I always find it odd that for some reason those from the US always come here wanting some specific "achievement." I've no idea what is behind this and guess that it is merely a difference in cultures but to me it always seems like they miss out on the "experience" in favour of the "achievement." I guess they think I'm strange as well and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with such an approach but just pointing out that you can usually get a lot more of a hunting experience if you relax on the "objectives" a bit. I guess my attitude is also driven my a severe lack of disposable income, maybe your mate has the cash for a gold sika and a week at stags
However, it might be worth pointing out to your mate that for the sort of money he might pay for a gold medal sika he could have probably a week at red stags somewhere in the highlands. Sure his stags might all be cull beasts but he'd get to spend a week on the ground getting to know it, and to know the stalkers, and he might get to travel up the loch to his beat in a boat, or extract down the loch in a boat, or extract with a garron, or spend a day in front of the fire with a whisky as bad weather blows through, or sit behind a rock while the first snow shower of the season crosses the hill, or walk off the hill while the sun sets over the Atlantic and the ghillie steers a cull stag down to the track, or... Whatever happens he will have a lot of good stories to tell on his return and I bet each of his cull trophies has a cracking tale associated with it. Whereas with his gold medal sika he might be taken out into a park somewhere, plonked in a high seat, pointed at his sika and that is his hunt over. The latter is fine if you really must have the trophy, but it isn't really the hunt of a lifetime.
I always find it odd that for some reason those from the US always come here wanting some specific "achievement." I've no idea what is behind this and guess that it is merely a difference in cultures but to me it always seems like they miss out on the "experience" in favour of the "achievement." I guess they think I'm strange as well and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with such an approach but just pointing out that you can usually get a lot more of a hunting experience if you relax on the "objectives" a bit. I guess my attitude is also driven my a severe lack of disposable income, maybe your mate has the cash for a gold sika and a week at stags
However, it might be worth pointing out to your mate that for the sort of money he might pay for a gold medal sika he could have probably a week at red stags somewhere in the highlands. Sure his stags might all be cull beasts but he'd get to spend a week on the ground getting to know it, and to know the stalkers, and he might get to travel up the loch to his beat in a boat, or extract down the loch in a boat, or extract with a garron, or spend a day in front of the fire with a whisky as bad weather blows through, or sit behind a rock while the first snow shower of the season crosses the hill, or walk off the hill while the sun sets over the Atlantic and the ghillie steers a cull stag down to the track, or... Whatever happens he will have a lot of good stories to tell on his return and I bet each of his cull trophies has a cracking tale associated with it. Whereas with his gold medal sika he might be taken out into a park somewhere, plonked in a high seat, pointed at his sika and that is his hunt over. The latter is fine if you really must have the trophy, but it isn't really the hunt of a lifetime.
I always find it odd that for some reason those from the US always come here wanting some specific "achievement." I've no idea what is behind this and guess that it is merely a difference in cultures but to me it always seems like they miss out on the "experience" in favour of the "achievement." I guess they think I'm strange as well and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with such an approach but just pointing out that you can usually get a lot more of a hunting experience if you relax on the "objectives" a bit. I guess my attitude is also driven my a severe lack of disposable income, maybe your mate has the cash for a gold sika and a week at stags
But when I lay down cold hard CASH and travel many miles I want what I want and not what someone else thinks I should get !
I could not say it any better and I do like a whiskEy myself Irish mind you lol !!!!!!!!!!
But if the lucky man was sitting in front of the fire in the lodge somewhere in Scotland watching the white caps trot up the loch and listening to the rain batter the window I'd bet there would be no E in his whisky
Cracking Description of a week on the Stags Caorach, I can almost smell the heather and feel the log fire cooking my toe's at end o'er day !!I always find it odd that for some reason those from the US always come here wanting some specific "achievement." I've no idea what is behind this and guess that it is merely a difference in cultures but to me it always seems like they miss out on the "experience" in favour of the "achievement." I guess they think I'm strange as well and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with such an approach but just pointing out that you can usually get a lot more of a hunting experience if you relax on the "objectives" a bit. I guess my attitude is also driven my a severe lack of disposable income, maybe your mate has the cash for a gold sika and a week at stags
However, it might be worth pointing out to your mate that for the sort of money he might pay for a gold medal sika he could have probably a week at red stags somewhere in the highlands. Sure his stags might all be cull beasts but he'd get to spend a week on the ground getting to know it, and to know the stalkers, and he might get to travel up the loch to his beat in a boat, or extract down the loch in a boat, or extract with a garron, or spend a day in front of the fire with a whisky as bad weather blows through, or sit behind a rock while the first snow shower of the season crosses the hill, or walk off the hill while the sun sets over the Atlantic and the ghillie steers a cull stag down to the track, or... Whatever happens he will have a lot of good stories to tell on his return and I bet each of his cull trophies has a cracking tale associated with it. Whereas with his gold medal sika he might be taken out into a park somewhere, plonked in a high seat, pointed at his sika and that is his hunt over. The latter is fine if you really must have the trophy, but it isn't really the hunt of a lifetime.
Scabby things?? with the greatest respect Wildfowler, Have You ever done any Hill stalking for Red's, especially in the Highlands? I've hunted in Eastern Europe and Africa, nothing compares with Stalking a Red Stag in the Highlands, not just the Stalk but the occasion as a whole, regardless of the quality of its Hat on top, they are truly a magnificent beast !!I get your point but surely it's better to go for one good stag than to pull the trigger on a few scabby things? Especially if it's a one off?
Scabby things?? with the greatest respect Wildfowler, Have You ever done any Hill stalking for Red's, especially in the Highlands? I've hunted in Eastern Europe and Africa, nothing compares with Stalking a Red Stag in the Highlands, not just the Stalk but the occasion as a whole, regardless of the quality of its Hat on top, they are truly a magnificent beast !!
Scabby things?? with the greatest respect Wildfowler, Have You ever done any Hill stalking for Red's, especially in the Highlands? I've hunted in Eastern Europe and Africa, nothing compares with Stalking a Red Stag in the Highlands, not just the Stalk but the occasion as a whole, regardless of the quality of its Hat on top, they are truly a magnificent beast !!
Hmmmmm , it's great if a person is more into the experience rather then the end result . And it's far easier to be that way when one LIVES in the country .
For the life of me I cannot see how you guys can keep a straight face when you spew forth this stuff about being happy with ANY headgear . Do you honestly think people wanna fly half way around the world to say I went to such and such and shot a sub standard animal ?
Granted the medal stuff can go out the door as far as I'm concerned . But I atleast want a good mature animal with decent headgear .
Quite frankly I wouldn't book with someone who couldn't give me a 90% chance of getting a shot at what I wanted . If I'm paying for the hunt I'm not doing your culling until after I got what I wanted .
Whhooaaa 6pt-sika!
What you 'want' does not necessarily fit in with what is 'needed' cukked to sustain the herd. Not where the deer are being managed properly. Don't get me wrong, it can swing both ways. We shot a lot of younger stags last year to make the cull and I would rather have seen more mature larger stags making up the numbers.
But aside from that, there is a saying you are no doubt aware of. A bird in the hand...
Surely a trip is far more enjoyable if undertaken with the attitude that it you will take what is presented but if luck smiles on you and an exceptional beast presents itself then all to the good? If however you have shot your share of stags over the years then I can alos see why you want that exceptional one. A bit like salmon fishing. You want to catch a fish, then you want lots and eventually you want the big, fish of a lifetime...
You have to remember that in the UK, shooting in general greater numbers of deer than can be available in the USA to the individual hunter means that we can be very picky as to what is shot and also very careful that a cull is sustainable. I have no issue in someone looking for a good representative head or indeed a medal standard one. But if you come with a fixed impression of what will be achieved and expect that 90% of the time, then 90% of your visits could end in failure...
gets there only to be told that I can only shoot broken racked one eyed etc when I was expecting mature representative specimens then somethings not quite right . I don't feel as a paying "client" shall we say that it's my resposibility to do the culling.