October in Scotland is an exciting month in any deerstalker’s diary as it is likely that both the red and sika deer will be rutting, both offering a very different experience to the onlooker. Whereas the red stag is standing proud and bellowing his challenge to all around him, the sika stag is a more secretive beast. That is not to say they don’t fight, indeed, they have some of the most ferocious battles of any deer species, with many a dead opponent found during walks and stalks, it is just spotting them that is usually the issue, but hear them you certainly will. There is something eerily magical about sitting on a hillside as the sika whistle all around you, to those unfamiliar it can sound as if the banshees of myth have taken over the forests and woodlands around you, an atmospheric and unsettling experience for any first timer, however one that should be on every hunter’s bucket list.
This was exactly the opportunity that Nicolas, our MyHunt PRO member and winner of our Q2 2023 giveaway was joining me for.
We had both arranged accommodation nearby at a neighbouring estate, notable for its ruined castle and semi-ruined stately home, but even on our short drive on the first morning we started to hear those unmistakable whistles…
Nicolas and I were matched with two well respected ghillies, both experts on the estate we were lucky enough to be hunting over. Bidding Nicolas good luck, my guide Stuart and I set off in his 4x4 towards the far side of the estate before continuing further on foot. It was not long before we had started to gain elevation and as the sun started to rise, the whole valley unfolded below us, an incredible sight with a large reservoir glistening in the dawn.
Before I knew it, we spotted movement in the clear fell below us. After closely watching for several minutes, we worked out that a group of sika were moving up the hill and heading for the heavier, thicker forest beyond the track we were following. The wind was in our favour, as was the rising sun. With some careful and quiet movement, there was a possibility we could get a closer look at them as they moved into sparser cover and possibly get a shot as they crossed the track on their way uphill. Slowly but surely, we crept forward, trying to close the distance to under 200m from where we felt they might cross. Our cover thinned as we progressed until we reached the last major bit of cover before an open expanse of 80m or so. This was it, could we spot if there was a suitable stag in the group or was it just a group of hinds and calves? The tension rising, we glassed the hillside to locate them, dark shapes moving in dark cover, never an easy task. Nevertheless, bringing up the rear was a stag, a young spiker, but one that fell within the management plan for the estate. I quietly set up my quad sticks and eased my rifle onto them, trying to minimise both movement and noise. I located the likely crossing point and then waited as the first hinds crept forwards and across the track in front of me. I counted 4 hinds cross before the stag revealed himself fully, trotting across the break. As he cleared the cover, I whistled at him to make him pause and the opportunity presented itself. My first sika stag was down!
After gralloching the stag and placing him safely out of reach of the birds of prey, we continued our exploration of this part of the estate, yet despite many whistles, no more sika presented themselves that morning, so we returned to retrieve our stag and transport him back to the larder for preparation.
Upon returning, we heard that Nicolas had also had the opportunity to take a sika stag with his guide. A better start could not have been hoped for!
After a break for lunch and admiring the view, we regrouped at the larder to work out our plans for the afternoon. It was decided thatNicolas and I would swap “beats” in order that we could experience the varying terrain the estate offers.
For me, it meant that we would be covering some lower ground, working our way along a deep valley before climbing through a bowl at the end to gain elevation before sunset, in order to spy on any movement below.
Our stalk progressed quietly with plenty of spoor seen on our way through the low ground, but no deer themselves. Whilst not under a lot of pressure, indeed this was the first week they had been hunted this year, sika are still very wary, much more so than the other residents of the hills, the red deer.
We paused at the entrance to a large, forested bowl full of young trees at the far end of the valley, slowly glassing every inch to ensure we were alone and not about to disturb anything. Apparently, this is a known haunt of the hinds and at this time of year, it would be likely that any hinds would have a stag or two in close proximity. Alas it was not to be, despite seeing tree damage and yet more droppings and tracks, nothing was present.
We decided that with an hour to go until sunset, it was time to gain elevation and ensure we were both out of the wind as it was starting to swirl and also able to drop down onto any stags as they ventured out at last light.
A brutal climb up a thin ride gave us much needed height and it was not long after that we started to hear the tell-tale whistling start again. The trees here were thick and it was impossible to see into the blocks so all we could do was slowly work our way back along the valley, looking into the rides as we went.
With about 45 minutes to go, Stuart spotted a dark shape on a hillside about a kilometre and a half away. It looked far too dark and large to be a hind and there was a strong whistle coming from that direction. Given the nature of the path however, it would be even further to get close enough to confirm, never mind get a shot. The race was on!
After a mix of jogging and brisk walking whilst trying to outpace the now quickly setting sun, we finally got close enough to confirm that it was indeed a mature sika stag and one we very much wanted to make a move towards.
The main issue in our way was an impenetrable bank of trees keeping us a minimum of 600m away. Having previously proven my accuracy on their range out to 500m, I felt confident if we could close things to 300m but we would have to do so quickly before the light went. We decided to force our way through the close-knit trees and hope that the stag would still be there if we found a break on the other side. The minutes ticked by quickly as we negotiated the boggy ground, small streams and rocky scree between us. After several false starts, we eventually found a hidden ride, hopefully running almost parallel to where we saw the stag earlier.
We crept out of the thickest cover to try to locate him and also ensure we were where we thought we should be. The light was fading quickly now, we had mere minutes before it would be too dark to see, even through a scope. Just as we started to worry that we had misjudged our approach, we spotted him, 50m further along from where he had been previously. I quickly opened out the quad sticks as wide and low as possible given that I was half sitting, half leaning against the boggy bank. Stuart started to give me the distance as he fed ever further away from us. Despite the failing light and being hardly able to see him with my bare eyes, he still showed up in my scope and locking on to him, Stuart mimicked the call of a confrontational stag to get him to pause. With that split second pause, I half breathed out and squeezed the trigger off and he reacted perfectly to the shot before disappearing back into the trees.
The shot was only 320m but it took us some time to get down there, by which time it was totally dark. Luckily, we had marked the shot point and our point on MyHunt so we could ensure we searched the right area.
Proving how hardy these sika are, despite perfect bullet placement and destroying both the near shoulder, heart and lungs, it was still a trail of over 100m through thick cover before we found him, stone dead. He was a magnificent mature 8 pointer and a perfect representation of a sika stag, he might even make a medal. He was also a suitable part of the mandated cull plan for the estate which aims to ensure a sustainable and healthy population can co-exist with the forestry and conservation programmes in action there.
What was more important than any medal though was how brutal yet thrilling the latter part of the stalk was, the challenges we faced to getup and round to even see him clearly and the knowledge that the memory of this stalk would stay with me forever.
This is the story of just two of the four sika stags I was lucky to take during my two days stalking in Scotland. Nicolas was also presented with two opportunities at mature sika stags and one on a very nice roe buck!
If you are the lucky winner of our prize draw this quarter, then later this year, it could be you joining us to hunt on this historic estate.
I look forward to hunting with you soon…
