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"Land of the hill and heather
Land of the awful weather
Land where the midges gather
Scotland the brave!"

"Why are they called beasts?" I asked Ian, one of our two stalkers for the week on Braeroy, as we bumped along the potholed, gravel road that divides the 25.000 acre estate. "I mean it's not as if they are the stuff of nightmares and horror films." I added.

"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe incase we can't tell if its a stag or a hind we just call them beasts, so as not to look foolish if we get it wrong!"

It has been four years since our last trip to The Highlands. Then it was to celebrate my 50th birthday with my wife and a wonderful group of closest friends. We spent a week at Inverbroom Lodge with everyone in the party going out onto the hill and successfully taking a stag. It was a memorable week of great sport, excellent food and drink, laughter shared between friends and even a black tie dinner, champagne and pipes. A week which I would not try too beat, nor would I want to. It was wonderful.

This trip was to be the polar opposite, I was with my wife for a short weeks break in Scotland. We would be staying in a simple village inn / pub, The Stronlossit Inn, in Roybridge, some 20 minutes drive from the estate and spending four days on the hills of Braeroy looking to take a couple of stag. Early up in the morning, a gulped down cup of tea, a bowl of porridge and a slice of toast and a 20 minute drive in the rental car to meet Ian and Ken, our stalkers, each day at 09.30 to go out onto the hills of Braeroy Estate. Time spent with my wife in spectacular surroundings doing something we both love to do.

Braeroy Estate, at the head of Glen Roy, with its famous parallel lines, has to boast some of the most spectacular scenery in The Highlands, 25.000 acres plus in the Lochaber District, to the east of Loch Lochy. The high point of the estate is Creag Meagaidh, a Munro, at 37.000 ft and the estate offers excellent, traditional stalking, down to the use of a Garron (they have 9 Highland ponies on the estate) retrieving stags off of some of the steeper beats on the estate. And there is absolutely no shortage of wildlife - eagles, red and black grouse, ground game and deer, oh yes, plenty of red deer! And midges! Quite simply - a marvelous traditional estate and spectacular scenery!

As a testament to successful animal management, Scotland's red deer population has trebled to 750.000 animals since the 1970s, and it's clear that stalking is a major industry and employer in the Highlands. Braeroy takes off 60-70 stag each year and about 150 hinds, all of which go into the food chain through the local game dealer.

I booked the trip at fairly short notice for the two of us and were indeed lucky that Braeroy had an opening. We took the Eurowings red eye from Duesseldorf, on the Monday morning to arrive early morning in Edinburgh, and then a rental car for the easy 3 hour drive past Perth and up to Braeroy, 7hrs 30 mins door to door. A far cry from having to take the overnight London to Scotland Caledonian sleeper train of yesteryear with shooting parties heading north of the border for their grouse and red deer sporting weeks. Nope this was Eurowings and a rental and welcome to The Highlands! It could not have been easier.





The scenery driving from Perth to Roy Bridge




And yes, we did stop at The House of Bruar, after all it's not a trip to The Highlands without stopping at The House of Bruar!





The B&B pub accommodation we opted for was fine, with a real fire in the bar and twenty odd single malts and the same amount of blends. With reasonably warm weather all week we did not need the fire and I guess I missed sitting by a warming fire and staring into the flames with a malt in hand. But with daytime temperatures of 10-15 degrees and evening temperatures around 10 degrees it was not needed. The menu was ok with more than enough variety so that we did not have to eat the same meal twice, although I did so once during the week as it was venison pie and it was excellent. They also accommodated us with a packed lunch on day one but we then found a Spar shop and put together our own lunch packs.










We settled in to the pub / B&B and spent the first afternoon chilling and relaxing with a few drinks in the pub garden in wonderful autumn sunshine. After an enjoyable dinner and a couple of pints of cask ale it was early to bed, full of anticipation as to what the next day would would bring.

Tuesday morning, throwing back the curtains, we were greeted by sunshine and although the forecast appeared correct with hardly a cloud in the sky, we packed rain gear in our packs just in case. We have learned that Scotland can throw all four seasons at you in one day, so it never hurts to be prepared. As the saying goes - if you don't like the weather in Scotland, wait 10 minutes. After a quick breakfast we made the short drive up the glen to the meeting point where we met Ian, the Head Stalker, along with Ken, a second Stalker, and Duncan and Mike working the ponies and quads.


































Following welcomes and greetings, standing in the breeze of an industrial ventilation fan to keep the midges away, we both had a test shot with the estate rifles - a Blaser with a Swarovski scope firing .270 Hornody ammo and a brand new unblooded Sako, also with a Swaro scope and also in .270 and we both hit the shoulder of the steel stag at 100 yards.






We then applied liberal amounts of anti bug spray and then it was into Ian's Ford Ranger for the short drive out to the hill, where we parked up at the foot of a waterfall.






Now Ian is 68, has been stalking since he started work aged 15, and he is tireless! We walked / stalked 16 kms with him on day one, up to the highest point where, late in the day, we came across a group of 30 plus stags. I had a shot but pulled it and a long walk back down the hill ended the days stalking / walking. In total we walked 16 kms up steep slopes, crossing burns and peat hags, climbing rocks and jumping moss covered pools and climbing crags, lungs ablaze and with heavy legs. It was some of the toughest Highland stalking that we have done and the hot bath back at the hotel was more than relieving at the end of each day. Mike had shadowed us during the day with a saddled pony but sadly we were not able to put a stag on the mares back at the end of day 1.



































On the second day we went out with Ken, with Ian and Duncan trailing with the pony. It was Duncan's first season on the estate and he has not had much garron work in the past so Ian was with him to help. I thought it fascinating that one of the pony saddles that they were using is over 150 years old! Now that's tradition along with a lot of care and maintenance.

We again climbed, following the deer up to the heights and although we saw hinds and stags we were beaten by the weather in the end. Both Anja and I were lined up for shots only to be enveloped by rolling mist or rain showers making shooting impossible. Day two ended walking back down the hills with an amazing rainbow and wet and cold we headed back to the inn.



























This piece of water was atop one of the hills! Just simply amazing countryside!













We became regulars in the Stronlossit bar and restaurant and met and talked to various people including a local couple who guide for brown trout on the loch. We swapped stories and laughs. It's wonderful how country sports unit people all over the world.

Midweek we were again greeted by morning sunshine as we drove up the glen to meet Ian for our third days stalking.








We again ascended up to some very high ground and followed a burn up to Dogs Falls, where we stopped for a picnic lunch by the river. In moments the clouds turned black and we found ourselves eating our lunch in a hail storm!! You could only laugh and laugh we did!!

After the storm abated we carried on and spied stags on the opposite slope. We climbed more high ground and dropped in onto them, the wind in our favor all the time. However a covey of grouse rose in front of us and sent the deer off around the hill. Bloody grouse! They busted us on a number of stalks over the four days. All the same we carried on, up and over the hill and an hour later we spied the deer below us on the valley floor. Ian and I crawled, slid and rolled 250 yards down the slopes until we were about the same distance away from the herd that we had closed and after a few minutes to regain my breathing and to focus, I was able to take a large, old stag with a very downhill shot onto his front left shoulder. He ran 50 yards and dropped and the herd took flight up the far bank.















"Aye, he's a good one took take," Ian commented, as he slit open the stag's check so as to check its teeth. We called the beast at 8-9 years, missing one of his front incisors with the other one loose to the touch. Ian gralloched the stag, but with the hillside being so steep it was not possible to bring the pony in so we ended up dragging the stag down the hill and loading him onto the quad, as the clouds again opened and the rain came down.

Back at the lodge butchery, Ian weighed the field dressed carcass at 82 kgs. A reasonably large stag in body weight and a good aged deer to take out of the herd.

Friday we varied the game and we went out in the Argo. The estate has two - one brand new - but Braeroy promotes itself as a classic stalking estate with the stalking all on foot and using ponies as opposed to Argos. Ian was however agreeable to my request that if we take an Argo we maybe could have a chance at two stags. Ken was only too pleased to take us up the hill in the Argo for our last day. The difference was that leaving the lodge grounds at 09.30, we were up in the high ground spying stags by 10.30 and stalking into stags half an hour later.














Anja put in a great neck shot on a big stag that only had one antler - a perfect one to take off the hill just before the rut so as to prevent possible injuries to other beasts when the rut starts in 2 weeks and by 11.00 we had a stag down.














We gralloched the stag and Ken and Duncan loaded him into the back of the Argo and we set off down the hill in glorious sunshine having had 4 days of challenging stalking, with all types of weather from summer sunshine to hail and we were guided by two excellent stalkers in Ian and Ken supported by Mike and Duncan. We were happy with the 2 stags and did not need a third or a fourth. Two was good.

Back at the lodge, Duncan skinned out the second head, boiled and bleached it and I bubble wrapped it along with the first one and packed the two in a large "Ghana bag" to take them back with us on the flight to Germany the next day. We had no issues at all at Edinburgh Airport nor in Dusseldorf and the two heads are already drying ready for mounting on boards as European mounts.

Ken weighed Anja's stag at 101 kgs. A very heavy beast! And Anja went for a spin in the Argo.





It was a glorious 4 days in The Highlands, with shared laughter, wonderful stalking in the company of very experienced stalkers, memorable sport with good stalks and good stags taken, good food and fine malts and believe it or not even the weather seemed to be perfect Scotland. It was a shame not to see the ponies carry stags off the hill, but hey ho there is always the next time. I should mention that Braeroy is not about trophy 12 point Royal stags. Braeroy is about traditional stalking and deer management, looking to take off the old stags and hinds and the stags with poor heads or irregular antlers. It's about the day on the hill and the stalking. The stag taken at the end of the day is of course important but it's not the end game.

Stalking in Scotland with my wife - it doesn't get much better than that!

Thank you to Galbraith Sporting for arranging the booking for us and a big thank you to Ian and Ken, our stalkers, for taking us onto the hill and getting us on to the beasts and thanks to Duncan and Mike, the pony men!

And finally thanks to all AR members for coming along too! It was a wonderful week in The Highlands, a special place to be enjoyed today and let's all make sure it's there tomorrow.





And a Scottish sunset to close on!






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Notes and Thoughts -

Here a few observations and thoughts that I would share after this and a number of our other trips to The Highlands chasing stags -

Quality rain gear - essential! I took an European Swedteam rain jacket and it worked well. Lightweight, velcro storm cuffs, quality zips and a storm hood. It kept me dry in the foulest of rain storms. I took and wore two pairs of Blaser trousers - both mid weight and waterproof. They did the job too - waterproof, quiet and warm. I also took and wore the latest British army Gore-tex jacket. It too was good but you could feel the cold air more than with the Swedteam kit. Ian and Ken swear by tweed but we did notice Ken's Real Tree camo cap and a camo jacket on the last day

Boots - here I got it very wrong. My boots were not up to it and on day two after 8 hours of walking on sodden wet grounds, through burns and marshes and hours of rain, I had wet feet and sodden socks and blisters. I laughed at the old saying "the rain can only go as far as your skin". I asked Ken if his feet were dry. They were he said and said he had a spare pair of boots that I could borrow the next day. I took him up on the offer, had totally dry feet and dry socks all day and before the trip was out, I had ordered a pair of Meindl Douvre Extreme boots in size 10 online for myself! It was a great example of try and buy.

A walking stick Traveling by plane it was not practically to carry or check in a stick or a shepherds crook. Ian had a couple spare sticks that we used the first day but we left them in his vehicle and did not have them on Wednesday when out with Ken. I'll never do that again. Up and down, across burns and peat hags and soft mosses all day for 14 kms killed my knees. A good sturdy stick or younger knees are an essential in The Highlands.

A dry shirt. By the time we got up the hills each day my T shirt and shirt were soaked from perspiration and / or the rain but mainly perspiration. I would then take off the wet under-layers and put on a dry shirt. Warm and dry again for the rest of the day. Worked well for me and beat spending the afternoon in a damp cold shirt!

Fitness - I thought I would be ok. I did an hour on the treadmill every day for 6 weeks before this trip. I died on the hill on day 1. Ian's comment was "The only way to get fit for the hill is to be on the hill." I died on day 3 too. Ian is 68 and does this for a living! We walked / stalked 15 km per day on average the first 3 days.

Trespass - Scotland has no trespass laws meaning that if you are on foot you can pretty much walk anywhere (other than fenced house gardens and similar). But basically it means anyone can walk across Braeroy durning the day and even pitch a tent and camp! Interestingly Scotland also promotes a Bothy Association with thousands of bothies around the country that all members may use. Pretty much like the Fish & Game huts in NZ's parks.

Gaiters - a useful piece of kit. Ian wore MacGaiters made of neoprene. Tight fitting, waterproof and quiet. I will look into them.

Sphagnum moss It's red, full of iodine, great for cleaning your hands and you can find it everywhere. It was used in WWII for disinfecting wounds. It's cool!





Drinking and driving in Scotland - the max limit is less than a pint of beer or a glass of wine! We are not drinkers and drivers but we do enjoy a glass of wine with an evening meal. We tended to stay at our hotel for meals and drinks.

Midges There were millions on the low grounds. They bite. They get in your eyes and ears and they irritate. A good spray or a head net and gloves are the only way to battle them.

Weather - with it still being autumn and not really cold, the stags were high up on the hills. The deer come down in the evenings and graze in the valley floors, going back up high at dawn so as to escape the midges and flies. When the rut sets in the stags come down lower and the herds split into smaller groups of deer. With the stags up high we did a lot of walking every day to get up to them.

Tipping - that hairy subject. Current rates (as advised by the booking agent) are : stalkers £30-50/- per day and pony boys / ghillie £10-20/- per day. Boiling heads £20-30/- each. Nice and easy that and it's not going to break the bank. We were happy to tip more, we had a great week.





I really hope you enjoyed this report and the pictures (done with ImgBB and I was not too happy with their resize programme).

Cheers

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What a great hunt! On my list for sure. Thank you.

A great report - you obviously had a super time - well done on the stags - you do usually need to work for them!!

A few thoughts on your observations:-
- Sticks - an essential in some form - I usually have a selection in the car or my hall ready to go - garden canes with mpira, crooks, thumbsticks etc. So many uses.
- Boots - Meindl are simply brilliant - I have the Himalyia boots but to be honest these are less comfortable having a rigid footbed. They are totally waterproof when combined with a pair of good -
- Gaiters - essential on the hill in my opinion. I use Goretex ones but these are not cheap and I'm currently making up one good pair from two wrecked ones!
- Underclothes - "cotton kills" - use polypropylene - UA, Musto, etc, etc. Layer up on top of that with appropriate fleeces.
- Sphagnum moss - Andrex of the hill (and woods) - soft strong and thoroughly absorbent..... SO many uses

Great report, as per your usual, and I appreciate you taking the time to put it together for us.

A fun and educational read, thank you and congratulations on a nice hunt!

There you go!

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As an add on - a couple of comments on trophies and heads. Ian asked us what we wanted to do and I told him that we would take the heads if we could. They skinned and boiled and bleached the two heads for us and we took them when we left and checked them in as hold luggage. No issues, EU etc all good.

Ian mentioned that he had a Swiss client last year that asked him to send two heads on by post to Switzerland by DHL. Ian did the paperwork (non EU) and sent the two heads. Total cost was a few hundred pounds.

Then we discussed shoulder mounts. Here Ian and Ken both said that skinning for shoulder mounts is not a problem but that the game dealer will not take a caped carcass. They want the hide on the carcass. Therefore if a client wants a shoulder cape, they will charge for the cost of the carcass - currently about GBP 2/- pro kg dressed weight.

I have seen a few nice Scottish red shoulder mounts over the years but not had one done myself yet. Anja or I still have to shoot the royal for the wall !!

Cheers

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Thanks for sharing! Congratulations on a successful hunt and adventure.

Ski+3
Kalispell, MT

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie64:
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As an add on - a couple of comments on trophies and heads. Ian asked us what we wanted to do and I told him that we would take the heads if we could. They skinned and boiled and bleached the two heads for us and we took them when we left and checked them in as hold luggage. No issues, EU etc all good.

Ian mentioned that he had a Swiss client last year that asked him to send two heads on by post to Switzerland by DHL. Ian did the paperwork (non EU) and sent the two heads. Total cost was a few hundred pounds.

Then we discussed shoulder mounts. Here Ian and Ken both said that skinning for should mounts is not a problem but that the game dealer will not take a caped carcass. They want the hide on the carcass. Therefore if a client wants a shoulder cape, they will charge for the cost of the carcass - currently about GBP 2/- pro kg dressed weight.

I have seen a few nice Scottish red shoulder mounts over the years but not had one done myself yet. Anja or I still have to shoot the royal for the wall !!

Cheers

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The reason they won't take a caped carcass is that typically they are hung for 3 - 4 weeks to develop the flavour - with a caped beast the skinned meat would be black and unsaleable by that time. The price of deer carcasses varies wildly through the season - could be £2.50/kg at the start of the stags down to 50p by January. Unpredictable. 80% + of hunted venison, and nearly 100% of roe venison, is exported (mostly to Germany) - so I predict that after Brexit a lot will be going into holes in the ground. Make your trophies cheaper though ….

It doesn't affect the meat if its butchered immediately - which is what I usually do.

I too have taken skinned heads as hold baggage - no issue - and no cost!

Great report! Better hunt! Congrats!

Congrats and thanks for posting!

I am making plans to hunt the Highlands so the intel is very much appreciated.

Awesome, Charlie! Inspiring and educational.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

Outstanding!

A brilliant report and thank you for taking the time to post. Some great photography too.

Great report and great to see real stalking and a some real stags as well.

Charlie;

You two are amazing!!! Your report was great and photos beautiful.

You need to get together with Jim and Joyce Wojo... (Frostbit on AR). They are physically fit troopers like yourself. (Even if you say you aren't, I was aching just reading about all the hiking and climbing!)

Congratulations to you and Anja!!!

Best regards, Darin

Sounds like you had a lot of fun.

Ticks and Lyme Disease

Not wishing to dampen your trip, but Ticks and Lyme disease are a major issue in Scotland. It is now prevalent all over. If any of your party feel at all unwell - flu like symptoms etc get the doctor and get treated with antibiotics ASAP. Its a bastard disease, which you pick up from ticks, and these ticks are tiny. Quick treatment knocks it on the head, but if not is not tackled quickly it can be debilitating.

And before you go spray all your hunting gear with permethrin spray - it keeps the little buggers away.

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Seems that ticks are an issue all over the place - Scotland, mainland Europe and Africa. No issues on this trip but have been chowed in RSA a number of times - especially pepper ticks. Big in Europe now as far north as Germany and Holland and spreading ...

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Charlie -
Thanks for the detailed and well-illustrated report - it sounds like a great time.
Jeff

Charlie,

Very nice! Sadie and I really enjoyed the Highland although we cheated. Our outfitter took us to the top in the Argo. That made it a gentleman's hunt for sure. The traditions of the hunt were all very interesting but the terrain was very reminiscent of AK where I lived for many years.

Mark