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Polecats


Becky
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not sure i would want a pet dog tackling one of them. the dog could lose. a jack russel may do the trick.

 

^'Fraid so. One of our substantial dogs tackled a juvenile polecat that was making it's foolish way into an outhouse right outside the house door and the bizarre conflict that followed happened so fast you couldn't follow it until a sudden lull allowed me to separate them. The pint-sized polecat was unharmed and the dog was cut to the bone from the top of her nose right down the side of her nose, completely separating her lip into two flaps. It healed well, but it was a testament to the viciousness of a polecat, even a baby one, when crossed.

 

They didn't all live happily ever after. The dog did. Say no more. :wink:

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Apparently, and I am not sure whether it is just an urban myth, our beloved Council in their infinite wisdom introduced the polecat to Shetland because of there was an abundance of bunnies on the golf-courses! If that is actually true, then thanks, guys!

 

I remember reading somewhere that the king's falconer used to visit the isles and demand eggs from every household to take back to the king. One year a particular household refused to part with their eggs, so the following year the king's falconer returned with polecats/ferrets and set them loose on the isles in an act of revenge. Again, maybe an urban myth. Anybody know?

 

if I remember correctly the book was a very thin old paperback entitled something along the lines of "Pictures from Shetland's Past". The pictures were drawings as opposed to photographs and there was also a short story about a minor earthquake/tsunami that occurred where a lot of debris and dead fish were washed up on Muckle Flugga. Unfortunately the dates escape me.

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Apparently, and I am not sure whether it is just an urban myth, our beloved Council in their infinite wisdom introduced the polecat to Shetland because of there was an abundance of bunnies on the golf-courses! If that is actually true, then thanks, guys!

 

Not sure if it was the councils idea or who's it was, but I have heard that story too. I think if I remember rightly many of them were released at the golf course at Dale and were left to bump-off the rabbits and then run wild and breed all over shetland, killing everybodies poultry and pets.

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I also remember there being some sort of biological study being done by somebody, whereby if you caught and killed them in a certain way, froze them and brought them to whoever it was doing the study they would give you some money for them. Think it had something to do with the scientists wanting to learn more about there eating habits as if we don't already know!

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You've reached a new low - even for yourself styles. I'm not going to moderate that just so others can view it and remember it as they read anything else you might choose to write on Shetlink!

 

At this juncture I would ask others not to get sucked into replying to styles or this part of the thread as it is nothing other than trolling!

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  • 2 months later...

polecats tend to become a problem when the evenings start to become darker and this years young polecats start looking for territory. Hens must be shut in as soon as it is dark. All holes in your hen house must be blocked up however small, adequate perches help protect adults as polecats don't really climb.

I bait traps with a bird that they have killed, kippers, or peanut butter ( I jest not, peanut butter is very succesful) . Put your trap inside a black bag or feed sack. Also please check at least daily as the trap will also catch hedgehogs , cats and other hens. If you catch a polecat remember the rest of his family might still be around. Methods of killing include drowning, gassing (car exhaust) and shooting with an air rifle/pistol. Do not attempt to handle , they are vicious!

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  • 3 months later...

If the SIC can afford to waste money on rediculous prodjects like unneeded million pound roundabouts surely it can afford to pay one or to skilled trappers to irradicate them before shetlands bird population is completely wiped out. Years ago while camping i witnessed a polecat make several trips into a nesting tirrick collony stealing eggs. No wonder they're struggling

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