I recently returned from a trip to Scotland where I hunted hill stags (red deer) with Mike McCrave of CMS Hunting ("The Man in the Kilt").

This was a package deal for one week at a hunting lodge near Brora, Scotland, near the north end of the country.

Costs included trophy fees for two hill stags, services of a guide ("stalker"), all accommodations and meals for two people, and a private vehicle and licensed tour guide for the non-hunter.

My wife accompanied me and we had a wonderful time.

We arrived on a Sunday and I hunted on Monday and Tuesday. From Wednesday through Saturday I joined my wife on the guided tour, and then we departed early Sunday morning.

The lodge was right on the North Sea.

Hill stag hunting is more rigorous than I realized and I should have been better prepared physically. However, much of the work is done by an 8-wheeled Argo, but that just gets you up the hill. There's a lot of walking and the final stalk is always at a low crawl.

Here are photos of the two stags I shot:

NE,

Nice hunt, I'd love to go to Scotland. Do the hunting and tourist trip like you did.

Congratulations.

Here's a link to CMS Hunting:

http://www.cms-hunting.co.uk/

Regards,

Terry

Nitro Express,

Sounds like an interesting hunt/trip! It is nice when Mamma joins in!

Good Hunting,

Bob

Congrats!! Nice stag, bet you felt like a million pounds!!! (I'd say bucks, but hey, you were in the UK).

Nice photos Pat. What type/caliber of rifle did you wind up hunting with? Sound like a great trip combining the hunt with a few days with the bride.

Congratulations on a sucessfull hunt!

Phil:

I just did not want to fool with taking my own rifle to the UK (although I realize it is not supposed to be a hassle) so I used one of the outfitter's guns.

He had several and I ended up shooting a Remington in 308 with a S&B scope--6X fixed.

Ammo was off-the-shelf 150-grain Remington.

Everything worked fine. I made a poor shot on the first stag and the stalker let me know in clear terms that wasn't what was expected. My second stag went better.

Those hills in Scotland aren't called the Highlands for no reason. Man, you talk about steep--I thought I was back in Alaska, hunting Dall sheep! Should have lost 40 lbs and spent six months on the Stairmaster getting ready.

Ey the highlands are a great hunt laddie. The heather knee deep and always wet (even in the dry time) and no cover. The stalkers do not think any one can make a shot over 50 yds. I hunted there in 97 with Malcolm Harman aound Goldspie. We stayed in a very nice farm house on the North Sea say 3 minute walk to the beach. I want to go back for Roe buck and Sika. If it wasn't 7:30 AM I have a dram of Glenmorangie, eh.

I know these are similair to our elk, but what subspecies or elk are they closest to?
How much do they weigh? Don't worry, I'm not metrically challenged like some Germans think all Americans are.

Matt77, the European Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) is genetically similar to the North American Elk (Cervus Canadensis). They actually crossbreed and may be called subspecies. They are some differences but they are mostly related to habitat, food supply, population, etc. As a matter of fact, most differences would iron out in the lapse of a few generations (cf. feral pigs vs. Wild Boar). Compared to the Elk, a Red is smaller in size (North European Stags go 250 kg, live weight, but grow heavier the more Eastern you go and the opposite is also true. The Siberian Maral is actually bigger than Elk). Apart from size, notable differences are that Red Stags :

- roar and fight heavily during rut ;
- a mature Stag wears crowns instead of forks on top of its antlers ;
- are more territorial and aggressive, even against humans, in rut or when wounded (in small Belgium, we have about one fatality a year � mostly beaters in drive hunts).



[ 11-02-2002, 18:02: Message edited by: Andr� Mertens ]

Andr� Mertens

Nice picture. I got soo carried away that forgot the time. I will put a bullet in the monitor next time you post these tempting pictures

It's fantastic to hunt red stag in the rut.

/ JOHAN

Yeah guys i love all sorts of deer species too here is anice wap for yuz

what's the pricetag for a hunt like this? From what I've heard, it's comparable or even cheaper than a US western hunt. Is this true?