FINDING PERMISSION? IT’S ABOUT RESPECT

The vast majority of ferreters are starting their season. There are some of us who are fortunate enough to have land; however, spare a thought for those wanting to get into ferreting but struggling to gain a permission. It can be much harder than one imagines, and when I first moved back to North Yorkshire, I struggled.

The best plan of action is to prove that you are a reliable and trustworthy person. Show that you have put some thought into your quest and that you have some form of insurance, perhaps with the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation or similar. Dress respectfully and, if you can, carry a reference in case they ask for one.

A good place to start is the farmer or the gamekeeper. You could ask to go beating with the keeper or find out who ferrets their land, if someone does, and try to get out with them for a day or two. The irony about getting a permission is that you could do all the groundwork, cover miles in many hours and draw a blank, yet you could be talking to someone in a queue at the shops and land yourself an entire estate to ferret on. I guess it comes down to being in the right place at the right time.

When we are ferreting, we are on somebody’s property. Always remember and respect that the world is a small place. If you muck up somewhere, then you’ll probably find it follows you for a long time. Too many times I’ve heard or spoken to people who have had ferreters on in the past but are reluctant to do so again after they took liberties with their permission.

If they say “only these fields” or

“at only this time”, please respect their wishes, as you would like anybody to respect yours. We all fly the flag for ferreting.