Danes in Scotland

This trip took place November 2024. We where 3 persons from Denmark, but I can only talk for myself, so this writeup will be how the trip looked from my view.



After a successful trip 2023 to the beautiful British countryside of Shropshire for Muntjac with Conh, we wanted to try the Scotland on our own 2024.

SD posts for stalking were looked through, and we found an opportunity with Griffon Woodland for unaccompanied stalking on “red females and calves”.

A PM was send and soon after Matt from Griffon woodland answered, we could get 2 week of November. Matt was very kind and helped to get the right papers for applying to “visitors firearms certificate”. The application went well, only problem was the police don’t give visitors certificate to 9,3mm, so one of us had to bring his 6,5x55 target rifle, instead of the normal hunting rifle. Proof of our insurances where also send to Matt, after all we were going to stalk unaccompanied, and its just fair he needs to check our insurances.

Airplane tickets were ordered from our local airport “Billund” to Edinburg via Amsterdam, airline KLM. The ticket cost extra because we would bring firearms on the trip, but that’s the price for such things. However, we heard from several Danish hunting forums, there often are problems when arriving to UK carrying firearms. For this reason we called KLM call center and got them to send a written confirmation that the firearms where approved. Fly from Billund Monday morning 11

Finally the big morning arrived, and we left home early, to be at Billund airport in good time to make firearms check in. However KLM absolutely refused to take our firearms out of EU, even the written confirmation from KLM, for firearms to Edinburg did not change their decision. They suggested they could get a locker in the airport for our rifles, and then we could pick them up when returning.

Now we really got a problem! A visit to Lufthansa tickets gave us a line to Edinburg over Frankfurt. However after they made some calls to Lufthansa HQ they informed us no firearms to Edinburg. Normally they will take firearms to anywhere, but several bad experience in Edinburg AP made them refuse to that destination.

3 hours had passed, and the time was now almost 7 in the morning, and no more chance for a flight with firearms to Scotland.



Then I remembered our Danish Airport for offshore helicopters called Esbjerg, has sometimes flights to Scotland and I called Esbjerg airport. They were very helpful and confirmed they had Logan Air, flights to Aberdeen, however not every day. This day however they had a small plane going to Aberdeen carrying a group of drillers, and there where 3 seats. Firearms should not be a problem, as long they where checked in luggage.



On arrival at the little airport Esbjerg, it buzzed with life from drillers going to and from helicopter connections to the offshore platforms. We asked at the ticket’s office for return flights, there where a Logan Air from Aberdeen to Esbjerg Friday the 15 November, and one on Monday the 18. We seemed to be the only ones there not connected to offshore. Service from that little ticket office was flawless, they even called SIXT car hire hotline and changed my car reservation from Edinburg to Aberdeen. They told us there where plenty of room for our firearms in the luggage compartment of the plane we were going to Aberdeen in, and Logan Air accepted firearms without problems for a small fee when going back to Esbjerg Denmark.



Then that Monday at 3 PM we arrived in Aberdeen. Our luggage containing ammo, and the separate firearms cases, where taken by security officers to HMS customs, for checkup, and arrived there just 10 minutes after landing. The customs checked rifle numbers to our UK Firearms certificate, and looked at our ammo, whole procedure took less than 15 minutes, then all 3 of us was trough. Good work Aberdeen Airport, and great thanks from us to the positive friendly HMS customs officers on duty that day.



I ordered a KIA Sportage from SIXT, but at arrival they offered us a luxury BMW for no extra charge, we however stuck to the KIA, as we wanted I high bottom car rather than driving comfort.

The drive to Pitlochry, went without problems, and we shopped in CO-OP, before filling the KIA with petrol. At arrival to our cottage, we meet Matt in person the first time. We now had to inform him about out flight problems, and we had to abandon our original plan to go home Sunday the 17 of November, and now had to leave either 15 or 18 of November. He would like us to go home on 18 November, as he wanted us to get as many deer as possible. That night he took us in his car to se the woods, even as it was dark and we where tired, we had to be prepared for coming morning.

After getting back to our cottage, Matt planned with us for next morning. Before coming we had got instructions about a mapping App, he use, and we all downloaded it, and he gave us the relevant maps for the whole area. Plan for first morning I would be driving and putting the other 2 off at agreed positions, where each had an assigned stalking area, and then finally leaving the car at a set point to go for my own stalking area. Finally, my 2 friends got pickup points and told when to be there, and I should be back at the Larder 11 o’clock. When we shot something, we where shown, how to mark it on the map App, so he could retrieve it after the stalking ended. The arrangement gave us one stag each and free numbers of females and caves.

Then after a few sandwiches we went to bed and got some much needed sleep.



First morning was cold, still, and clear, so reasonable weather, only would have liked a wee bit of wind if I could have made a wish that morning. However, it was much better than storm of fog, and the stalk began with much enthusiastic mood.

From the place I parked the car, I followed a quad track out of the heavily wooded area, and when I came out of the trees to open hill, there where already a hind and calf. Quick measurement told me 220-230 meters, and that’s a little too much for me when shooting over the sticks. Even when the Viper flex gives good stability, I keep under 200 meters with them to feel comfortable. The deer was very close to the wood, and even though they did not see me they disappeared into the trees before I got closer.



Now the stalk began along the tree line, and after a kilometer or 2 some hinds and claves were discovered in the distance, at least 6-700 meters. The ground was very uneven, so I could quite easily plan a route that would bring me unseen trough low ground to a position I thought a shot could be take from.

Everything went well, and I got within about 300-350 meters from the deer, when suddenly a stag was standing in a gully I planned to use a route to my selected shooting place. No way to pass that stag without it noticing me, so I decided to take it, as I was allowed to take one stag.

Range around 150 meters, perfect knoll to lye down and shoot from lying position, so the stag went right down on the spot when hit by my 30-06.

I crawled to I little higher ground and looked for the females I was stalking to. They where still there, all of them had their heads up, but they still seemed comfortable. So I decided to continue the stalk, and went though the gully passing the stag by just 30 meters before getting up on the last hill towards the females.

Plan was good, and the females had moved a little from when I first spotted them. A range showed 190-200 meters, and in the calm weather with a shot from good lying down position I decided to take a shot. However, to get calm after the last crawl, I took a deep breath and looked back into the gully on the stag. To my amazement it was now very much alive and was trying to raise up. As a reflex the rifle turned around and I quickly put an extra shot into it. It collapsed again, and this time I kept looking at it trough my rifle scope, turned the Delta Titanium 2,5-15x50 scope up to 13-14 mag. and now saw it was moving the head, so a third bullet was put into it. That last shot was probably not necessary, but better one shot too much, than a wounded stag running in the woods.

Now the females where gone, and I went down to do Gralloch, on the stag. It was now dead, but I only found one bullet hole in it, the last shot I aimed at the neck, had broken the neckbone and been 100% deadly. I assume the first bullets went in just above the spine, where there seemed to be damage when looking into it.

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My first Stag in Scotland



There where still plenty of time before we had to meet, so I decided to walk up and se where the females had been. Of course they were gone, so I continued along the tree line for about 30 minutes, before deciding to turn back. On the way back I did not walk far, before suddenly seeing 3 animals the spot where the females had been. Now however the sun had risen to just over the hill, and it blinded me. The deer was only visible against the dark hill as silhouettes, with the sharp sun into the rifle scope. Even when looking beside the scope, the sun was really into my eyes, but the distance only 120-130 meters, hill as backstop behind the target, and they had not seen me so decided to take the shot. When the shot went off, I lost the deer in the scope up against the sun, but suddenly there where 5-6 deer running in different directions and left me completely confused. I had a good feeling about that shot when the bullet left the rifle, so a confidence the deer should be there was present.

After I got to the spot, I felt the deer was standing when shot was taken I could not find any signs of a hit. The terrain was cleared Forrest, and looked reasonable easy to cross but turned out to be terrible to move in. After looking for some time the spot was marked with logs put up in pyramid form, and I went back to the car.

Arriving back at the larder just at the agreed time, Matt was told about the 2 deer I had shot at. He made a afternoon plan, so we got new stalking areas for the afternoon/evening, and then went off together with his dog Fenri (most people from our part of the world knows who Fænris ulven is), so don’t mess with that dog!!!



Before getting to my evening stalking area, I got a pic from Matt, Fenri had found the last deer I shot at this morning. This was the first but not last time on the trip this magnificent dog helped find our deer.

At the evening stalk the weather had turned a lot warmer, but still completely still, so impossible to move without being heard from long distance. I planned a stalking route on the map and places where I wanted to sit still and wait for deer, as the conditions made it impossible to move without noise. However one thing is looking at a map, the reality sometimes differ, so when I got to the most far position I wanted to sit, it turned out to be water running down the hillside, and very swampy.

An alternative place was found, and I only sat for short time before a little wind was coming up. The wind felt like it was coming from my back, and plowing right downhill into the 50 meters wide cleared grass strip I was looking down at. This would not do so I raised up and went back into the quadbike track I came from, to sit in a forest clearing I passed on the way out. As it happens the wind now changed again, but at the same time it became weaker, so I had to use chalk powder to find its direction.

When arriving at the forest clearing, I had chosen, thoughts where quickly lead to the first clearing I passed on the way here, and after just 5 minutes I went there. Rest of the 45 minutes of shooting light was spend here, but nothing came out, and I ended the evening without seeing any deer. I back thoughts I should have stayed at the first spot I left, where I felt the wind was bad, but the result may have been the same. No matter what it had been a fine evening for a walk in the forest with warm, still weather, but not the best for stalking.





Morning on our second day 2 of us went to a far area of the woods. From our parking place, we started by crossing a ford, so the day started by us getting wet feet. Just after that ford, we separated and went to our designated stalking areas. Problem this morning was weather, again totally still, but today it was warm, temperatures around 10 degree Celsius.

I had to follow a stream to my area, but on the way to it there where a quite wide gap without trees, and I could se on the map it led to my area. This gap, or strip, without trees, looked promising and followed the stream closely, so I decided to stalk in that strip. This quickly turned out to be a mistake. Matt had warned me that there was bog swamps on the way to, and in my stalking area. Now I found out why there was no trees, in that strip, it was bad swamp, and before I got out of it, and back to the stream, I plumped into hip deep bog several times.

Finally, I reached the stream and it felt like a real relive to walk on relative hard ground, up to the end of wooded area. I was now looking out on a large open area, where half of it looked like bog swamp, what we in Danish call “Moseområde”, and I knew I should stay out of that. The other half looked a lot more stable, so I decided to concentrate on that. The stream I followed to get here passed through the stable looking area, and from the banks of that I examined the open ground with my binoculars. A movement caught my eyes, and it turned out to be a red deer head, distance was around 250 meters.

A little knoll with a few rocks on it, about 75 meters in front of me would give the perfect shooting place, so I started crawling to it. Luckily I had sown kneepads into my hunting trousers, so crawling the distance was not bad. When reached the little knoll, I very careful looked up with my binoculars, and immediately saw a hind and calf. I only had my head up for a few seconds of spotting, and in that time, I also noticed an old fence. Matt had told me the place was crossed by an old deer fence, but it was down several places, and I would be able to cross it on several places. My estimate on distance was 175-200 meters and as the rifle was zeroed on 175 meters it would be a straight shot form lying down position.

Rifle was put up beside a rock boulder on a grass knoll, so the bullet path would be free from grass, and in the scope I could clearly see the bullet would pass over the old deer fence.

The deer had not seen me and was completely engaged in grassing at the edge of the stream crossing trough the area. Crosshairs was put on the small one, and I made the shot from my very stable position.

Now came the surprise, a sound like a metal spring releasing its energy, and a vertical stripe of fog between me and my target. Immediately I saw there was a second old fence, only a piece of it, but right between me and the target, and I obviously hit the vertical piece og wire. How I could miss to see that second deer fence, I don’t know, but it must have been because I concentrated on the deer and the first long deer fence.



Both deer raised their heads and looked straight at me, the one I shot at just stood there looking, they clearly did not like the situation but stood still. It took me a second or 2 to get my head tighter and find out what just happened, but never took the calf out of my rifle scope. Then I had to repeat the rifle, and just as I pushed a new cartridge into the chamber, the deer started moving. Now they started running it tuned out to be more deer in the low bank of the stream, so now 7 deer was quick stepping towards the woods. Their route actually took them closer to my position, so when they stopped to look back just before reaching the trees, distance was around 140-150 meters. My focus was on the one I had taken the shot at, but I now saw it was not the smallest one, the lead hind was clearly the biggest, but in my head, it was still a calf. Now it was standing still as the second last in the group just in front of the protective woodland and looked directly at my position.

Situation was good and the crosshairs just took a second to center on its shoulder. The shot was a good one as the deer made a big jump and the sound og bullet impact reached me. It was clearly hit well but run back out into the open ground away from me. 2 deer followed it, while the rest run into the trees together with lead hind. From my position It looked like the deer I had hit run around 150 meters before it stopped, swayed a bit, and finally collapsed. That open space did not really give any waypoint to navigate on when I had to find the deer, so I kept my position about 10 minutes trying to imprint the spot, before starting to move toward it.

First thing was to cross the stream. My boots where already full of water/bog/mud, but as it had become warm, the view of adding fresh cold water in there was not all to appealing. After a little detour over some large boulders, the stream was crossed without getting in to deep, and a route was taken who would lead me to where the deer was lying. Now the old army training about attention and shooting readiness “to all sides to all times”, also applies to stalking, but I forgot it just as I vent up onto open ground from the low-lying stream. A hind and calf was standing there, around 120 meters from me, but as I just stepped up in my full height, they saw me at once. They only stood there for a second before turning and running directly away, up into the distant hills in the background. A big chance to shoot had just been missed, because I did have full attention to “all sides” for a moment.

Then the walk toward the spot where the deer stood when I took the shot was continued. This time careful and with constant attention to the surroundings. No more deer was seen before reaching the spot, where I immediately found a lot of blood and lung tissue.

Tried to follow the blood, but the open ground had some very swampy spots, and had to give up taking the direct route. Could mot help to wonder how the deer can run trough this swamp without sinking in, but it was a fact they had done so.

Spend a whole hour looking for that deer, in the only 20-30centimeters high vegetation, without finding it. At last, I walked back to toward the spot where the deer was standing when I took the shot, and then almost stumbled across it. First of all, the “calf”, turned out to be a young hind from last year, lying there with 3 centimeters wide exit wound from a lungshot. Now I took a measurement and found out the deer had only run 55 meters, so I had been looking to far away. It was lying on the side, and almost invisible from just 8-10 meters distance. Marking was done, before gralloch, and then I started to stalk back toward the car, after all there might still be a chance on the way back.

Had to cross that ford again to reach the car, but as I was first man there, there was plenty of time to empty boots, and wring up socks. The 10 minutes waiting time for my co hunter, I left boots and wet socks on the exhaust manifold to dry them a bit.

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It seemed easy to find in the low vegitation, but spend a lot of time looking for it.


At the agreed time we meet up with Matt at his larder and could now have a good talk about the mornings happenings and give positions on deer to be picked up.

When Matt left to pick up deer, we took a little sleep in the good weather this afternoon, so we could be ready when time came for evening stalk.



This evening on day 2, I got a area with a new road, and large clearings where trees had been cleared and the grounds made ready for new plants. Again, the weather was warm and completely still, so movement was only possible on this newly made road, and even this was hard, as the new road was made of quite big stones. When I started moving a little wind came up, and unfortunately, I had it in my back, so I went quickly out to the other end of “my” stalking area, and this way started stalking against the still very weak wind.

Taking plenty of pauses to look at the landscape and spot for deer, I came slowly back towards the car. However, when the sun set, I still had not seen any deer, and decision was made to sit and wait on a good spot. Just before reaching the spot a stag suddenly came out of the trees just 75 meters beside the road, I was walking on. The stag had not seen me, and all its attention was in the opposite direction as I was standing. I put up my sticks, without being noticed, and hoped for another deer to come out downwards from the stag, as it had all its attention directed that way. I had my 1 stag at this trip, but still enjoyed watching the big animal from such close distance. There certainly must have been something in the trees further down from that stag, as it had all its attention that way. However, I never found out what it was, as the stag went back into the trees after 3-4 minutes. I kept my position, with rifle on the sticks for about 10 more minutes, but nothing came out of the trees.

Rest of shooting light was spent sitting down and watching that edge of woodland for something to come out, but it didn’t happen.

Light was spent, and as I had the car again, I was to pick up one of my co hunters, to take him along to the meeting spot at Matts larder.



Now last day was to begin, and this morning I had to drive my 2 co hunters a long way around, to a new way into the woods. After dropping them of, I went back to the same spot as I had shot the young hind the morning before.

This time I knew the area and tightened the bootlaces extra up before going through the ford, and that way kept most of the water out. It did not take me long time to stalk along the stream up to the open grounds, but unfortunately, I did not see deer on the way up.

When arriving at the open ground first 5-10 minutes was spent just watching the grounds through binoculars. Only deer spotted was a hind and calf near the wood at the opposite end I shot the deer morning before, distance around 500 meters.

From the morning before I knew there could be deer in the open without me being able to se them because of the terrain. In the planning for a stalking route to the hind/calf, I would avoid the open spaces even when it was the shortest route and had good wind. First of all, I now knew there where a lot of bog-swamps out there, and approaching unseen would probably lead through a lot of water/bog/mud. The route chosen was along the Woodline, and in case of needing inside the very thigh woods.

The stalk around open area, showed a few surprises, as there again was some very swampy spots on unexpected places, and I went into them knee deep. However, distance got shorter and shorter, but as I kept in low places, there was no knowledge about if the deer was still there. At last, I came to a spot along the wood edge, where the terrain lifted a little, and I had planned to do the shooting from here. Now carful crawled up to the spot where I expected to see the deer, and immediately discovered there was too much long grass to make a shot from here. Could not even se the deer from her, but as my curiosity was to great, I slowly raised my head a little with laser in front of eyes. Saw a glimpse of the deer, now moved very close to the woods, and measured distance to 220-230 meters, before slowly dropping myself back into the tall grass.

The trees looked very tight, and I already knew it was more or less impossible to move trough them without great effort and noise. Right here however it looked like there where room to crawl under them, so again my sewed in kneepads where to great help.

I crawled around 50-60 meters closer, before seeing a spot who looked like it might be good for getting up and taking a shot. Plan worked, and I got up in knelling position whit rifle resting good and solid in my now shortened Viper flex sticks. Unfortunately, the deer was now right at the edge of the protective forest, and only the calf vas out. As the angle on the calf was so bad, I waited for it to turn the side, but it just didn’t happen as it disappeared into the trees after a minute or 2. If I had been on the spot 5 minutes earlier, it would likely have led to a shot, but now the chance had gone. Kept sitting there for about 5 more minutes, then my knees hurt so badly I had to get up and move.

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This open ground is really swampy, and not easy to move in. It might not look that way, but therer are gullies and low spots, so movement without beeing seen is possible, if the ground had not been so soft.


Had to continue, and stalked a long distance around the wood edge, to get to a “new” quadbike track that, according to my map, would take me back into a road inside the woods, who should lead back to the car. This morning, we agreed to give more time than usual before meeting time at Matts larder, so I had plenty of time for this extra-long stalk.



Map was correct and I stalked very careful on this road inside the woods back towards the car. The wood was really thick, and the road was old with grass on the middle, so a good stalking road. It was a long way, but I did not see a single deer, and when I finally could see out of it, to where the ford was, I stopped stalking and stepped up the pace. Again, the old army saying is true: “at all times to all sides”, and I walked right into a deer standing 50 meters from the ford. The deer of course would have heard me before seeing me, so I only saw a glimpse of it disappearing into the thick woods. Again, I had blown a big chance because I did not remember to be alert al all times.

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One very tired old Dane when arriving back to the car.


Last night had arrived, and this time I got a new area, where I could walk a track out of the woods. Along the track there was several slices downhill where deer could be standing. Weather however was again warm and completely still. The weather made it absolutely impossibly to move quiet on “my” track, so I decide to walk quickly out of the woods and sit there.

When coming out of the woods there where clear view 300 meter downwards and around 200 meters upwards, so I liked the spot. Fond grass knoll beside a little self-planted fir tree, was perfect spot to sit. Sticks shortened up for shooting from siting down position, distance measurement were taken out to points at around 200 meters, and I was now ready to react if any deer should come out of the woods. I sat for a long time and light started to disappear before a deer came out. It was a hind came out downhill at my 175-meter marker “lone birch tree”. Normally I would expect more deer to follow in a situation like this, but as the light was dwindling shot had to be made now.

When the deer came into the rifle scope my body angle was bad, and I had to correct myself and move the sticks a little bit. Even in the growing dark and behind the little fir-tree the hind saw my movement and took a quick look at me for a second, before jumping back into the woods. This was my last chance blown on this trip, and again I can only blame myself as I should have moved more carefully.



Because of our KLM trouble, this would be to last hunting day on the trip, even when 5 days where original planned. Our “new” flight with Logan Air from Aberdeen had takeoff Friday morning at 10,20, so we had to leave early next morning. We left that morning with a sad feeling and would really have like to stay the last 2 days. On the road to Aberdeen there where a lot of talk about what we experienced, and what experience we missed by going home early.

Returning of rental car to SIXT Aberdeen, was without trouble and just next to the airport. Then came Check in with Logan Air. I have only good things to say about Aberdeen airport and logan air, when it comes to checking in firearms. The whole procedure took less than 10 minutes, then all 3 of us was through, and Logan Air had checked in our rifle cases and suitcases containing the ammo, with no fuzz at all.

Flight back to Denmark went well and Danish customs used a minute to look into each rifle case, then let us trough.



Now back in Denmark thinking back on the trip it leaves a memory of some really great days in Scotland. First thing I need to mention is Matt who such positive expression that, even the most tired old grumpy lowland Dane, will turn happy after just few minutes with this amazing man. Next thing is his dog, who is about the perfect deer dog, how I imagine a deer dog should be.

Then the grounds: There where areas for “close range” wood stalking and other places for long shots. Hills, but any worse than we lowland Danes with our limited hill shape, could cope. A working wood, with managed deer population. This meant not massive number of deer like some areas in Scotland, but compared to Denmark the deer population was very good. The deer was used to being managed, why they are absolutely not easy, any mistakes in the stalking will result in lost chances. So, the deer gives good challenge compared to deer, who are more used to seeing humans, likes the ones we are used to here.



This is my first writeup in English made without help from Google translate, so please forgive for errors in word setup. English is my 4. language after South Jut, Danish and German, so I am still leaning.





Sonny
 
Thanks for a great write up. It sounds like you had both a good, but also eventful trip. :) And overcoming troubles, like you and your friends did, tends to just make the memories Even richer, I think.

Knæk og bræk til den næste jagt, og Husk: kig til alle sidder, altid! 😉🌲
 
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