Simon Whitehead

Simon Whitehead

Simon is a rabbit controller, writer, author, filmmaker and a consultant on all subjects rabbity. A raconteur of some repute, Simon’s work educates the wider world to his traditional craft that has survived the growth in technology. His works and influences can be seen, heard, read about or witnessed across not only the UK but the world.

Follow Simon Whitehead

night vision versus the lamp

With nightvision shooting equipment becoming ever more popular, Ian Valentine asks the experts to weigh the latest green-tinted scopes against more traditional plug-in lamps

shooting behind combine harvester

A: I love shooting behind the combine. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity this year, but after practising this discipline for a number of years, I have picked up a tip or two along the…

Breeding ferrets

Over the years I have ferreted more than a few times, so I would like to think that I know what makes a good working ferret. At this time of…

cage traps

A reader asked a question regarding rabbit traps: I have been given some cage traps by a farmer friend, but the only things I have caught have been birds and hedgehogs…

hob ferret

Q: I am getting my first ferret. My parents are a bit apprehensive but I have managed to convince them that it is a good idea. I am unsure whether to get…

Retiring lurcher from ferreting

It is at this time of year when I scrutinise the strengths and weaknesses of my ferrets and ask myself questions such as which hob do i breed from to improve…

Ferreting teamwork

At the heart of ferreting is the relationship between the ferreter, his dogs and his ferrets, and the effort that each puts in. When I met Ryan, a young ferreter from Batley…

Industrial Ferreting on an ancient hedgerow

The Jolly boys tackled a hedgerow planted in the 1800s, which was housing rabbits doing a lot of damage – this was industrial ferreting. Knowing your quarry’s behaviour always brings…

Harvest shooting

At the start of the harvest I didn’t have to worry about ground compaction, crop damage or sinking into bog holes, so I drove around the stubble in my Steed.…

American signal crayfish

The American signal crayfish has laid waste to the UK’s waterways since its introduction in the 1970s when it was farmed for restaurants. Like the mink, they escaped and found…

bolting bunnies

Why do bolting rabbits appear to possess a mysterious ability to unnerve the safest and most experienced of Guns? Is it because you get no warning of whether it will…

Pest Control with Steve Caple: Trapping

Traditional skills of trapping and snaring go unnoticed by most people, but they are in great demand in the modern-day pest control. The trap has become the bread and butter,…

Ferreting in the dales

Each year, around the time of the clock change, I find myself, like a moth to the flame, making a pilgrimage, subliminally drawn to the ferreting on those Yorkshire hills…

Catching and cooking rabbits, the ferreting way

On this particular morning ferreting, the mist obscured the stunning countryside. The sodden ground highlighted the freshness of the morning as I started to lay my nets. Soon every long-net…