Who has done it? Is it worth the coin? A guy I know does it and I might be getting the itch after listening to him talk about it and seeing his pictures.
I have hunted red stag in the Scottish Highlands- great hunt, very picturesque, lots of noise if you hunt in the roar. I ended not shooting a stag- the horns I saw were very small, probably from the diet up in the highlands, and did not want to go to the expense and hassle of dealing with horns I did not want to mount. If you are looking for a good hunt experience, it is probably worth it. If you are looking for a respectable to very big stag for mounting, I would look to the private land hunts, or another country perhaps.
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
I have shot trophy red stags in both New Zealand and Argentina, and will be hunting Iberian red stag in Spain in January. The NZ and Argentina hunts were fun, but hunting them in their native range sounds funner....even if they're generally not as big. I suspect most all stags in NZ have been selectively bred somewhere along their lineage, even the true free range stags there. I am sure the same goes for Argentina. That's not a bad thing, but I really would like a pure strain, wild red stag from the British Isles some day.
I have seen them in Scotland, and would really like to hunt them there. That's the traditional and iconic place to do it and you get to feel high class like a British Aristocrat. Win/win. The highlands is a really neat place, whether you're hunting there or not. Do what you have to do, to go. You won't regret it.
I have seen them in Scotland, and would really like to hunt them there. That's the traditional and iconic place to do it and you get to feel high class like a British Aristocrat. Win/win. The highlands is a really neat place, whether you're hunting there or not. Do what you have to do, to go. You won't regret it.
Don't go with a rifle that says 7x57 Mauser on the barrel. It has to say .275 Rigby.
I've done it and it was a grand experience. The hill stags are very small when compared to estate stags, but is great fun. I ended taking a Sika stag as well. Also quite small when compared to animals on estates.
I was also able to fish for trout near the headwaters of the river Spey, little trout but good fun.
I worked here for a season as a Ponyboy, fantastic estate, if you are looking to come to Scotland for the experience then I would strongly suggest an estate like this.
I worked here for a season as a Ponyboy, fantastic estate, if you are looking to come to Scotland for the experience then I would strongly suggest an estate like this.
That is something I would love to do.
Too bad they normally hunt them in the fall, when I am busy with seasons here in the states. That is the main reason I have hunted them in Argentina and New Zealand, but not Scotland.
One day when I don't have any worthwhile tags I really think I will look into this type of thing...Looking at their website, their only big game is stag. Am I reading that right? I really want to combo a roe or fallow deer with a stag hunt...though I know roe's are often hunted in the spring.
Thanks for posting. Like others, I've hunted red stags from central Europe to New Zealand, but stalking the Highlands has been on my list for a long time. This is one instance where size really doesn't matter!
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
A hunting partner did a Scotland run. Hunting is heavily supervised in every aspect. Compared to the NZ and South American beasts his take was pretty tiny.
I've looked through some websites, but finding the cost for a package usually requires sending email enquiries, and I don't want to bug someone for something that's likely out of reach for me financially. What does it cost, on average? I realize prices can vary dramatically, but I wouldn't be after some monster, just a mature stag. How long is the typical stay, a week? Tell us about the nuts and bolts...What caliber did you use, typical shot distance, etc. I assume you can't bring home meat, either?
Last edited by 416rigby; 12/01/18.
"Life's too short to hunt with an ugly gun." U.S. Coast Guard, retired
I don’t dollars exactly but it was very reasonable. 5? Days. Mine was more of a management hunt shot old bulls. Used the outfits rifle as it is a real pain to get a rifle into the UK
Ask about the price I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised
I have not done the Scottish thing, but where I have hunted stag it was right around 5 grand for a free range mature, silver medal bull plus daily charges of $500 or so for the hunting fee itself. That included all lodging, food, airport pickup, etc. If I wanted some huge, selectively bred unnatural giant, I would have had to go to their non-free range area and spent X$ more for a gold trophy stag, and X$ more for a platinum. I have nothing against doing that, but it's not for me. A stag hunt normally would be 3-5 days, maybe more if you wanted to hunt other things.
Europe has a rep for charging by the inch though, which definitely isn't my thing. You have to ask questions to figure these things out. Sometimes you can find free range packages though for 3-4 grand. That's how I got a decent deal in Argentina, and got a free range stag and a wild boar, for $3500 if I remember right. That included lodging, food, etc. That was a pretty rare deal though.
The one I was looking at was about $6,300 for lodging in a pretty grand house, with all food and drinks, five days hunting, and two stags. For another $3,300 you could take your wife and they would give her a driver and take her sightseeing and shopping while you hunted.
That’s pretty reasonable for a little mini-European vacation and hunting. Not much more, if any, than you might pay for a fully hired elk hunt out west.
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