SCOTLAND: Red Stags On The West Coast

I am currently day -1 out from a week in Scotland chasing red stags. Scotland is somewhere which gets in your blood like Africa. It is a truly unique and amazing destination steeped in tradition and heritage. If you have not been stalking there or considered doing so, I urge you to consider it, especially with all the tourism add ons available.

The idea for this trip came from 3 years ago on a trip with friends stalking red deer hinds - https://www.africahunting.com/threads/scotland-stalking-red-hinds-in-the-highlands.78817/ and on that trip I swore this would not be my last trip to Scotland, and that I would return to stalk red stag.



I am now sitting here 2 days out, checking gear, nailing down the last few bits and confirming travel plans.

I will be driving up from London (where I live) and will be headed to an area in south west Scotland near Dunoon for 3 days. It’s about a 9 hour drive, so I will be heading up on Sunday and checking into my AirB&B before the 5:30am meet with my guide on Monday. Then I head to the Isle of Skye for 2 days stalking up there. A full week on the west coast stalking red stags - what more can a man dream of? Timing wise it’s the pre rut stage, I couldn’t make it work for the peak rut but I am hopefully to at least hear some roaring, even if it won’t be at its peak.

Typical for Scotland and this time of year, it’s going to be wet and so combined with lots of steep climbs and walking gear is going to be important and tested. I am a big fan of Swazi, a brand which has always served me well.

I will be taking my Heym SR20 in 7x57 and shooting S&B eXergy blue 150gr from which I get a MV of 2,450 fps. On top will be my Swarovski Z6I zero’d at 100m and ballistic turrets setup at 200m, 250m and 300m. Now this is stalking and the focus will be on getting close but if things go wrong, you need the setup to sort a situation out.

I will try and provide daily updates as I go.

Eagerly looking forward to hearing about the hunt.

I’d be curious to know more about your heym. I’d love a 275 in rigby but have considered paying much less and getting a heym obviously an sr21 and not an sr20 would be the only thing.

The SR 20 is a lot of rifle for the money

JPbowhunter said:

Eagerly looking forward to hearing about the hunt.

I’d be curious to know more about your heym. I’d love a 275 in rigby but have considered paying much less and getting a heym obviously an sr21 and not an sr20 would be the only thing.

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I honestly cannot sing the praises of the SR20 enough. It was manufactured by Heym in Gleichamberg, Germany, primarily from the late 1970s through the 1990s (until it was succeeded by the SR21 and SR30 models). I must say, having looked at the SR21 and SR30 models, the SR20 is a superior rifle in build quality.

The action is based on a Mauser action featuring 2 front locking lugs, and a 90 degree angle bolt throw - Heym produced the SR20 in distinct receiver lengths to march cartridge families. The action directly evolved from the design Heym manufactured for Mauser in the late 1960s (sold as the Mauser 2000 and 3000 series). When that manufacturing contract ended, Heym refined the action and released it under their own name as the SR20.

It has a forged steel receiver and a Krupp barrel - known for its quality and longevity. A 3 position safety, a set trigger (but I only use the standard and it’s very crisp), hinged floor plate magazine holding 4+1, and a European walnut stock featuring a check piece, palm swell on the grip and a rosewood foreend.





It is a rifle which has never let me down, I will never let go of it, and am always on the look out for in other calibres.

A little note on the ammunition. The UK, like much of Europe is moving away from lead ammunition. I do not want to get into the politics of the this but as hunters and ammo manufacturers we must adapt. I have used a few different brands but have settled on Sellior and Bellot eXergy blue 150 gr. They are a copper alloy and have a polymer tip which helps the BC (as well as being boat tailed) as well as expansion. Relief grooves reduce friction and chamber pressure which were issues with early attempts by manufacturers producing monolithic bullets.

In my rifle I get a MV of 2,450 fps


The only bullet I have ever been able to recover was on a very large fallow buck, taken quartering through the front shoulder and bullet recovered under the skin on the other side.




As you can see, it has served me well and I have shots hundreds of game with this ammo.





The area of the UK I am from (Suffolk) produces some of the largest red stags you can find, with live weights of up to 250KG. A local guide I know well uses these bullets in this calibre on red stags without complaint.

UKHunter said:

I honestly cannot sing the praises of the SR20 enough. It was manufactured by Heym in Gleichamberg, Germany, primarily from the late 1970s through the 1990s (until it was succeeded by the SR21 and SR30 models). I must say, having looked at the SR21 and SR30 models, the SR20 is a superior rifle in build quality.

The auction is based on a Mauser action featuring 2 front locking lugs, and a 90 degree angle bolt throw - Heym produced the SR20 in distinct receiver lengths to march cartridge families. The action directly evolved from the design Heym manufactured for Mauser in the late 1960s (sold as the Mauser 2000 and 3000 series). When that manufacturing contract ended, Heym refined the action and released it under their own name as the SR20.

It has a forged steel receiver and a Krupp barrel - known for its quality and longevity. A 3 position safety, a set trigger (but I only use the standard and it’s very crisp), hinged floor plate magazine holding 4+1, and a European walnut stock featuring a check piece, palm swell on the grip and a rosewood foreend.

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View attachment 793307

It is a rifle which has never let me down, I will never let go of it, and am always on the look out for in other calibres.

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You’re selling me hard on it! It’s beautiful and with open sights would be perfect for me. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one for sale in Aus - sr20 that is.

And awesome muntjac, they are high on my list along with roe. A good reason to get back to the uk someday in the near future.

The SR21 is a beautiful gun but I’m not mad on the polymer single stack mag and push feed.

The only other modern maker that grabs me with their styling are some of the Steyr models.

JPbowhunter said:

You’re selling me hard on it! It’s beautiful and with open sights would be perfect for me. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one for sale in Aus - sr20 that is.

And awesome muntjac, they are high on my list along with roe. A good reason to get back to the uk someday in the near future.

The SR21 is a beautiful gun but I’m not mad on the polymer single stack mag and push feed.

The only other modern maker that grabs me with their styling are some of the Steyr models.

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You could consider also the Schultz and Larsen

UKHunter said:

You could consider also the Schultz and Larsen

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I almost bought one once but I believe they all come threaded with no factory option for sights.

I'll agree Scotland puts a grip on a hunter like few other places do. My time on Jura was profound and the education I received regarding whiskey lifechanging.

Have a great trip; red deer stalking on the hill in Scotland is a unique experience.

8 hours and a short ferry later, I am checked into my accommodation.





Arriving late afternoon, I decided to go for a drive through the local area and see if I may spy some red deer, acclimatise and get my eyes in.

Well, two miles down the road I pull into a lay-by and start glassing the tops of the hills revealing around 28 red deer - hinds, calf’s and stags of different age groups including what look like some nice stags with black bellies - clearly the rut is not far away.

Following along!

Hope to book a scotland hunt with father and brother and been trying to find estate.

thanks for bringing us along

Day 1

I was awake before my alarm, as the excitement for the day had me stirring. Something probably only a fellow hunter can understand.

A quick coffee and a 5 minute drive down the road I met up with my hosts for 5:30am. I am to be stalking with Paul who has been guiding here for 36 years, and built like a racing snake - I just hoped I would be able to keep up on the hills.

We had a 20 minute drive to the area we would be stalking that morning which gave Paul and I a chance to get to know each other a little bit and learn more about the area.

It was about 10 degrees, drizzling and misty. We drove up through the forestry track in the dark gaining elevation until we came to point where we pulled in and unloaded. I put on my smock, bino harness, and loaded the magazine of the rifle closing the bolt with the chamber empty.

We climbed up through the forest up onto the open hill above. Paul had explained that the deer use the forestry for cover during the day and came out onto the hill to feed. The trick was to catch them in the morning before the rising sun had them heading back to the safety of the forest. It didn’t take long to spot some deer up above and around from us, so we made tracks up and at an angle to gain height and use the undulations of the hill as cover to close the distance.

As we got closer to where we thought they were Paul spotted them just ahead of us and we dropped to the ground. We were caught in an awkward situation where we couldn’t move from where we were without being seen, so we needed the deer to feed and move on a bit to allow us to get to our spot. A few minutes later I chambered a round and we crawled forward to a little ridge on the hill. I could see roughly 5 hinds and calf’s and two small ‘knobbers’ as they are referred to, with the nearest deer only 60m away. A hind suddenly looks our way intently and has seen something. These deer are jumpy and if seen, you don’t have long. Paul told me to shoot the nearest knobber. Finding him in the scope I shot centre of his chest and after a short 20m run he was down.

I reloaded and Paul said let’s keep sneaking round the hill and we might catch something on the other side. About 10 mins later Paul drops down suddenly - a reaction every hunter knows means their guide has seen something. We back tracked and cut round the hill a bit further to get a better angle and approach. Paul spies the group and says there is a mature stag I can shoot if I wish. He instructs me to crawl forward about 15m to a ridge and to take him from there. Paul hangs slightly back watching.

I try to find the stag in my scope but with the wet and drizzle it’s hard to see. I do my best to wipe the lenses and am able to locate the stag. I don’t have a bipod and didn’t bring my rucksack, so shooting prone with just my hands I tried to get stable. The stag is facing away, so I wait for him to turn. I take the chance to look at him and he is a nice stag, about 10 or so points. As he comes round broadside I put the cross hairs behind the shoulder and fire…

The shot sounds good - that whack of an animal hit in the engine room. However, the reaction was not good. He reacted like someone who has been punched in the kidneys - arching his back, running about 15m and stops. He starts to wobble on his legs and I think he is going to go down. Then he regains himself and takes off 100m to the cover of the forest. I can’t see him anymore but Paul who stayed back sees him make it to the forest and enter, running like a stag who hasn’t been hit.

Shit - a feeling most of us have felt and it’s not a good one. We go to the shot site and find no sign of blood or hair. We go to where Paul saw him enter the forest and again no blood or hair. We scour and search the forest slopes with Paul’s thermal but can find nothing. We traverse up and down, side to side looking and scanning but no sign of him. After a long time of searching we determine that he is unlikely fatally wounded and likely the shot had grazed across his back. I am dejected but draw some comfort from the fact the stag will likely recover. I keep replaying the situation in my mind and can only think that trying to shoot prone using only my hands as support, the rifle could have easily moved as I fired. My rucksack with foam roll inside will be coming with me on the next outting…

Here you can see where the shot was taken. I was on the hill in the background and the stag was at the base of the rise in on the right of the photo.


You can see here the ground he covered to make it to the woodland.


We collected the knobber and went back to the larder to process him



I dragged myself off back to my accomodation to dry off, warm up and pick myself back up, determined not to let this impact the rest of the trip. I will meet back up with Paul later this afternoon and we will head to another piece of ground to the West.

Slim01 said:

Have a great trip; red deer stalking on the hill in Scotland is a unique experience.

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Yes, midges. Midges in quantities and levels of ferocity you cannot believe until you have experienced them.

Scotland is definitely on my to do list, keep us posted on how the rest of your trip goes.

Rounding off day 1

In the evening we drove about 40 mins further west. The land here is a bit flatter and we were hunting an area with forestry, replanted forest and grass grazing land at the bottom which the deer like to come out and feed onto.

As it’s getting dark we see some deer coming out of the forest to feed and stalk our way over. It’s a mix of hinds, calf’s, a knobber and a young ‘staggie’. We got into position and waited for the knobber to turn broadside. He did and another deer into the chiller

Day 2 morning

Usual meet time of 5:30am and we were driving about 10mins north before we turned off the road onto a forestry track, stopping a short while later to scan the hills ahead with the thermal for any deer. Sure enough, about a dozen or so deer spread out across the hill in various places.

We had a steep steep (did I mention steep?) climb ahead of us and we had to circle round to get the wind right. Calf’s burning, heart racing and sweat dripping we made the ascent and started to cross hill towards where we had seen the deer. Looking up, I could see some hinds up above on the sky line. Coming round the hill we spotted a lone deer, which was a young ‘staggie’ - a stag about 3 years old. Normally these are left but he is on an area with a lot of replanted trees and deer are not welcome here. We have to back track a little and lose some elevation to get the right position for him. Paul tells me to crawl forward about 10m or so until I have a clear shooting position. I am only about 60m from the stag now and I cannot see him due to the long grass. He seems a bit unsure if he has seen something and I don’t want to risk busting the stalk by crawling further, so I opt to shoot prone but using my hands only as the rest, so I can get by front elbow to provide some extra elevation. I now just about have enough of a view to take the shot and let off a round. A solid thud, he runs about 10m and then falls over.



We carry on round the hill to see what else we might find, whilst admiring a wonderful view



We see a hind, calf and knobber down and to the right below us. The wind has changed as we have rounded the hill, so we need to gain elevation to avoid our scent blowing into them. A little bit of crawling and navigating down some steep gulleys we get into position. Here you can see where we came down



We edge forward to get into position at about 200m. The hind and calf are down below us but the knobber has disappeared into the woodland. He must have moved off while we were making our stalk round to get into position. We wait for 10 or so minutes to see if he will come back out as the hind and calf were still feeding but eventually the hind decided it was time to also retreat to the safety of the forest and that was that.

Here you can see our position we crawled into with the deer down below and the forest they retreated into.



I am now half way through the first part of my trip down in Argylle. We aren’t seeing lots of mature stags and I’m starting to wonder if I blew my only chance at one, with them being hard to find before the rut. However, we have 1.5 days here to change that before part B when I head to the Isle of Skye.

Well done rocking the Swazi. Such an outstanding, and underrated brand!

Not much to report from the evening stalk on day 2. We saw plenty of hinds and calf’s but no stags.

This morning we set off in the pouring rain and had a big climb in the dark and wet. We wanted to get up top and above the deer before light started coming on, but it was steep and a long climb. By the time we got to the stop I had a good sweat on.

Scanning around us we could see some deer but the wind wasn’t right for them so we started side hilling the other direction with the wind on an our face. Suddenly as we start cresting a ridge we see the heads of deer cresting the next ridge and we drop to the ground. Just in time - they didn’t see us. It’s a mixed group of a hind and calf’s, two staggies and a knobber. They are moving slowly up so I edge forward to a shooting position and get setup. They are about 80m across from us. The knobber is facing away, so a short break for him to turn sideways and I place the cross hair just behind the shoulder and squeeze the trigger. He drops pretty much on the spot. I reload and almost get a chance to take another but the staggies followed the hind over the ridge without stopping.

We keep side hilling to see what else we might find. Way out in front we spy some deer and confirm a hind, calf, knobber, and a mature stag….



The problem is two fold however, soon with the light coming on they will start heading back to the wood which is the opposite direction, and the second is they are 600m away and we have no cover and no real topography to work with to close the distance.

We decide to slide down the hill to try and use the clearfell below as cover to close the gap. We get to 300m without being seen, but it’s getting really exposed now. Keeping low we make our way forward, stopping at 250m but they have seen something and looking our way. The hind decides we has had enough and takes for the wood, taking everyone else with her. Gutted! Odds were against us and we had no option to chance it but it’s the hope which kills you.

To make things better the rain had stopped and we were treated to a lovely view



I think the plan will be to come back here this evening, climb round from the other side and sit up top to see if they come back out of the wood this evening.