Vacancy: Seasonal ghillie, Atholl estates, Perthshire

[NickJ]

Seasonal Stalking Ghillie Vacancies - Ref 1818 Date: May 15, 2026​

Atholl Estates​

Seasonal Stalking Ghillie Vacancies

July 2026 to February 2027

Atholl Estates are recruiting for seasonal ghillies through the 2026/27 stag and hind stalking seasons. The Forest of Atholl is renowned for its wild red deer and our team of five deerstalkers are looking for seasonal support with managing the herd. The estate has maintained the tradition of using Highland ponies to retrieve stalked deer as they are more adept than vehicles at accessing the whole hill and do less damage to the land. A driving licence is essential. Experience with ponies and ATV handling is preferred but not essential. Accommodation and training are provided.

Key duties include assisting the deerstalkers with:

• The health and safety of both themselves, and the wider team
• Providing a quality guest experience
• Managing the Highland Ponies both out of the hill whilst working and day to day care
• Loading ponies on the hill
• Cleaning and maintenance of equipment
• Putting deer through the larder
• General estate maintenance and housekeeping duties at the lodges

To apply, please forward your cv to graemec@atholl-estates.co.uk. Should you have any questions about the role, please do email or call Graeme on 07501466270.

 

[VSS]

@Lucas Hodgsom
There you go. That's the kind of opportunity you need to be going for if you want to get on the first rung of the ladder.

 

[tgb]

What a start that would be for someone, beautiful estate!

 

[WalkedUp]

@Lucas Hodgsom
There you go. That's the kind of opportunity you need to be going for if you want to get on the first rung of the ladder.

I was thinking the exact same thing, then out of curiosity checked it out. Seems to have been somewhat of a flash in the pan.

 

[Chris Richardson]

I was thinking the exact same thing, then out of curiosity checked it out. Seems to have been somewhat of a flash in the pan.

View attachment 478752

yes i thought the same sent him a message as i have a big estate near to where he lives but no reply

 

[VSS]

I was thinking the exact same thing, then out of curiosity checked it out. Seems to have been somewhat of a flash in the pan.

View attachment 478752

yes i thought the same sent him a message as i have a big estate near to where he lives but no reply

Not an uncommon occurrence when a youngster joins this site, sadly.
Given that the future of shooting sports depends upon us engaging with and encouraging new young entrants, is there perhaps something we could/should be doing differently on this site that would result in a better retention rate/higher level of engagement from younger members?
@Charlie ?

 

[Chris Richardson]

Not an uncommon occurrence when a youngster joins this site, sadly.
Given that the future of shooting sports depends upon us engaging with and encouraging new young entrants, is there perhaps something we could/should be doing differently on this site that would result in a better retention rate/higher level of engagement from younger members?
@Charlie ?

Sadly Tim i find that the majority like the idea of it but when it comes down to it arent that bothered

 

[VSS]

Sadly Tim i find that the majority like the idea of it but when it comes down to it arent that bothered

That may well be so in many cases.
However, one can't help but notice that even those youngsters that have joined up and subsequently carved out a successful role for themselves in the deer industry don't stick around as regular contributors to the site. I wonder why not? If they did, it would make engagement with the next cohort much easier, as they'd find people of similar age to themselves to communicate with and draw inspiration from, instead of just a bunch of old farts.
Food for thought?

 

[slider]

Stunning experience and location for someone.
I stalked hinds there a few years ago.
9 hours on the hill including walking through snow. Probably the highlight of my stalking career!

 

[Charlie]

Not an uncommon occurrence when a youngster joins this site, sadly.
Given that the future of shooting sports depends upon us engaging with and encouraging new young

Definitely food for thought and this is absolutely something we want to improve. Rather than me putting some half-baked ideas down now, let me do some research and have a proper run at it. If anyone has any ideas, please do PM me on this.

 

[Emilio]

I think the first question should be whether the forum format is at all popular amongst the younger generations. I expect not so much...