Deerstalking in Scotland Day 2

Day 2

The Second day started with a nice drive up Deeside again and then off to the hill.

We spotted a heard and went after them. When we started to get close and were in our final stalk a group of walkers in the valley floor started making all kinds of noise and the heard was off. Unfortunately, I think that it was intentional.

What most people don’t know is that Red Deer in Scotland have no predators. The Deer Population if left unmanaged creates all sorts of environmental problems. The Gamekeeprs are very selective on what gets harvested. So, they are truly environmentalists. Then the meat gets sold to a butcher and ends up in the markets. Talk about free range Organic meat! Anyway, I digress…

The only way to get to them was to crawl up a burn fully exposed. We spent the next two hours crawling on our stomachs up a burn. For those that don't know a burn is a stream. Crawling up a burn in Scotland is quite damp!  It was a miserable stalk, cold, wet, and by the time we were done my back and knees were killing me. But it was soon forgotten when I pulled the trigger. This is my first Royal and I will remember the stalk for a long time to come!