How’do!
Ok - before I begin - if you’ve thought any of my other posts could be a little “long” - this one has chance to turn into a wee novel......
As anyone who’s paid much attention to several of my earlier posts I’ve been seeking opportunities to learn as much as an opportunity to stalk. Having years of experience of firearms with thanks to Her Majesty the actual “thrill” of squeezing the trigger is really of less interest compared to, shall we see, learning the craft! After all, every day’s a school day!!
Equally to the stalking and general game related shooting knowledge I’ve always had an interest in farming and probably always harboured the romantic notion of life on a big estate - I blame my Father’s career in Local Government! Anyway - onwards!
So a month or so ago I responded to a little advert on a local FB group looking for some general help on a nearby estate. A few emails and phone calls exchanged and we worked some dates out that would fit around my “proper” job and their requirements. We’d arranged for me to pop along to the estate this Wednesday (yesterday) to see what was what and learn my way around the place. On Tuesday evening I was sat with the wife in an awesome wee pub up the road enjoying a giant t bone steak when a text appeared asking if instead of meeting at the estate I’d like to accompany a group of clients on a day’s stalk - of course I immediately agreed!
So, Wednesday got off to a funny start - I set off to the meeting place (the car park of the wife’s cafe) when, coffee in hand I drove over the brow of a hill and found a car heading towards me flashing their lights like mad - instantly backed off and noticed a second car, just ahead, also flashing its lights and a dog lying in the road. Quickly blocked the road with my car and jumped out - healthy, but old wee spaniel bitch, cold and wet but pleased to see me and jumped promptly into the drivers seat of my car! No collar - no tags and no logical sign of where she’d come from. All I knew was I couldn’t leave her there - it’s quite a fast stretch of road - and I was about to be late for my meeting! Met up with the two guys from the estate and two of their clients, Belgians friends of the estate’s owners. Explained about the dog and several phone calls later dropped the soggy mutt back at my home with a sleepy looking Missus and a very confused Chocolate Lab and jumped in the guy’s pickup.
Swift drive through Oban, along towards Seil and up the Cuan road to the ferry. After a short wait we drove onto the small ferry and made the three minute crossing to the small island of Luing. On from there, pretty much the length of the island having a running commentary from the main estate manager/keeper of whose farm was which, who those cattle belonged to and pointing out the peg positions for the upcoming partridge shoot. We arrived within maybe 10 minutes on a beautiful coastline dotted with the typical white washed houses of our area. Here we met the rest of the party - again, all Belgians - making 7 guests in total, the two guys from the estate and me, the new boy!
Here we were introduced to a father and son team - first time I’ve shaken hands with someone who owns their own island - and boarded a small boat, piloted by the son and we were off! A speedy but reasonably short crossing over the Atlantic to the now uninhabited island of Scarba. There is actually one house which is owned separately to the rest of the island and used now only very occasionally as a holiday home.
We arrived at a drop off location - merely an area of fairly flat rock jutting out into the sea. The older stalker, John, of 40 years experience man & boy following in the footsteps of his father who’d been in charge of the estate before him, 4 of the clients and myself disembarked and started to make our way up the step slope leaving the sea behind us and clambering up the now fern covered rocks. Within only a few minutes we’d spotted our first red stag - far off in the distance, standing on a ridge line. John and the clients watched him through binos whilst surveying the land for other beasts. Partly still taking in my surroundings and partly trying not to alert the entire deer population to our presence with my impression of a heavy breathing bear, I was actually facing the opposite direction catching my breath and watching two goats playing down below. When I saw a fine stag beautifully silhouetted on a hill just behind us and away to the right. I managed to attract John’s attention - the whole group turned and picked up his location but he was looking straight at us and merrily set off down the hill and out of sight.
Onwards - the stalk continued - climbing higher we came over a ridge and the land flattened out ahead - falling away to our right and rolling onwards and upwards to our left. It was at this point John spotted a Stag away to our right, lying in long grass with a small group of hinds nearby. A nearby rocky outcrop made an excellent vantage point for John and the client who was to shoot to take up a prone position and the rest of us were able to tuck down the side and still see whilst remaining downwind and out of view. A few minutes passed by and John decided to let out a few calls and on the second set the Stag stood up to see where the sound came from - an almost perfect shot rang out from the client - the Stag was down and the hinds running off into the distance!
Whilst the clients were taking a few pictures and congratulating the shooter John explained to me how to get to the main track which would lead to the house on the island and down from there to a pier where a shed would contain a Honda Quad and trailer. Off I set - crossing a fairly boggy area and reaching the track - didn’t quite realise it was just over 3km’s to the location of the quad - but the sun cracking down, a group of hinds away to my left, stags roaring on the ridge line away to my right, a pair of Fallow that I could have probably sneaked up on and rugby tackled and finally the sight of a pair of Sea Eagles soaring over the coastline as I arrived at the little pier made the effort more than worthwhile!!
Jumped on the quad - started it up and then spent the next five minutes looking for the gear selector before engaging my brain and realising is was a manual...... Idiot five minutes over and set off - rather quick learning curve once I was off the main track - discovered the 4 wheel setting and finally made it down to John and the group. Stag was already gralloched and emptied out and we loaded him onto the trailer. After a few struggles with a very steep, wet section and the now laden trailer, some advice from John and I was off again. Back to the “road” - down to the pier and dragged our quarry onto the slipway and headed back to the house. The rest of my group arrived a little while after and we had lunch. I must say I enjoyed the next hour as much as anything - listening to John’s tales, picking his brain and generally talking the poor fella’s ear off!! (Yeah.... if you think I can type for fun..... wait till I get talking )
Maybe another half hour passed when the radio crackled into life and the other guide shouted to say they’d also taken a beast and gave general directions for where I would find them. Set off and after a few intriguing moments along a very narrow and steep “track” I found the other group dragging a Stag down a steep incline to meet me at a flatter section below. Beast loaded again - and back off to the pier. The small boat was back to meet us within about 20 minutes and my next learning curve was helping to shift two bulky stags onto a small boat, at a very low tide and probably 6ft below the lowest point of the pier! Job done though and we were again jetting off across the sea back towards Luing.
All in all, a glorious day out - took part in a first stalk, made two great contacts, got to spend a day on a private island that would be well out of my budget otherwise, missed both grallochs but did get to watch closely as heads were removed, realised I’m not quite as fat and unfit as I thought and discovered that I can still put my head down and tab on when I need to! And - to top it all off...... I even got paid!!!
Ok - before I begin - if you’ve thought any of my other posts could be a little “long” - this one has chance to turn into a wee novel......
As anyone who’s paid much attention to several of my earlier posts I’ve been seeking opportunities to learn as much as an opportunity to stalk. Having years of experience of firearms with thanks to Her Majesty the actual “thrill” of squeezing the trigger is really of less interest compared to, shall we see, learning the craft! After all, every day’s a school day!!
Equally to the stalking and general game related shooting knowledge I’ve always had an interest in farming and probably always harboured the romantic notion of life on a big estate - I blame my Father’s career in Local Government! Anyway - onwards!
So a month or so ago I responded to a little advert on a local FB group looking for some general help on a nearby estate. A few emails and phone calls exchanged and we worked some dates out that would fit around my “proper” job and their requirements. We’d arranged for me to pop along to the estate this Wednesday (yesterday) to see what was what and learn my way around the place. On Tuesday evening I was sat with the wife in an awesome wee pub up the road enjoying a giant t bone steak when a text appeared asking if instead of meeting at the estate I’d like to accompany a group of clients on a day’s stalk - of course I immediately agreed!
So, Wednesday got off to a funny start - I set off to the meeting place (the car park of the wife’s cafe) when, coffee in hand I drove over the brow of a hill and found a car heading towards me flashing their lights like mad - instantly backed off and noticed a second car, just ahead, also flashing its lights and a dog lying in the road. Quickly blocked the road with my car and jumped out - healthy, but old wee spaniel bitch, cold and wet but pleased to see me and jumped promptly into the drivers seat of my car! No collar - no tags and no logical sign of where she’d come from. All I knew was I couldn’t leave her there - it’s quite a fast stretch of road - and I was about to be late for my meeting! Met up with the two guys from the estate and two of their clients, Belgians friends of the estate’s owners. Explained about the dog and several phone calls later dropped the soggy mutt back at my home with a sleepy looking Missus and a very confused Chocolate Lab and jumped in the guy’s pickup.
Swift drive through Oban, along towards Seil and up the Cuan road to the ferry. After a short wait we drove onto the small ferry and made the three minute crossing to the small island of Luing. On from there, pretty much the length of the island having a running commentary from the main estate manager/keeper of whose farm was which, who those cattle belonged to and pointing out the peg positions for the upcoming partridge shoot. We arrived within maybe 10 minutes on a beautiful coastline dotted with the typical white washed houses of our area. Here we met the rest of the party - again, all Belgians - making 7 guests in total, the two guys from the estate and me, the new boy!
Here we were introduced to a father and son team - first time I’ve shaken hands with someone who owns their own island - and boarded a small boat, piloted by the son and we were off! A speedy but reasonably short crossing over the Atlantic to the now uninhabited island of Scarba. There is actually one house which is owned separately to the rest of the island and used now only very occasionally as a holiday home.
We arrived at a drop off location - merely an area of fairly flat rock jutting out into the sea. The older stalker, John, of 40 years experience man & boy following in the footsteps of his father who’d been in charge of the estate before him, 4 of the clients and myself disembarked and started to make our way up the step slope leaving the sea behind us and clambering up the now fern covered rocks. Within only a few minutes we’d spotted our first red stag - far off in the distance, standing on a ridge line. John and the clients watched him through binos whilst surveying the land for other beasts. Partly still taking in my surroundings and partly trying not to alert the entire deer population to our presence with my impression of a heavy breathing bear, I was actually facing the opposite direction catching my breath and watching two goats playing down below. When I saw a fine stag beautifully silhouetted on a hill just behind us and away to the right. I managed to attract John’s attention - the whole group turned and picked up his location but he was looking straight at us and merrily set off down the hill and out of sight.
Onwards - the stalk continued - climbing higher we came over a ridge and the land flattened out ahead - falling away to our right and rolling onwards and upwards to our left. It was at this point John spotted a Stag away to our right, lying in long grass with a small group of hinds nearby. A nearby rocky outcrop made an excellent vantage point for John and the client who was to shoot to take up a prone position and the rest of us were able to tuck down the side and still see whilst remaining downwind and out of view. A few minutes passed by and John decided to let out a few calls and on the second set the Stag stood up to see where the sound came from - an almost perfect shot rang out from the client - the Stag was down and the hinds running off into the distance!
Whilst the clients were taking a few pictures and congratulating the shooter John explained to me how to get to the main track which would lead to the house on the island and down from there to a pier where a shed would contain a Honda Quad and trailer. Off I set - crossing a fairly boggy area and reaching the track - didn’t quite realise it was just over 3km’s to the location of the quad - but the sun cracking down, a group of hinds away to my left, stags roaring on the ridge line away to my right, a pair of Fallow that I could have probably sneaked up on and rugby tackled and finally the sight of a pair of Sea Eagles soaring over the coastline as I arrived at the little pier made the effort more than worthwhile!!
Jumped on the quad - started it up and then spent the next five minutes looking for the gear selector before engaging my brain and realising is was a manual...... Idiot five minutes over and set off - rather quick learning curve once I was off the main track - discovered the 4 wheel setting and finally made it down to John and the group. Stag was already gralloched and emptied out and we loaded him onto the trailer. After a few struggles with a very steep, wet section and the now laden trailer, some advice from John and I was off again. Back to the “road” - down to the pier and dragged our quarry onto the slipway and headed back to the house. The rest of my group arrived a little while after and we had lunch. I must say I enjoyed the next hour as much as anything - listening to John’s tales, picking his brain and generally talking the poor fella’s ear off!! (Yeah.... if you think I can type for fun..... wait till I get talking
)Maybe another half hour passed when the radio crackled into life and the other guide shouted to say they’d also taken a beast and gave general directions for where I would find them. Set off and after a few intriguing moments along a very narrow and steep “track” I found the other group dragging a Stag down a steep incline to meet me at a flatter section below. Beast loaded again - and back off to the pier. The small boat was back to meet us within about 20 minutes and my next learning curve was helping to shift two bulky stags onto a small boat, at a very low tide and probably 6ft below the lowest point of the pier! Job done though and we were again jetting off across the sea back towards Luing.
All in all, a glorious day out - took part in a first stalk, made two great contacts, got to spend a day on a private island that would be well out of my budget otherwise, missed both grallochs but did get to watch closely as heads were removed, realised I’m not quite as fat and unfit as I thought and discovered that I can still put my head down and tab on when I need to! And - to top it all off...... I even got paid!!!
