Wanted: looking for rough shooting/stalking ground.

[gus308]

I am looking for some areas of rough shooting, stalking. I am based on the Black Isle and I do have one small farm but would really a little more, purely for getting a roe into the freezer maybe three times a year. I do know a good number of the land owners as I have lived here for 15 yrs but most of the place is sewn up, you know who you are.
I have been shooting in one form or another since I have been 10 that was 33 yrs ago so I have experience, I also used work on Assynt, Tulchan and Castle Leod and now work for an RFD. I am sure it used to be a lot easier to pick up shooting, anyway if anybody has land they are giving up or no longer require I would like to be considered.
Its a bit cheeky for a first post I know but as my mother said if you don`t ask then you don`t get, then she said no!

 

[User00003]

Good on you for asking..you won't get any constructive replies (mine being one), but nothing wrong with asking

welcome to the forum though,,unless you shoot Blaser..

 

[Pine Marten]

Welcome Gus! I can offer you unlimited grey squirrels in my garden, unless of course they're CIC trophy class in which case it's £300 for a bronze, £400 for silver and £1000 for gold medal squirrels.

 

[User00003]

LOL..ok I was having a real ****ty day but that one did put a smile on my face!

 

[Pine Marten]

You laugh, but some of those squirrels have REALLY bushy tails!

 

[JTO]

Welcome Gus! I can offer you unlimited grey squirrels in my garden, unless of course they're CIC trophy class in which case it's £300 for a bronze, £400 for silver and £1000 for gold medal squirrels.

Not so silly, perhaps. I met people, who were paying £25 a day to walk round woods with an air rifle 30 years ago.

 

[unicorn71]

You laugh, but some of those squirrels have REALLY bushy tails!

Well if your urban greys are worth 1000's I will ship some corn fed country ones down to you and split the profits 50/50 !!

 

[Pine Marten]

Thanks Chris, but there's enough fox food in my garden as it is... I need to pick up with you about the forthcoming shooting season actually, although obviously I wouldn't presume to shoot your valuable squirrels.

 

[gus308]

What calibres your garden cleared for?

 

[Pine Marten]

At the moment it's just water pistol and small-bore bubble gun shaped like a dolphin.

 

[gus308]

Brilliant, made me laugh, thank you.

 

[bobby1234]

hi gus,

the black isle has to be one of the hardest places to get land. ive been living here for just over a year and have managed to get roughly 2500 acres to shoot on. The old door knocking seems to be the only way.

good luck

 

[rick6point5]

hi gus,

the black isle has to be one of the hardest places to get land. ive been living here for just over a year and have managed to get roughly 2500 acres to shoot on. The old door knocking seems to be the only way.

good luck

Crikey, a year in, that is good going, Gus should be in with a chance then.

 

[bobby1234]

Yeah. Just needs 1 person to say yes then the rest will come.

 

[sikamalc]

Assynt and Castle Leod I know very well, stalked both areas. If you look in the stalking section there was a syndicate place going with Glen Cadwalder a few weeks back.

I can vouch for Glen, top man and very honest and to the point. He might be able to help you.

 

[gus308]

Aye the Black Isle is all tied up, I have been here for 15yrs had have got about 2000 acres, that's not that much mind! I do have other places over at Tulchan and Glen Rossal but somewhere closer for the roe would be good. I loved being up at Assynt going back a bit mind that was when Terry Manchester was in the big house and Jimmy Mackie was the stalker. Castle Leod was good too but its run by an idiot.

 

[sikamalc]

Castle Leod was 1986 I think and onwards for about 6 years for me. We even had the Ptarmigan shooting on part of Ben Wyvis at the time, plus the odd Blackgrouse on the way up.
Assynt I was involved quite deeply with just as the Assynt crofters foundation bought the land of the Vesties. I spent two years culling with 7 to 8 other stalkers I organised at the time to achieve a cull of 200 head per year.

Alister McCaskill who ran the local butchers shop in Lochinver and Bill Ritchie an echo warrior and local crofter were the two main players who pushed the sale through, and I had the most dealings with at the time. We spent some long days on the estate culling Reds, and I think the best day we had something around 10 Red Stags on the floor with a cull of about 80 to achieve. Mind you it is 44,400 acres roughly and at the time very few tracks on the estate. Few years ago mind, but some happy but hard times stalking on there. Still have quite a few photos of the place and some dramatic scenery with Suliven in the background.