Recently I've been thinking about the whole stalking/hunting experience and what drives and interests people, in part this came as result of reading Allan Gordon Cameron's book on "The Wild Red Deer of Scotland."

Cameron's book was published in 1923 but sits, in part, on work done on the Scottish island of Jura in the late 1800s. Cameron was bemoaning the rise of what are effectively "tame" deer which were fed to increase the trophy size. He published some interesting figures relating to records from some considerable area of genuinely wild ground which hadn't been stalked for the 13 previous years, so the quality older deer had not been selectively culled. The ground was leased for stalking and 200 stags were shot. The point values (i.e. the number of points on their antlers) for 143 of the best were recorded with 1 of 15 points, 10 of 12 points, 13 of 11 points, 30 with 10 points, 35 with 9 points 41 with 8 points and 13 switches. Heads of 10 points or less outnumbered those with more than 10 points by 4 to 1. Again it is necessary to highlight that this was on ground that had not been shot for 13 years so this would be a best case scenario.

More, and more, my observations lead me to believe that stalkers, and especially visiting stalkers, are demanding that they get a trophy of 16, 18 or even 20 points. I've seen people asking for Scottish hill stalking and pointing out that they don't want a big trophy but something "representative" of 12 points would fit the bill. A 12 point head is called a Royal and, as we can see from Cameron's figures, the reason for this is because in wild hill stalking it is a pretty rare thing to get and you will work long and hard for one.

More and more I also see internet reports of visitors who are, basically, shooting their deer in the back garden, or beside the pickup truck, after a stalk of some 20 yards. Now as I get older, and less fit, I'm starting to see the appeal of this but it also strikes me that a big part of the "wild stalking" experience is that you go into wild areas and take the deer on in his own environment, you don't throw down food and wait for him to come to you.

So, mostly for my own interest, I thought to ask if you prefer a real, wild, stalking experience or if you want a big trophy to take home? This applies only to Scottish hill stags as in my view the two things are, basically, mutually exclusive. If you have an 18 point head on the wall you haven't shot a wild stag, if you walked 18 miles and have a 6 point head on the wall then you did shot a wild stag. If you have a 12 point head on the wall and it took you a month of walking 10 miles per day to get him then you have the ultimate in wild stag trophies. However, the demographic of stalkers seems to tend towards men in their 50s and 60s who, perhaps, have lead a fairly sedentary life. I'm in there myself, and I can no longer walk the big miles that seemed easy only 5 - 10 years ago so I'm not knocking it, the less wild stalking is probably in my future if I don't give up altogether.

So, in the case of Scottish hill deer where the two things are almost mutually exclusive, do you want a big trophy, or a big experience?

I am going to chime in with a vote for experience. Even as I get older I still appreciate the whole experience and would get little satisfaction from stepping out of a vehicle and shooting something no matter the size. I have always appreciated the effort involved as part of the memory.

At the age of 73, there is no doubt in my mind, a hill stag, and the experience that goes with it.
Be it a six or eight pointer, so be it, I`m in for the stalking experience.
When that done, a wee dram or two should taste like heaven

About Jura; I read somewhere the the name Jura has its roots in the old norse language the Norwegian vikings spoke.
They called the island "The island with the deer".

Anybody know if that make sense ?

quote:

Originally posted by Arild Iversen:
At the age of 73, there is no doubt in my mind, a hill stag, and the experience that goes with it.
Be it a six or eight pointer, so be it, I`m in for the stalking experience.
When that done, a wee dram or two should taste like heaven

About Jura; I read somewhere the the name Jura has its roots in the old norse language the Norwegian vikings spoke.
They called the island "The island with the deer".

Anybody know if that make sense ?

Yes, that is what I also understood re the name - its not pure Gaelic but like many places on the west coast a bit of a mixture. There certainly is no shortage of deer on Jura - and indeed goats. I have visited and sailed round Jura a number of times - and indeed sampled the spirit at the still....

For me now, all hunting is about experience, not trophies, and there are few trophies more hard won than a hill stag. Its probably beyond me now physically, but not so long ago I did a lot of hill stalking (nowadays only the low ground) and whilst doing so spent a week in Austria hunting Chamois. That didn't seem too difficult at the time, but now the thought of hunting at 8-9000ft just seems physically impossible.

For me at any rate a trophy is only really a aid memoir to an experience and a memory. I do have some superb memories and experiences of hunting in the Scottish Highlands - but I do this every week (often several days per week) - including today - so maybe there's a case of over-familiarity? Anyway my most cherished memories are of hunting boar in eastern Europe - no trophies but a silent, snowy forest with the black boar flitting between the trees.


Each to their own.....

I will take experience over trophy every single time. I haven’t brought a trophy back from Africa in six years. In fact the last trophy I brought home was a stag from Poland that I shot with Kuwinda/Ian in 2015!

I know I worked hard stalking with Griff in Scotland and took both a 8 and 9 pointer which to me were trophies. The European mounts hang in my pool room today. I just love hunting, fly fishing, and golfing Scotland. My three big vices.

Anything i hunt are for the experience.

Other north british / old norse words are ey/öy/ö/island Gil/kild/källa fell/fjell/fjeld/fjäll beck/bäck.

quote:

Originally posted by Arild Iversen:
About Jura; I read somewhere the the name Jura has its roots in the old norse language the Norwegian vikings spoke.
They called the island "The island with the deer".

Anybody know if that make sense ?

I think you are right, but can't remember where I read it so can't provide any more info. Certainly in the Outer Hebrides a lot of the names for the basic physical geography (big lochs or hills) are Norse but have been adapted to Gaelic spellings - Langabhat in Gaelic = Langavat = long loch or most of the hills have names ending in "val" which I'm told meant a height in Norse.

Interesting thoughts on the trophy/experience thing as I imagined it would be at least 50/50 or maybe even in favour of trophies rather than "big days out." This view was, I guess, based on how a lot of stalking is marketed these days as I was getting the impression very few people wanted to cross the Atlantic, or come from Europe, for a "normal" Scottish hill deer when something much larger was available for much less effort.

I would say somewhere between depends on person
I personally like good trophy but won’t shoot small,young animals just to shoot something or rather go home empty handed when I felt the experience was good.

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One of our best days we walked 14 miles and never pulled the trigger!

Last year my wife shot a stag with one antler and I took one with 6 points.

A hill Royal would be wonderful, but I have yet to meet a true Scottish stalker that would want one taken off his ground let alone put you on to it and say 'shoot'!

Hope that answers the question.

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The experience is everything. The trophy is just a memento.

100% experience. Hunting and fishing are gateways to great times in wild places.