0002S
AH enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2023
- Messages
- 343
- Reaction score
- 2,252
- Media
- 21
- Member of
- LIFE NRA, LIFE SCI, LIFE TTHA, RME
- Hunted
- South Africa, England, Scotland, North America
I was asked if I was interested in a red deer cull hunt, during the rut, in Scotland with CK Worldwide. The outfitter and guides are personal friends and they were interested in seeing if this trip might be something they could market. They were interested in my opinions. It was a fixed cost hunt w/dinners and drinks on the client. There was no limit on number of animals taken or sex past what you can find. There were no additional trophy fees. There were also options for roe and sika. This is a 100%, as free range a hunt, as one can get (not that high fence is a bad thing either). The hardest part IMHO of marketing this hunt is that one will see fixed rate, shoot all you can and also believe that they are going home with a HUGE horned trophy. While the possibility is there, from what I saw there is more likely going to be smallish or busted up horns. You may only be shooting hinds and does (honestly they want this). As long as the client understands the adventure this is a great hunt, should they market it. I will be personally going back again because I like this type of adventure.
I was able to spent time in Obam and Inveraray. Saw random castles (they are everywhere). I drove around a Loch Fyne (oysters were great). I also spent time south of Birmingham (went to Westley Richards) and 2 days in London.
During our time there, Scotland's west coast was hit by storm Bobet and this forced us to move south to outside Birmingham for an estate hunt for muntjac. Although I was not able to harvest one, between the pouring rain and they aren't easy to find, it was an experience none the less. I have an invite to go back for them as well as southern England fallow.
I don't hunt anymore with huge expectations of huge horns. I not saying I'll pass on a large trophy, but a decent representation of the area's game is as good as making the record books. I enjoy a challenge, adventure and new places to see. It's about the entire experience and the stupid stories that make for a good laugh and your mind's eye memories. There is nothing like being somewhere on this earth and knowing that no human, other than you, has ever stood on that patch of ground. I was able to harvest a nice 'hart of 10' (5x5). I found they value symmetry and wear more than shear mass and points. I also harvested a sika stage (rare to see and shoot from what they tell me) and a roe buck. The sika was old and spiked and the roe buck had one horn. They will make nice bottle openers and zipper pulls. After that it was just hinds. I did put a very nice 1.5 hour stalk on a pair of sheep, but that story is for another day.
We hunted land around Loch Awe. The property is forestry and the stalking rights are designed to take off as many animals as they can as they like to eat the tops of freshly planted trees and that stunts the trees growth later in life. The time from planting to culling is around 40 years. The whole operations appears to be a carbon credit 'thing', and from what I gathered, some form of tax dodge. Huge amount of land with forest so dense you wouldn't want to be caught in after dark.
So the weather is amazing. It is pouring rain and 20+ mph winds and 20 minutes later, drizzle and 20 minutes later, dense fog, and 20 minutes later the sky open and there is a rainbow....then 20 minutes later pouring rain. The temps ranged from 40-55 degrees Fahrenheit. The terrain is rough and everything is wet 24/7. The animals are always moving. You need to have multiple layers of clothing from quality rain resilient to GoreTex. Boots need to be hunt/hike and 100% water proof. Knee gators are a must (ticks and water). Gloves and a good felt hat or water proof something.
The hunting starts before daylight and they use thermal binoculars to get a general bearing on game before the stalk. Without the thermals, it would be almost impossible to hunt the lower areas. It would be shear luck if you jumped game along the tree lines or they happened to be there when the sun rose. The upper highlands are amazing and Red Deer stages can be seen on the downslopes holding up there hinds. They bugle similar to elk. All of my shots were taken off a traditional Scottish walking stick, off hand or using a tree or something for an improvised rest. Unlike the US, they want you to put bullets in the animals and let the dogs sort it out. I am use to looking for the perfect shot and not shooting at moving game. But, they wanted to cull and the dogs wanted the action. We lost no game. Shots ranged from 40m to 380+ meters. Most of the animals were moving.
I did not bring a rifle and used a Blaser R8 300 Win Mag w/Zeiss glass and a Sauer 202 .308 w/Zeiss glass. Both rifles were more than enough. One of the hunters used a Sauer 6.5x55. I personally don't like the R8's safety, but all the rifles preformed flawlessly.
Would I go again, yes. In fact it isn't a would but when. I want to do the same hunt, but also go for muntjac and fallow. There is great brown trout fishing on Loch Awe and I also want to catch on for the photo album.
When the hunt ended my friends gave me a walking stick, with a 10 pence coin from my birth year in the handle. They said I had earned it and that they appreciated my shooting. They called me the lucky bloke from Texas (there is a sika story in that one). It is probably the best trophy from a hunt I have ever brought home.
I was able to spent time in Obam and Inveraray. Saw random castles (they are everywhere). I drove around a Loch Fyne (oysters were great). I also spent time south of Birmingham (went to Westley Richards) and 2 days in London.
During our time there, Scotland's west coast was hit by storm Bobet and this forced us to move south to outside Birmingham for an estate hunt for muntjac. Although I was not able to harvest one, between the pouring rain and they aren't easy to find, it was an experience none the less. I have an invite to go back for them as well as southern England fallow.
I don't hunt anymore with huge expectations of huge horns. I not saying I'll pass on a large trophy, but a decent representation of the area's game is as good as making the record books. I enjoy a challenge, adventure and new places to see. It's about the entire experience and the stupid stories that make for a good laugh and your mind's eye memories. There is nothing like being somewhere on this earth and knowing that no human, other than you, has ever stood on that patch of ground. I was able to harvest a nice 'hart of 10' (5x5). I found they value symmetry and wear more than shear mass and points. I also harvested a sika stage (rare to see and shoot from what they tell me) and a roe buck. The sika was old and spiked and the roe buck had one horn. They will make nice bottle openers and zipper pulls. After that it was just hinds. I did put a very nice 1.5 hour stalk on a pair of sheep, but that story is for another day.
We hunted land around Loch Awe. The property is forestry and the stalking rights are designed to take off as many animals as they can as they like to eat the tops of freshly planted trees and that stunts the trees growth later in life. The time from planting to culling is around 40 years. The whole operations appears to be a carbon credit 'thing', and from what I gathered, some form of tax dodge. Huge amount of land with forest so dense you wouldn't want to be caught in after dark.
So the weather is amazing. It is pouring rain and 20+ mph winds and 20 minutes later, drizzle and 20 minutes later, dense fog, and 20 minutes later the sky open and there is a rainbow....then 20 minutes later pouring rain. The temps ranged from 40-55 degrees Fahrenheit. The terrain is rough and everything is wet 24/7. The animals are always moving. You need to have multiple layers of clothing from quality rain resilient to GoreTex. Boots need to be hunt/hike and 100% water proof. Knee gators are a must (ticks and water). Gloves and a good felt hat or water proof something.
The hunting starts before daylight and they use thermal binoculars to get a general bearing on game before the stalk. Without the thermals, it would be almost impossible to hunt the lower areas. It would be shear luck if you jumped game along the tree lines or they happened to be there when the sun rose. The upper highlands are amazing and Red Deer stages can be seen on the downslopes holding up there hinds. They bugle similar to elk. All of my shots were taken off a traditional Scottish walking stick, off hand or using a tree or something for an improvised rest. Unlike the US, they want you to put bullets in the animals and let the dogs sort it out. I am use to looking for the perfect shot and not shooting at moving game. But, they wanted to cull and the dogs wanted the action. We lost no game. Shots ranged from 40m to 380+ meters. Most of the animals were moving.
I did not bring a rifle and used a Blaser R8 300 Win Mag w/Zeiss glass and a Sauer 202 .308 w/Zeiss glass. Both rifles were more than enough. One of the hunters used a Sauer 6.5x55. I personally don't like the R8's safety, but all the rifles preformed flawlessly.
Would I go again, yes. In fact it isn't a would but when. I want to do the same hunt, but also go for muntjac and fallow. There is great brown trout fishing on Loch Awe and I also want to catch on for the photo album.
When the hunt ended my friends gave me a walking stick, with a 10 pence coin from my birth year in the handle. They said I had earned it and that they appreciated my shooting. They called me the lucky bloke from Texas (there is a sika story in that one). It is probably the best trophy from a hunt I have ever brought home.
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