The sport is said to involve very little "native skill", simply an ability to "have your tool bitten and not care". Competitors can attempt, from outside their trousers, to dislodge the ferrets, but as the animals can maintain a strong hold for long periods, their removal can be difficult.
World record holder for a while was retired miner Reg Mellor from Barnsley with the slightly unbelievable time of 5hours 26mins, set at the Annual Pennine Show in Holmforth, Yorks in 1981.
Mellor, who had hunted with ferrets in the dales outside Barnsley for many years, had grown accustomed to keeping them in his trousers to keep them warm and dry when out working in the rain. His "trick" was to ensure that the ferrets were well-fed before they were inserted into his trousers.
In 1986, Mellor attempted to break his own record before a crowd of 2,500 spectators, intending to beat the "magic six-hour mark—the four-minute mile of ferret legging". After five hours, most of the attendees had become bored and left; workmen arrived to dismantle the stage, despite Mellor's protests that he was on his way to a new record. According to Adrian Tame of the Sunday Herald Sun, Mellor retired after that experience, "disillusioned and broken-hearted," but with his dignity and manhood intact.
Frank Bartlett, a retired headmaster, and Christine Farnsworth, subsequently broke Mellor's record in 2010. The pair managed five hours and thirty minutes, raising £1,000 for the Whittington Community First Responders.