First Time on the Hill

[Chasey]

Thanks to an invite I was privalaged to spend three days out on the hill in Scotland after Stags

Of the four of us we managed one stag on day one and frankly I should have had another on day two but I was uneasy about the shot so left it too late.

Having got home last night I thought id post a couple of things I learnt. This was my first time on the hill and obviously what I lernt might be very local to the site I was shooting in West inverness, but with those limitations in mind:

Midges

If theres little wind and you stand still or sit for more than 1min Forget repellent as a final solution to midge as those Scotish midge are hard bas##rds and they lap it up. Thin wrist covering gloves, full length shirt sleives and a face vale will be my minimum kit if I ever go in August again. One of the party felt we should man up after complaining about the midges until he sat down and was covered in them and he promptly stood up and abandonded the morning. You breath them, they go in your eyes and ears and you dig them out of your nose like black snot. You even have to wipe them off your scope lenze and binos.

Thermal (temp 12 -18c)

I got it all wrong. All my kit was way to warm and frankly a long sleeved T-shirt preferably some hit tec breathable fabric would have been ideal. I was drowning in sweat walking several miles on some days and climbing up to 1500 feet. I wore light weight cotton trousers with zero water repelancy but they were good to walk in and didn't sweat as much as my water resistant Sealend Keepers so I suffered getting wet.

Rain

Big problem as all I had was my Seeland Poncho or my Seeland Keeper jacket. Both were far too warm for stalking in but at least the Poncho doubled as a ground sheet which was extremely usefull as the ground was often waterlogged. I would look into some form of lightweight packamac solution if I went again during the summer.

Footwear

I did do OK with Ankle boots but you spend an awful lot of time looking down and not out for the deer as theres a lot of unexpected boggy ground and deep puddles hidden by floating moss heather etc. I also had Muck Boots which were by far the better solution but too hot. The locals just wore welly boots.

Weight

Bin the mod and get a light weight bipod. Carrying the rifle up hill over long distance is a chalange with a front heavy unit and carrying it upside down meant it digging barrel first in the mud when I crowched down. My T3 Light SS Synthetic 308 with no mod or stand was brilliant. Sadly I needed the stand and suddenly a few hundred for a carbon fibre one seemed a good idea.

Kit

My single sided small ruck sac worked OK but was too hot and a waste mounted rig with a couple of bum bags would be better. I carried a knife, head torch, gloves, wet wipes, something to drink (essential) mozi spray (waste of time) a few plasters and a bandage, single AA back up torch and a small GPS device (Bushnell tracker) to get me home if lost. I also had a pull rope for extraction and a range finder. We all had radios and I found that invaluable. I carried three rounds in the mag and three spares only.

Personaly I carried a Sealand poncho when I knew we were not walking too far. Lieing down meant getting soaked and the poncho helped with unexpected rain and as a ground sheet. Sadly I couldnt face it on longer walks and just accepted id get soaked through.

Sticks

Started out with sticks but stopped using them (more to carry )when I realised it would be 99.9% lie down and shoot

Shots

The range finder was a must for me. The shear scale of Scotland buggers with your perception of distance. I play golf and shoot so I am usuly pretty good but was always underestimating distance due to scale. One potential shot I reckoned was about 180 and it was 257.

Id say zero at 200 and be prepared for long shots on the Stags. Yes I had close in shots on the Hinds but I found the Stags to be super clued up and with the open ground I started accepting it was likely id be shooting 200m ish +

Of course some will shout lack of stalking skill and they may be dead right but I offer this as advice to new to the hill stalkers, not gurus.


Fitness

Day one killed me but it got easier. I think id have benifited from a weeks build up walking up hard hills for an hour or so every night. Hydration is very important as one day I ended up drinking out of a rust brown (but flowing) slither of water in desperation after feeling the effects of dehydration setting in. Fortunatly no ill effects from the peaty water to be reported.


Deer movement

The hinds seemed to come down to the low flat lands during the night and move back up the hill or into the woods at first light. We saw dozons if not hundreds of Hinds but only a few Stags. We did see stags MUCH higher up the hill/mountain than we were climbing too. There comes a point where extraction overrules the point of tracking them further.

Extraction

MUST be planned in advance. I looked at deer in many positions thinking id not shoot that if it were a Stag because I just couldnt extract it. We had a local man with a six wheel quad thing which could help out but in many ways location for extraction was a big influence on me on takin the shot. Dragging down hill was OK but some spots you went up a hill and down into a valley before climbing the next hill or three and that needed some thought if your the wrong side of 50 and not that fit as even the small reds are big


Anyway hope that helps someone planning to go the first time.

Cant wait to go again but out of midge seasion and in Hind seasion

ATB

CHasey

 

[geoffrey]

Ho Chasey, a good read, thanks for taking the time to post, we must get together later in the year, Cheers Geoff

 

[Highlandsjohn]

Well done Chasey,thanks for the report. If you want to come back then all is good.john

 

[Essexsussex]

Good write up Chasey - food for thought for those who might want to do their first hill trip.
i completely echo the rangefinder point. Where I shoot you might be shooting around 200m, which is where bullet drop really kicks in and a mis judgement can be quite a big balls up, easy to do with little in the way of trees and other objects to judge range by and even more difficult in the snow. My cheap rangefinder has been gamechanging.

you will really enjoy the hinds - extraction becomes even more limiting where you are in the situation you describe and have the opportunity for multiple shots with several hills between you and the road!

thanks for posting

ES

 

[caorach]

Yes, if you've bought all the stuff the magazine adverts tell you that you need then you will be going on the hill with all the wrong stuff

It is tricky to get a balance, as previously reported I've gone to the British Army Windproof Smock with a very lightweight "waterproof shell" to wear under it for my stalking and this system does solve most of the problems you detail, however you have to carry the shell, though it fits in a pocket. A lot still like the tweeds and I suspect there are very good reasons for this. Give the windproof smock/waterproof liner thing a try next time out as you can get the jackets for maybe £30ish, you don't put the waterproof bit on unless it actually gets very wet and the smock is very breathable and showerproof. They key is that the waterproof layer goes UNDER the smock. Sounds crazy, but it just works.

With trousers I've never found the perfect solution, I think you might be right that sometimes it is best just to wear lightweight, quick drying, non-waterproof trousers and deal with it, the down side of this on wet ground, wet weather, or wet vegetation is that the water eventually runs down your legs into your boots. If you've the right socks you can get away with this in relative comfort but on multi-day camping trips or long days out it isn't ideal.

I wear 3 - 4 season walking boots as on rough ground I find them the best solution and the best support. I don't know anyone who stalks rough hill ground in wellies as that is going to end badly but my girlfriend would wear wellies at sheep on the moorland etc so they do have a place. If you are looking at boots then my advice is to stay away from the stuff "marketed" at stalkers and look at something aimed at hill walking. Like stalking this is a "fashion" sport so you can often get last year's model for a lot less cash. The 3 - 4 season crampon rated stuff will offer a lot of support and will save your neck, or at least you leg, some day.

In terms of midges then I use Smidge and don't get bitten but, as you say, they still swarm all around you and get up your nose etc. and a lot of people are badly bothered by this, at that point it is headnet time and the headnet is the only completely reliable way to deal with this sort of annoyance. One thing I will say is that a lot of the annoyance with them flying around your head etc. (I've fished when they were so thick I couldn't see the end of my rod) is a mental thing and you can overcome it, if they are biting you however then there is no way to deal with this other than finding a way to make it stop.

 

[LeftHandGuy]

Great write up. Thanks!

I'm curios though - you don't list binos among your kit. Is that because they are so much a part of what you would have with you that you wouldn't think of it (like say, your wallet, rifle, knife or underpants) or because your rangefinder doubles up? Or did you make a choice to not take them?

 

[enfieldspares]

I got it all wrong. All my kit was way to warm and frankly a long sleeved T-shirt preferably some hit tec breathable fabric would have been ideal. I was drowning in sweat walking several miles on some days and climbing up to 1500 feet. I wore light weight cotton trousers with zero water repelancy but they were good to walk in and didn't sweat as much as my water resistant Sealend Keepers so I suffered getting wet.

Wool, Chasey, wool. Woollen tweeds. It's keeps the warmth out just as well as it keeps the cold out and it breathes. Get a good set of heavy tweeds.

Hydration is very important as one day I ended up drinking out of a rust brown (but flowing) slither of water in desperation after feeling the effects of dehydration setting in. Fortunately no ill effects...

Some light reading for you:

Waterborne Illnesses; UK rivers. Clean Rivers Trust

 

[bogtrotter]

Wool, Chasey, wool. Woollen tweeds. It's keeps the warmth out just as well as it keeps the cold out and it breathes. Get a good set of heavy tweeds.



Some light reading for you:

Waterborne Illnesses; UK rivers. Clean Rivers Trust

While there may be a small risk in the Highlands it is very small, when you consider that keepers,stalkers and shepherds live in remote locations, in upland situations there are no mains water supplies and their water is piped to their homes from hill burns, when did you last hear of any of them falling ill through drinking the water?
I and my siblings grew up drinking such water and continued to drink it for much of my adult life, while there is a small risk there is a big difference between drinking from a fast running Highland burn and drinking from a lowland stream.

 

[sy247]

Great write up. Really enjoyed reading it at work today. Maybe consider one of these:

lifestraw.com

(No affiliation)

 

[.25-06]

LOL that was an enjoyable read, I think everybody stalking in the uplands will have experienced similar at some point.

 

[CarlW]

What a great write-up. Made me smile.

 

[Chasey]

Thanks all glad you enjoyed it.

Yes my DSC2 instructor Andy Papworth said Tweed as well. I have to admit to being put off by the cost and the fact id feel a little ridicilious as a cockney in tweed, but it does sound like its worth a try.

Sorry yes I had binos and as you said they are so much part of the rig, I forgot to mention them

A lense cloth was also essential for midge and sweat related eyeball steam removal

I tell you, my next session in a high seat will feel like a holiday all of its self

ATB

Chasey

 

[enfieldspares]

While there may be a small risk in the Highlands it is very small, when you consider that keepers,stalkers and shepherds live in remote locations, in upland situations there are no mains water supplies and their water is piped to their homes from hill burns, when did you last hear of any of them falling ill through drinking the water?

Made me smile! Four decades ago now whilst up on the hills a companion said just that as he filled his water bottle from a burn. Fifty yards further up lying right in the middle of it was a well rotting sheep carcass. Lovely.

But I take the point.

 

[Coddy]

Regarding the original posts. Possibly a help for your next visit to the Highlands.

Midgies. You are right. Ba57ards. I suffer big time with them, even using Smidge and Skin so Soft. Get a Midge Jacket. Beatons Midge Jackets | Midge Jacket provides protection against Scotland’s infamous Midge.

Temperature. Not to bad this time of year, even for Southern softies. Worse in Nov - March obviously.

Rain - See above.

Footwear - A good quality Gortex lace up boot is ideal, as you may have found out. Plugging through boggy ground possibly a bit much for ankle height boots. Also Sealskin socks. Not keen on wellies, no ankle support.

Weight - Kit. Keep the mod on. I use a Vorn Rucksack. Carries the rifle, plus the kit you mention in 1 go.

Sticks - I would keep them. You can use the sticks to aid walking and also getting up / down steeper bits.

 

[CarlW]

Thanks all glad you enjoyed it.

Yes my DSC2 instructor Andy Papworth said Tweed as well. I have to admit to being put off by the cost and the fact id feel a little ridicilious as a cockney in tweed, but it does sound like its worth a try.

Sorry yes I had binos and as you said they are so much part of the rig, I forgot to mention them

A lense cloth was also essential for midge and sweat related eyeball steam removal

I tell you, my next session in a high seat will feel like a holiday all of its self

ATB

Chasey

Hi Chasey,

Tweed doesn't need to look 'posh' or 'laird-like'. A good pair of tweed breeks and goretex gaiters coupled with an army surplus smock (as suggested by Caorach) will suit the conditions as near to perfectly as possible (Scottish weather takes pleasure in doing the opposite of whatever you dress for) and will avoid you feeling like an extra from Downton Abbey.

Forget wellies. Some of the locals might wear them but they also wear skirts. Tough buggers, these Jocks. More seriously, wellies will cripple you. A pair of high-leg walking boots (Meindl, or similar) will keep you safe.

You will enjoy the hinds. Freezing to death is much more fun than asphixiating in a thick soup of midges.

Despite the challenges - or perhaps because of them - it really is the most beautiful place on earth, isn't it? Glad you have got the Highland bug.

Best,

Carl

 

[suburban bushwacker]

Weight - Kit. Keep the mod on. I use a Vorn Rucksack. Carries the rifle, plus the kit you mention in 1 go.
.

Useful looking thing, which size did you get?

 

[J111]

Just interested in the longish shot issue and how most compensate for the drop. Do people tend to just hold over based on say aiming at its back? I think this is only any good to 250m or are people dialing in drops or using ballistic retucles?
Longest shot I was faced with on the hill in last trip was 180m so it was basically point and shoot with a 150m zero. Just not sure how I'd manage anything further than 250 without taking scope cap off and dialling it..

 

[countrryboy]

I usd to go to quite a tough steep grouse moo where u always walking along the hill face or up/down the faces was murder, an was always amazed the amount of neighbouring herds/keepers that just turned up in there willies and walked all day
Personally I wouldn't advise it ut some folk just like/are used to wearing willies.

Must admit I'd have no problem drinking hill bun water (but I too have a private supply) but its knowing the right sort of places to drink the water from.
Also most houses now will have filters and a UV light to 'treat' there private water supplies nowadays, althou 1 of my neighbours still doesn't but he's been living there 30 odd years so will be immune to any bugs in the water, may affect u 'city' type more.


Going to ask a question about boots here. I like me high leather boots, mendl dovre's the now and can't fault them for comfort or support,
But why do u never see walking/hiking boots with a high leg the way most stalking boots are?
Also can u still get old fashioned boots with no goretext lining? I'm not conviced about breathing and on the warmer days on the grouse ur socks are definitely wet wit sweat. In NZ I hurt my feet quite badly walking in the heat with yeti gaiters on and gore text lining in the boots.
When I eventually stopped to see wot was wrong with my feet u'd of thougt I had been in the bath for hours, like prunes and blistering.

As for fitness its always worth putting a bit of time in on the push bike beforehand makes the day far more enjoyable whn ur no blowing out throu ur erse.

Must admit I do like my breeks, more for grouse days than hill stalking but quite simiar as walking miles on the hill.
reeks are no longer expensive I just bougt a pair and matching gillet for 25 quid each, either on evil bay or portsmans clearance lines be loads pretty cheap.
Don't get my wong not the best quality at times but at 25 quid wot do u expect and I'd still expect to get a few 50plus day seasons out of them (althou ot more than 1 pair, often alternate 2 until knackered) many are now machine wash too, and being honest I used to chuck my old ones in anyway which weren't and never did them much harm (but again cheap tweeds)

 

[S&L7x57]

Very interesting read, thank you.
I have stalked on Mull for over 10 years, both summer and mid winter and have struggled with finding the ideal kit but like all the previous posts, have found stuff that works for me.
Mull is not particularly demanding in terms of height and rugged terrain BUT it is one of the first stops for weather systems from the Atlantic and so the swings in temp, precipitation, wind etc can be enormous....and that is just the first hour!
On the estate I visit, I am always accompanied so safety is not perhaps my first consideration but if I was alone, I would be MUCH more careful. Something as 'minor' as a turned ankle combined with a dead radio/phone and a dose of cold rain can be life threatening, especially at the end of a long hard day when energy levels are lowest.
Even without injury, a spell spent hunkered down behind a tussock is a squall waiting for a beast to stand up can be very uncomfortable and I have lost track of the times i have been unable to feel my fingers...in August!
So my no-no's are:
Wellies unless you have ankle strength like Arny: good goretex high ankle boots are the business.
Normal cotton trousers eg. cords or jeans: when wet they seem to drain the heat out of you. Stick with tweed or really serious technical gear.
Wearing a heavy, waterproof coat over not much: dress in multiple layers and be prepared to undress and redress as conditions dictate.
Leaving your stick behind cos they are 'just one more thing to carry': that third leg is essential for all sorts of things and you try taking a shot from a bracken bed off a bipod!
Forgetting your gloves: see above.
Not taking a high energy snack for that cold hour behind the tussock mentioned above!
Carrying water when you are in one of the wettest environments in Western Europe.
Leaving your mod off (to save weight) and therefore missing multiple chances as the hinds mill around wondering what happened to their mate. The few ounces really is not going to kill you and anyway, IMHO, if you going to be crawling through a bog, you rifle should be in a slip.
Packing a 'state of the art' stalking waterproof that worked just fine on a dog walk in Suffolk.....
How long have you got?
In fact one of the joys of hill stalking is making all the (less scary) mistakes yourself, enjoy!

 

[S&L7x57]

Oh, and midges: I have tried every known repellent known to man (don't ask!) and most work some of the time but NONE cope when the darlings are really going for it. Smidge is my favorite but they seem to work differently on different people. The only real solution is a midge hat and gloves but shooting through a veil in the gloaming is really challenging and the minute you lift the veil....! Or stalk in the winter months!