabbits) predator and is still used for flushing rabbits from burrows
>in Scotland, Wales and England.  The ferret book I own (Ferrets and
>Ferreting) was written by a Brit in the early 1980s and details how to use
>ferrets in rabbit hunting.
 
Oh, yes, I am aware that ferrets were originally bred as hunters, and are
frequently used for that purpose today, particularly in England etc.  What I
meant by my statement was that a majority of ferrets owned in the U.S. are
pets.  They are generally not used for hunting in the states, perhaps due in
part to various laws prohibiting it.  This is not to say that these pet
ferrets don't still retain their hunting skills and instincts.  The stories
on the FML about ferrets efficiently killing rodents are a good indication
of this (fortunately, I don't have personal experience of that!).  I feel
that people have an idea that ferrets are just wild like raccoons,
squirrels, etc.  People always ask me "What do they eat in the wild?".  The
woman I spoke to seemed to view ferrets as wild animals that just sometimes
are taken as pets.  By telling her that hunting is not what ferrets do, I
meant that most of the ferrets in the U.S.  are not used for hunting, which
may come as a surprise to many people.  Most really do eat kitten food and
sleep in hammocks.  I guess it was my attempt at dispelling the "wild
weasel" myth.  As an analogy, I might say that dogs that were bred for
herding certainly retain that instinct, and are used for herding in many
cases, but most of them are just pets.
 
>The writer devotes several pages to falconry over ferrets, and suggests
>that the falcon and ferrets be well trained and introduced to each other
>lest accidents occur.  Obviously this was not the case.  Until I hear more
>details about the case, I would have to chalk it up as a tragic accident.
>If you pursue the case against the fellow with the falcon and ferret, I
>think that whatever authority you take it up with will probably consider it
>a hunting accident and not actionable.  Fish and Game departments have
>"bigger fish to fry"...
 
Actually, one of the reasons I spoke with the woman I did is that I had
called her to complain about this kid because he was trapping hawks and
keeping them.  Many were dying in his "care".  The hawk he was using was not
trained, just a wild one that didn't happen to die yet.  I wouldn't have
bothered mentioning the ferret incident, mainly because there would be no
proof and it could be construed as an accident.  But this kid has a history
of cruelty to animals.  The wildlife people are genuinely interested in
pursuing this kid on the hawk thing.  But I also believing in pursuing the
little injustices in the world (not to say that this was).
 
Thanks for the input and clarification.  I hope you see where I was coming
from.  Keep enjoying the FML!
 
-Heather
[Posted in FML issue 1459]