Scotland Trip - long story and Pic heavy

tfox

Hi guys was over in Scotland for the last week on a stalking trip with my cousin.

We took the ferry from Larne on saturday evening and headed straight for Castle Douglas to Tony Halpin of Corbieton Enterprises. After a quick cup of tea we were off to bed with instructions to be in the kitchen at 5.15am.

UP we got the next morning and after loading our gear in his jeep we headed off for one of his stalking grounds (the guy has 18,000 acres of stalking). We drove up a gravel road, past a foresters house and a pen od 20 reds with 2 fine stags, after watching them for few minutes Tony gave me directions where I was to head for and what time to radio in at, and off he went with my cousin to another spot.

It was very frosty and I slowly walked up forestry road, glassing small valley on my right with burn flowing through it, when I suddenly saw a backside through the bottom of some larch trees bout 50 yds away. I quickly got my rifle up on the sticks and wathed it through the scope hoping it was a doe. eventually it lifted its head and it was a doe, but it was behind a tree, after what seemed like an age she eventually stepped fto one side and dropped to a neck shot



My first roe and I'd only bn in the wood 5 mins !

After a gralloch I made my way on up various tracks to an opening with a large shooting tower. I looked up to the top of the hill and above the treeline I saw a group of 2 red hinds and calves bout 600 yds up grazing away. I stalked up the edge of the wood and sneaked through the top corner to where I thought they were but unfortunately I misjudged it and they were much closer and saw me and off they want !!

I heade back the way I came, along another track and headed up the hill to have a view across the forestry when I spotted another roe grazing. Back down I went, along a forestry ditch in the woods and came out on the opposite side of a big clearing with a burn flowing down the middle. I set up the bipod, aimed 2 inches high and second doe dropped at 198yds. I stayed wathing her for few minutes to see wether her fawn wud show again but didnt. I was about head across when I spotted another doe, totally oblivious to the shot, grazing further down the valley. After changing my position slightly 3rd doe was in the bag at 205 yds





Back to the house for lovely big fry-up and plan evening. We were both placed in high seats but unfortunately all I saw was 2 hinds on the far side bout mile away, little out of my range !!

Next morning we had to head to the same spot again as dumbo here had dropped his phone so spent most of the morning retracing my steps and ringing it, eventually found it where I'd shot the second doe. I then tried stalk up to the same group of red hinds but unfortunately and bigger group came across the hill being pushed along by a big stag and they all took off. Bumped into a roe on way down, up with sticks, CLICK, off she goes !!! f*** I hadnt chambered a round !!!!

After another big fry we gathered our gear and hit the road for 6hr drive to my Aunt up in Sutherland.

The next morning we were stalking in a place called Erchless Estate, in Beauly near Inverness. We met the stalker and hopped in his landrover for an hour long drive down a very rough and bumpy road through the open hill, we spotted reds everywhere but unfortunately we were crossing his neighbours ground so they were all off limits !! We then hopped in an argo and headed on for another half hour before pulling in to the side of the road. There was a large group of bout 50 deer on the hill above us, we headed up a gully and tried to plan our route when we spied a lone hind on her own, lying down. No matter which way we tried to approach her she had a view of us. After what seemed like an hour of bellycrawling, retreating, trying another way, eventually my cousin had a neck shot at 130 yds, his first highland hind in the bag.







After gralloch we had our lunch and planned our next stalk as the large group hadnt moved off too far. After dropping down to skirt round the hilla bit we headed up another gully to get a good view of the last of the group. The stalker picked out a very light coloured old hind and toloe me shoot her as soon as she offered a good shot. after what seemed like an age she turned on sideways for perfect broadside shot, i gave her bit of height as she was pushing 250 and she took one step then dropped to the ground !!



After gralloch and ritual blooding as it was my first scottish hind, we dragged my hind down to the road while the stalker went off drag the other one down the the argo. When we hit the road we galssed the far side of the glen while waiting for the argo, we counted over 75 deer !! A thoroughly enjoyable day out. Got very close to some stags on way back.








Next day we were heading to Tressady estate next to my Aunts house, my Uncle used to be keeper there for a long time and I have shot snipe and woodcock there before. We were dropped off with a young underkeeper the far side of the beat and made our way out across the hill at a brisk pace. We saw a lot of animals, my cousin stalked into a group of hinds but was unfortunately winded by another group they didnt see, and they all scarpered !! We had our piece by a small abandoned croft and headed down the valley floor where the stalker was sure we would find animals lying up in the sun !!

We spotted a large herd bout a mile away and after a very long stalk getting very wet in a burn and bellying along my cousin was brought into position and got his second hind of the trip. The head stalker was making his way to us in the argo when he stopped and shouted at his that there was a hind lying in the heather, totally unphased by the argo and the shouting. I hopped over the fence and up to the argo and here was a hind lying down bout 80yds away, downwind of me. I took a neck shot off the bi-pod but I clearly missed as she lifted her head and then took off at high speed with her front right leg definitely broken. We followed her up the hill to see her disappear over the next brow. We were both sure I had a clean miss, the stalker reckons one of the crofters had taken a crack at her and broken her leg, was still raging I missed though. I thought about y i'd missed and I'd taken the neoprene cover off my mod so it wud fit in the slip easier and my only reckoning was the difference in the weight on the barrel had affected the POI. When we'd taken a couple of shots at the target before we set out the underkeeper said I was a shade high. When I got back to my aunts I set a target and I was a good 2.5" high at 100, si I dialled it back down to my usual 1" high.

Next day we were back at Erchless again a bit of ground nearer the castle this time. we headed off in the argo up the forest when we bumped into a group of 3 hinds and calves, unfortunatley they didnt hang around long enough. We headed off up the hill seeing a huge amount of stags, easily over 100. The wind was very changeable so we had to head straight up the hill and go round the back to come over above the hinds that we could see bout 2 miles away. We has our lunch in the remains of an old bothy on the very top of the hill, this was where the stalker used to meet guests over 100 yrs ago. We headed down the hill and spotted a small group lying up in the heather. After a long belly, crawl, slide and slip I was brought up into position bout 150 yds from the one. I was told to shoot the one on the right as soon as she stood up and after bout 5 mins up she stood and back down she went to a Hornady 6.5 straight through the heart. It was nearly 3 at this stage so time for a long drag back to the argo.

for 5 days stalking I got 3 roe and 2 red, my cousin got 2 reds
In all thoroughly enjoyable trip, and will def do it again, funds depending of course !!

Tackleberrywho

Great story.
I'd like to go to back to Scotland. I never hunted there, just visited friends.
Lovely people, lovely scenery

Great few days shooting T!

tfox

I was born in the southwest and have been heading upto Sutherland since I was 4 so have a lot of good friends there. Lovely bunch of people

And a tip if you're planning a trip try and get a local contact as the sporting agetns charge a fortune !! Any I spoke too wanted £200-£250 + vat per rifle even if you shared the same stalker.

We got our hill stalking for £150 per day for 2 rifles, and this is the standard rate :rolleyes:

Tackleberrywho

tfox wrote: »

I was born in the southwest and have been heading upto Sutherland since I was 4 so have a lot of good friends there. Lovely bunch of people

And a tip if you're planning a trip try and get a local contact as the sporting agetns charge a fortune !! Any I spoke too wanted £200-£250 + vat per rifle even if you shared the same stalker.

We got our hill stalking for £150 per day for 2 rifles, and this is the standard rate :rolleyes:

Are you guaranteed a deer for that?
Is that £75 per person, excuse my ignorance as never paid for stalking so I don't know what way it is priced.

Or simply, 1 guy with his rifle pays X per day for X amount of days.

tfox

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Are you guaranteed a deer for that?
Is that £75 per person, excuse my ignorance as never paid for stalking so I don't know what way it is priced.

Or simply, 1 guy with his rifle pays X per day for X amount of days.

Not guaranteed as deer as after all they are wild animals, but pretty uncommon to not get one.

Basically the £150 is the stalkers fee for his days work, costs same wether he brings out one or two rifles.

Tackleberrywho

tfox wrote: »

Not guaranteed as deer as after all they are wild animals, but pretty uncommon to not get one.

Basically the £150 is the stalkers fee for his days work, costs same wether he brings out one or two rifles.

Does he Supply Vehicle and Diesel?

If so, that's not too bad I suppose for 2 Guns.
Especially if you could get Bed and Board with family or friends.

Builderfromhell

This post will do much for Scottish Tourism.
The countryside looks great.

tfox

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Does he Supply Vehicle and Diesel?

If so, that's not too bad I suppose for 2 Guns.
Especially if you could get Bed and Board with family or friends.

Basically you drive to the estate and they look after you from there be it in landrover or argo

tommyboy26

Great story and great shooting

tommyboy26

Great story and great shooting. Would love a trip like that

kildare.17hmr

great read tfox and great pics, looks class. What calibre can you shoot with there? are you allowed 223 for roe deer?

tfox

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

great read tfox and great pics, looks class. What calibre can you shoot with there? are you allowed 223 for roe deer?

For roe deer, where the bullet must weigh at least 50 grains AND have a minimum muzzle velocity of 2,450 feet per second AND a minimum muzzle energy of 1,000 foot pounds may be used.

So basically you can shoot roe with a .222/.223 if it meets this criteria.

kildare.17hmr

tfox wrote: »

For roe deer, where the bullet must weigh at least 50 grains AND have a minimum muzzle velocity of 2,450 feet per second AND a minimum muzzle energy of 1,000 foot pounds may be used.

So basically you can shoot roe with a .222/.223 if it meets this criteria.

Must look into a couple of days of that for next year if i can get someone else to tag along! looks like my kind of holiday, cant stand sitting around in the sun doing nothing for a week!

RWS

What cal. and ammo were you using

pheasntstalker

ah bonny scotland land of my forefathers:D:D fox great fotos and well done lad, i wish i could go over for day stalking:mad::mad: you lucky plucker lol:) well done fine looking deer

Mauser 308

Very well written T. Sounds like a great trip.

tfox

RWS wrote: »

What cal. and ammo were you using

Hornady 6.5x55 140 gr

tfox

Look at the picture below, who thinks I've shot a kangaroo.....?

podge.243

Thanks tfox for the great story and picture's:) sounds a good trip love to head over may start save'n

poulo6.5

picks are great. looks like a great place to stalk well done. i hope to take a trip like that some day

RWS

Good shooting. Are you still getting good results with the Norma 120g

tfox

RWS wrote: »

Good shooting. Are you still getting good results with the Norma 120g

only ever had one box of norma 120g a long time ago, very happy with them but just couldnt get them nearby and the price is quite high when the hornady do the job fine. When I was in Scoland I priced it over ther and it's £50-55 a box, so no cheaper !!!! :eek:

I can leave my rifle in with a fella in Dumfries and Galloway, he'll fine tune a load to suit my barrel then reload my brass :rolleyes:

MOSSAD

Sounds like a good business. Is there anything like it in Ireland?

garv123

sounds like a great trip tfox. Hos much would a holiday like this in scotland set someone back?

tfox

Corbieton Enterprise (roe and red) http://www.corbieton.co.uk/

2 morning + one evening stalk, 2 nights b&b inc 1 evening meal - £365



Hill stalking was £150 a day for hinds, if there's 2 of you using the same stalker fee is still £150 (£75 each) and generally tip of £20.

I was staying with my Aunt for my 3 days on the hill so no B&B costs, she cooks professionally for fishing and shooting parties so whatever inches I lost stomping round the hills, I put on with big fries and gourmet dinners

Ferry was bout €150 each, £14 each for Northern and uk visitors permit.

So in total ya can reckon bout €1000 for 4 1/2 days stalking

johnk123

tfox wrote: »

Corbieton Enterprise (roe and red) http://www.corbieton.co.uk/

2 morning + one evening stalk, 2 nights b&b inc 1 evening meal - £365



Hill stalking was £150 a day for hinds, if there's 2 of you using the same stalker fee is still £150 (£75 each) and generally tip of £20.

I was staying with my Aunt for my 3 days on the hill so no B&B costs, she cooks professionally for fishing and shooting parties so whatever inches I lost stomping round the hills, I put on with big fries and gourmet dinners

Ferry was bout €150 each, £14 each for Northern and uk visitors permit.

So in total ya can reckon bout €1000 for 4 1/2 days stalking

That actually seems quite reasonable.... Expensive but still reasonable I think. Would be a great experience, if only to do once. Great pics and a great bit of copy to accompany them. Well done Fox.