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RED DEER STALKING
Scotland's Red deer stag stalking is usually conducted on open hill ground, usually above 1500 feet but often higher, in the months of July to October; hinds are shot in the winter months when the days are short and the weather a serious hindrance. Both require full commitment and stamina in the climb to the herd areas, the selection, while spying, of a suitable beast, and the subsequent extended concealed stalk with the final approach on elbows and knees.
Scotland's Red deer herd is estimated to be about 300,000 and its management is in the hands of individual estate owners who are formed into Deer Management Groups which, in turn, are guided by the Deer Commission in Inverness. The annual cull of stags and hinds is aimed to keep the national herd in balance and within its winter feed capability but there is some pressure from conservationists to reduce the herd.
Inevitably there are some effects on vegetation from the browsing of red deer which alter habitats: as Scotland has always boasted a strong red deer population, these changes have happened over a long period and produced a traditional deer forest which is not a forest at all but well grazed hill.
Although Scottish hill stags are not heavy, trophy beasts are common and heads are some of the most attractive in the world. However, it is not in the trophy that the memory of Scottish hill stalking stays in the mind: it is the wilderness environment in which it takes place with its stunning vistas of mountain and loch. It is the proof of fieldcraft which allows a close approach to a selected beast which gives satisfaction and the marksmanship which ensures a clean kill.
These are the things which make hill stalking special.
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