Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Hunt: April 30 - May 1 -- 1.5 days stalking
Outfitter: David Virtue http://www.dvsporting.co.uk
Rifle: Suppressed Tikka .243

Arriving in Edinburgh for an entirely non-sporting purpose, I decided that I might as well get some stalking in while there! The whole trip was planned on fairly short notice so I also had little time to arrange the hunt or to check references as I usually might. However, I have historically been very lucky in my choice of outfitters and this hunt was absolutely no exception.

I am very fortunate to have been referred to David Virtue for this trip. While he primarily operates around The Borders, he also has access to land in East Lothian as well as the Dalhousie and Rosebery Estates just outside of Edinburgh. I was very impressed by the quality of the ground he stalks and the professionalism with which he operates. His lovely wife makes an incredible (and filling!) breakfast, his vehicles are top shelf, and the clients' rifles are in perfect working order. His abilities and dedication very clearly rival those of any African PH with whom I have hunted. On top of all that, he thinks like a deer and has success on animals of very high quality!

As evidence of this, we got lucky on our very first outing. David spotted a nice group of Roe in a thicket and determined one to be a buck. An ambush was planned and a one-man drive pushed them out into a nearby clearing. They began trotting along the far fence line and eventually began moving up toward us. David simply said, "The one on the far left is a good buck". I wasn't quite patient enough for the animal to face broadside but still made a decent shot off a nearby fencepost. Striking the buck squarely at the base of his neck, he dropped on the spot and represents my first head of European game. I am very happy with this animal!









The next day, as is common in Scotland, the weather (and even my shooting!) was a bit of a problem. It was very windy in the morning and had rained all night long. We didn't expect too much to be moving and we were right. We spooked a small buck and doe as we drove around David's areas but that was about it....until we saw a glint of horn coming from a nearby hillside. This is where buck fever reared its ugly head. David and I made a beautiful half hour long stalk across a huge field, quietly crept behind the small bit of forested land, sneaked perfectly around the corner, and I promptly missed a "gimme" shot that caused the buck to run in an elaborate 100 meter circle before casually leaping back over a fence into the woods. Unbelievable! It was one of those events during which a hunter stands, mouth agape, waiting for the buck to drop any second. It didn't happen however and at roughly the same time our weather began to deteriorate further. By lunchtime, the rain was falling and the wind was howling.

I had only booked one and a half days of stalking and was now concerned that my miss was going to represent the last buck seen and in some way tarnish my Scottish stalking experience. I just hated to end this excursion on a negative note. That evening, we drove through Dalhousie and Rosebery estates on the way back to Edinburgh as the weather still refused to cooperate. Again, there was little moving until we spotted a group of three Roe grazing across a small clearing. Things were looking up! It was two does and a buck who had perfectly positioned themselves for a quick retreat back to the woods in an area with little or no cover from which to stalk. Nonetheless, we made our way along a sparse nearby hedge hoping to get an angle on the group. By the time we made it into any kind of shooting position however, the animals had wisely retreated back to cover. "Too Bad" David said, "That was a really nice heavy buck".

The missed buck was forgotten, but David's words now stuck in my head as we drove back to the hotel. I could not get that last buck out of my mind during two days of meetings that occupied my time in Edinburgh. As my business obligations dragged on and on, I sent David a simple text message…"Half day on Saturday around Dalhousie?" Yes, I am now addicted to stalking Roebuck!

David collected me at 5am on that Saturday and we were on Dalhousie ground by 5:30. Ten minutes later, guess who was spotted grazing along the hedge we had stalked a few days before...the same buck! Just as the sun rose, David and I were making our way along with rifle in hand. Fortunately for us, the estate was preparing to fertilize the field and this provided me with the most undignified of shooting rests. The wise buck was already making his way back to the woods but he had no choice but to pass through a small shooting lane at 100 meters. He was trapped. From atop a perfectly placed pile of manure (hey, one must work with what is available!) I had just a few seconds to shoot. The shot entered the back of the animal's torso, took out the liver, perforated a lung, and destroyed the buck's heart before exiting in front of the shoulder. He went down quickly.









The rest of the morning was largely spent marveling at how perfectly the plan for that buck had come together. Life could get no better but half an hour later we spotted another nice buck grazing along a hillside about 150 meters away. The rippling of a nearby river concealed our presence as I watched him through the scope. David and I conversed for at least ten minutes and agreed that the animal was clean of velvet and a very nice buck. He was likely no bigger than either of the Roe I had already taken however…and I passed. The morning was already just perfect and I could see no reason to be greedy. A game hog I am not! I also figured that the German clients arriving next week would appreciate taking such a nice example of the species. I know that I will return to Scotland next year and sincerely hope that the preceding clients will return the favor!




One more image of my smelly cover....

Very nice. I will be going to Southern England to hunt my first roebuck and muntjac in August this year. This will be my first trip to England and I can't wait.

Those seem like very nice bucks. Your tale was well written and made me feel like I was watching over your shoulder. Now I want to go!

Sounds highly enjoyable.....congratulations on some fine animals.

Well done!

Both nice animals but the second roe is simple fantastic. David is a nice guy and a good guide. I am not at all surprised you had a great hunt.

I suppose it is cliche to make the assertion that I am not an "inch" or "point" or "gram" hunter...but that second Roe might just squeeze into bronze medal territory depending on how the drying process goes. It was a great hunt for him regardless of size though. David really is top-shelf and I was more than a little impressed. He knows everyone in the areas it seems and it is clear that he is well thought of there. We were in a borrowed vehicle one day and farmers, once recognizing his dog, were acting as though their trust was automatically switched on. I am definitely planning a return during the rut and perhaps next spring as well. I will be hunting with David.

Very nice!

Excellent report and superb pictures. Congratulations. You've kept Scotland on my list.

Beautiful mateure bucks. Love the weight and pearling.
I will definitely do this !
Thanks for posting.

Great bucks!

David is an excellent stalker, guide and host!

Thanks for the report. I've never been interested in roe deer until now

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:
I suppose it is cliche to make the assertion that I am not an "inch" or "point" or "gram" hunter...but that second Roe might just squeeze into bronze medal territory depending on how the drying process goes. It was a great hunt for him regardless of size though. David really is top-shelf and I was more than a little impressed. He knows everyone in the areas it seems and it is clear that he is well thought of there. We were in a borrowed vehicle one day and farmers, once recognizing his dog, were acting as though their trust was automatically switched on. I am definitely planning a return during the rut and perhaps next spring as well. I will be hunting with David.

Medal or no medal, that's a fantastic roe for Scotland.

Congratulations on your hunt and well done on your fantastic brace of bucks.

Best,

Amir

Thanks to everyone for your comments and compliments.

Great report, beautiful Bucks, I would like to hunt that country!! Big congrats...Butch

Great report... Scotland is a great hunting venue and superb trip to take the spouse along. Thanks for the report and very nice trophies!

Suberb Trophys !

Well done

Thank you for a fine story and great photos. For a few years now I have wanted to return to Scotland just to take roe deer. I am in Argentina now and will contact David when I get home to see about a trip maybe in September. In the past I have really enjoyed the country and was fortunate to have taken a good hill stag and a really fine soay ram.

Lovely three pointer. Congratulations.

I have also been recommended to David, ill have to book in with him!