Hello all,
I recently went on a stalk with Callum (@ca11um ). He is as brand new as they come, but I honestly couldn’t recommend him highly enough. As someone with very limited stalking experience, I found him to be an excellent guide—both during the stalk itself and later when answering all my post-shoot questions (no matter how daft they might have been).
The plan was to meet at 07:30 at his place. I was late, admittedly, but Callum was incredibly organized and professional. He even had the heated seat on for my arrival and lent me his spare binoculars after I realised I’d left mine at home.
We headed out for a quick drive to one of his permissions, and almost immediately an opportunity presented itself. *Clean miss*. Let’s just blame cold hands, the weather, shooting off the bonnet of the truck—or whatever other excuse fits…
Next, we moved on to another permission after a short 5–10-minute drive through the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside (no bias at all…). Credit where it’s due: his taste in music was impeccable. Along the way we spotted a fox at over 300 meters chasing through a stubble field after a group of swans, but it wasn’t interested in stopping to offer a shot.
Then, around a corner on the farm, we saw four roe does in one field and another six to eight further down and into the next park. The initial plan was to ignore the first four and stalk into the larger group, until one of the deer started barking, which set the whole lot on alert. Two more appeared from the original group, giving us plenty to work with.
We stalked in to just over 150-170 yards (I think). A shot presented itself. Callum advised me to take a neck shot—something I’d usually avoid due to inexperience—but with him beside me I felt confident enough to take it. *Shot rings out*. The RWS 100gr .243 dropped the first roe on the spot. The others bolted, but three clearly weren’t too bothered. I rechambered another round, lined up again, and the second shot brought another roe down.
Then the gralloching began. Callum walked me through his process, explaining what he looks for and how he assesses the health of the deer.
Sometime later, we were back at Callum’s house where he skinned the deer—mostly without help from me, as I was probably more of a hindrance with all my questions. He then asked how I wanted the venison processed. I opted for steaks, cranberry burgers, and sausages with black pudding. There were loads of choices for cuts and flavourings. (As of 01/12, I’m still waiting to pick them up—the deer were only shot on 30/11/25.)
To conclude: I genuinely couldn’t recommend Callum highly enough. He’s a great guide and an all-round top bloke. I’ll definitely be shooting with him again soon—whether that’s for reds, pigeons (doos), or crows in the summer.
Final note: once I receive the processed venison, I’ll add a photo of the finished products.
I recently went on a stalk with Callum (@ca11um ). He is as brand new as they come, but I honestly couldn’t recommend him highly enough. As someone with very limited stalking experience, I found him to be an excellent guide—both during the stalk itself and later when answering all my post-shoot questions (no matter how daft they might have been).
The plan was to meet at 07:30 at his place. I was late, admittedly, but Callum was incredibly organized and professional. He even had the heated seat on for my arrival and lent me his spare binoculars after I realised I’d left mine at home.
We headed out for a quick drive to one of his permissions, and almost immediately an opportunity presented itself. *Clean miss*. Let’s just blame cold hands, the weather, shooting off the bonnet of the truck—or whatever other excuse fits…
Next, we moved on to another permission after a short 5–10-minute drive through the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside (no bias at all…). Credit where it’s due: his taste in music was impeccable. Along the way we spotted a fox at over 300 meters chasing through a stubble field after a group of swans, but it wasn’t interested in stopping to offer a shot.
Then, around a corner on the farm, we saw four roe does in one field and another six to eight further down and into the next park. The initial plan was to ignore the first four and stalk into the larger group, until one of the deer started barking, which set the whole lot on alert. Two more appeared from the original group, giving us plenty to work with.
We stalked in to just over 150-170 yards (I think). A shot presented itself. Callum advised me to take a neck shot—something I’d usually avoid due to inexperience—but with him beside me I felt confident enough to take it. *Shot rings out*. The RWS 100gr .243 dropped the first roe on the spot. The others bolted, but three clearly weren’t too bothered. I rechambered another round, lined up again, and the second shot brought another roe down.
Then the gralloching began. Callum walked me through his process, explaining what he looks for and how he assesses the health of the deer.
Sometime later, we were back at Callum’s house where he skinned the deer—mostly without help from me, as I was probably more of a hindrance with all my questions. He then asked how I wanted the venison processed. I opted for steaks, cranberry burgers, and sausages with black pudding. There were loads of choices for cuts and flavourings. (As of 01/12, I’m still waiting to pick them up—the deer were only shot on 30/11/25.)
To conclude: I genuinely couldn’t recommend Callum highly enough. He’s a great guide and an all-round top bloke. I’ll definitely be shooting with him again soon—whether that’s for reds, pigeons (doos), or crows in the summer.
Final note: once I receive the processed venison, I’ll add a photo of the finished products.
