The 'Rut' is on in Scotland

[ElmerThud]

3rd. Oct. 2013 - Well, the boys have made a great start and shot two red stags today. The first a 14 point heavyweight and the second a 12 point 'Royal' nicely bodied, but not the weighty showing of the 14 pointer.
Both were black and rutting. Good Scottish stags, the smaller one being a 'hill' stag. Don't know the weights yet, but the big one certainly 20+stone/280+lbs

Nice work and heavy going for my friends bringing them in this morning.
Unfortunately, no photo's - but 'R' a good friend has late this afternoon shot another large stag on the grouse moor area of our land. So the total today is 3 stags down.

It's all action in Scotland right now..stags roaring everywhere and the ambient temperature still very warm.......much warmer than it should be at this time of year. The temperature is so warm just now, the beast have to be dressed & in the chiller really fast, so pics are definitely not a priority.

'J' left a 'trailcam' strapped to a tree in mid August and it's picked up over 300 hits of deer moving around it. The footage is being downloaded so the memory card can be cleared and then the camera strapped in a different location.

We are very fortunate to have access to ground holding female deer. Every year the stags come in in late September and gives us fantastic sport....it's a magnificent time, with very challenging hunting.

After the rut is over, stags will hang around for perhaps two months, but of course on 21st Oct. the stag season closes and the hind season opens. Now that, is even more challenging than stags by a long way!
A picture of one area within the estate is shown.

 

[sask boy]

Congratulation on the stags!! What a beautiful photo as well!

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Oldtrader3]

The Highlands are lovely in the fall. My wife and I were at LochTay and Pitlochery a few years ago for a week and despite some rain the colors and scenery were great. We really enjoyed our trip. Rut was just ending and we could still hear some stags calling late in the day.

 

[DrMike]

Great report of some fine sport. Congratulations on connecting on the stags. I do understand the urgency when the weather is warmer.

 

[Guy Miner]

ET - thanks so much for posting the story & photo. It's nice to see what's happening "across the pond."

Seems like your crew has done well! Congratulations.

Guy

 

[ElmerThud]

Thanks to you guys for your kind comments. Plainly over the years I've spent a considerable amount of time in all areas of Scotland, but this time of year is when it gets it's glamour coat on and looks wonderful. All around Loch Tay is so scenic OT3 as also are many areas of the remote Highlands.

The stag success is great. ....Scottish stags aren't as big as your North American Elk, but the ones with some wapiti in them aren't far off. And, there are two of those big boys down.

A monster last evening and it's made the other two look like juniors - even though one of those is a 23stone stag.
Fortunately when recovering his stag this morning, he found it to have loose teeth and was definitely 'going back'. Now he feels somewhat happier he took the shot on such a large & fine creature. The pic. is attached.

This morning a further two smaller stags have been shot and now the venison weight to save & dispose of to the game dealers is probably a lot...although a further two outings will be made, I don't think any more beast will be shot as transporting it and disposing of it will be a problem. Happy days, nice problem to have eh!
Cheers lads. ET

 

[TBASTIAN]

Great looking country and stags! Would love to have the opportunity to hunt Scotland sometime, and of course visit some of the local Scotch distilleries. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Well, it is a happy occasion to have two stags on the ground. Roger's stag is certainly a monster and both are fine animals. I never hunted in Scotland but my BIL has threatened to take me if I can manage to go somehow.

 

[IdahoCTD]

ET,

Do you not eat the meat? is it sold? I know in Africa they do

 

[ElmerThud]

ET, Do you not eat the meat? is it sold? I know in Africa they do

Some of the venison will be kept, - but not usually the meat from rutting stags - that's usually sold to game dealers. (Far too tough and 'gamey') The best venison comes from younger females & that can be really good when hung in a chill room for some weeks prior to butchering. Cheers, ET

 

[tim629]

awesome looking animals, very neat how dark the horns are with the perfectly white ivory tips

 

[DrMike]

Good show, ET. Roger and Mike have done themselves proud.

 

[ElmerThud]

Thanks folks, - it's a trip to the game dealer on the way home & time to weigh in the venison for a few quid toward the shoot costs for next season! I shall next be in Scotland on 23rd of this month for the hinds.

OT3, I've attached a pic of a 'Crannog' (An ancient dwelling of a type discovered on Loch Tay in recent years. They discovered the 'pilings' near the waters edge and have made some assumptions of the dwellings people lived in back then)

Also a pic of my wife & I at Stirling Castle with the William Wallace (Braveheart) monument in the background.

 

[DrMike]

Excellent insight, OT. I truly appreciate the pictures.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Thanks for the pictures Elmer, I had no idea that the Scots had lived on the Lochs like that on stilts but it makes sense. There is only one way in and one way out! Sterling Bridge where Longshanks lost his first army to Wallace is a great memorial to winning despite great odds and of course Mary, Queen of Scots, whose son became king of England despite her treachery. My wife has been there I sadly have not. Interesting pictures Elmer, thanks.

 

[ElmerThud]

Ooooops an error!
Photo's of the stag(s)

 

[gerry]

Hunting with a convertable, very nice Congrats on all those nice stags.

 

[DrMike]

Yup! That is hunting in style! :grin: Three fine looking heads, ET

 

[ElmerThud]

Ha....! that's my wife's car........the pic below is the real hunting truck! LOL :grin: :lol:

 

[DrMike]

I did go fishing on a BC river once while riding in a Jaguar. That was quite an experience. I took a fellow fishing. He asked if he could bring his stock broker. The stock broker insisted on driving his Jaguar. Yup, we rolled up to the river in style. I will confess that after making them walk through the river for an entire day, he winced as three tired and very muddy souls dropped down to his leather seats. I give him credit, he didn't cry.