Have you ever had any special forces guys come deer stalking on the estate?.

[Johnsmith1995]

Was speaking to a old farmer recently, and recalled he met a few when he was working on the local estate. Just wondering out of interest would they get sent for experience with the stalkers to learn skills or just for the hunting experience itself. Just curious of any other encounters.

Many thanks john

 

[Eric the Red]

It tends to be more 'live target practice' for sniping skills

 

[scotch_egg]

This anecdote makes the rounds regularly. Not knowing any SF or “snipers” I’ve never had it confirmed.

 

[tim@tcs]

I had a few retired ones over the years looking for a new use for their skills

 

[ColinBr]

1 I know of just loves the deer stalking in general.
Certainly shown me a few things to get me going when I first started out

 

[tim@tcs]

At least 3 from my platoon ended up as Hooligans but I only caught up at reunions but all seemed keen on the outdoors

 

[Ratel]

Yes?!!!!!

 

[Heym SR20]

Back in the 1990’s a good friend was a British Army officer whose hair was well over his collar. He would take a group of his lads up to a couple of highland estates where I knew the keepers well for winter training which included plenty of use of their L96’s and plenty of carrying out hinds to improve strength.

 

[bogtrotter]

None active, one retired who used to come
regularly.

 

[Cranhill]

I heard about things like this in 1980’s on a estate I helped with the hinds, it was regular thing. The other helpers ( either one’s or in groups) spent 24/7 on the hill.

 

[Mt Al]

Took a US SOF guy antelope hunting last year. Did his full 30 years as an NCO. Now in his early 60s, his bucket list was to use his pre '64 Model 70 Winchester in .270 that he was gifted at 10 years old to take an antelope. Rancher never lets anyone hunt but was honored to allow it in this case. Not sure what you call them in the UK, but in the US along river corridors we have irrigation ditches. Water is diverted from rivers and streams to irrigate alfalfa, wheat, corn fields. Some ditches are deep and wide, others easy to cross or wade. This guy doffed his boots and waded upstream in the ditch, slithered through some tall grass and waited like a stone until one was 300 yards and popped him. Was fun to watch from a hill close by.

 

[Moray Outfitting]

Had 2 from the american special forces on an Estate. Headstalker found them stags way down a steep face. He gave them an idea on how to get close to them. Away they went and started doing their own thing. After about an hour the Headstalker got fed up. Said lets go. We crawled down to the firing point that he had pointed out to them. Got in behind a rock for safety with the stags still in front of us. 20 minutes or so later these two guys came round the rock and jumped in surprise. How the hell did you get here before us!! They got one of the stags and then they followed the headstalker for the next couple of days to show them how to do it. But then again , years of experience makes all the difference....J

 

[finnbear270]

"in the US along river corridors we have irrigation ditches", some places over here they are "Drains" some others call them "Dykes" Lots to be seen on the Bedford levels.

 

[tim@tcs]

"in the US along river corridors we have irrigation ditches", some places over here they are "Drains" some others call them "Dykes" Lots to be seen on the Bedford levels.

Sewers on the levels in Sussex

 

[Lone wolf]

Back in the 1990’s a good friend was a British Army officer whose hair was well over his collar. He would take a group of his lads up to a couple of highland estates where I knew the keepers well for winter training which included plenty of use of their L96’s and plenty of carrying out hinds to improve strength.

Heym that's interesting as my old commanding officer sent my sniper section upto the highlands for a week deer stalking around 1999/2000 I wish I could remember the name of the place but I cant for the life of me remember it.

I remember we travelled from Salisbury up to the highlands and had to get a small ferry across to where we were going to stay for the week.

Once across the water we were shown our digs and told to be on the zero range in the morning, once we had checked zero on our L96A1's I remember having a hold of the stalkers rifle and thinking how wonderfully light it was and wished I was carrying this all week.

We split up into two groups both guided by the estate stalkers and had a fantastic week shooting deer, we would head out in the defender's before setting off on foot or sometimes we took the horses or were they ponys? Out onto the hills to carry the deer back down.......on one occasion we ended up going on a boat to a harder to reach area and lugged the shot deer back to the boat.

at the end of each day we took all the shot deer back and was shown how to slaughter them and we were fed on venison all week

Each night we would walk a few hundred yards down the road to a little boozer which was amazing, have a few drinks before stumbling back to the digs for sleep before the next day stalking.

One the last day they put on a huge hog roast in the pub to mark the end of the weeks stalking.......it was one of the best weeks In my life........and it didnt cost me a penny, In fact i was getting paid to do it.......if carlsberg did stalking

Will have to dig out the photos

 

[Ettrick reiver]

Heym that's interesting as my old commanding officer sent my sniper section upto the highlands for a week deer stalking around 1999/2000 I wish I could remember the name of the place but I cant for the life of me remember it.

I remember we travelled from Salisbury up to the highlands and had to get a small ferry across to where we were going to stay for the week.

Once across the water we were shown our digs and told to be on the zero range in the morning, once we had checked zero on our L96A1's I remember having a hold of the stalkers rifle and thinking how wonderfully light it was and wished I was carrying this all week.

We split up into two groups both guided by the estate stalkers and had a fantastic week shooting deer, we would head out in the defender's before setting off on foot or sometimes we took the horses or were they ponys? Out onto the hills to carry the deer back down.......on one occasion we ended up going on a boat to a harder to reach area and lugged the shot deer back to the boat.

at the end of each day we took all the shot deer back and was shown how to slaughter them and we were fed on venison all week

Each night we would walk a few hundred yards down the road to a little boozer which was amazing, have a few drinks before stumbling back to the digs for sleep before the next day stalking.

One the last day they put on a huge hog roast in the pub to mark the end of the weeks stalking.......it was one of the best weeks In my life........and it didnt cost me a penny, In fact i was getting paid to do it.......if carlsberg did stalking

Will have to dig out the photos

Sound like Kilchoan Estate on Knoydart.
Ettrick reiver

 

[Stalker62]

No.

And if I had...

 

[Stalker62]

Comes with a long and proud history.

Lovat Scouts
Cap badge of the Lovat Scouts

The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit, and were renowned for their elite reconnaissance capabilities. In 1916, the Lovat Scouts formally became the British Army's first sniper unit, then known as "sharpshooters". The regiment served in the First World War and Second World War, respectively.

History​

Formation and early history​

Simon Fraser, 14th Lord LovatThe Lovat Scouts, 1900, Player's Cigarette Card
The regiment was formed in January 1900 for service in the Second Boer War by Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat, Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat,[1] as the Lovat Scouts.[2][3] Recruited initially from gamekeepers and professional stalkers on Highland estates

 

[sikasako]

More than likely various estates have, but been none the wiser.

These types of servicemen generally don’t tend to give much away.

 

[KimE]

In Sweden many hunters become snipers or sharpshooters when we do military service. In germanic areas skirmishers (rangers), sharpshooters are called jeager/jägare in french chasseurs as better trained men who can operate with a rifle in smaller units.