Hunting red stags in Scotland

#Hunting #PulsarBrandAmbassadors #RedStags

Written by:

Lee Perryman, Žygimantė Vakarė Jovaišaitė

Estimated read time: 3 min.

Few hunters don’t have a red stag hunt in the Scottish highlands on their bucket list. The sheer majesty of the animals, the breathtaking nature, and the thrill of the process make the overall experience unforgettable. Recently, our brand ambassador from the UK, Lee Perryman, was offered to embark on such an adventure, and, of course, couldn’t say no. Now, we’re more than happy to share his impressions.

Who doesn’t love an adventure!

I, for one, can’t refuse an adventure, so when I was asked if I’d like to go to Scotland for a few days to hunt red stags, seeing as I’ve already hunted muntjac, fallow and roe, I couldn’t say no to this opportunity.

After a 7-hour drive, we arrived at premises with terrain that looked like something I could only describe as a backdrop for a Lord of the Rings film. After being shown a shack and told there was no actual toilet, only a stream to wash in, I knew this was going to be something different.

Success on the first night

That evening, after an equipment and safety check, we headed out over the vast landscape on a quad and soon found a high position above a clear fell. It was an opening of woodland where the trees had been cut down, and it looked like a good area to start spotting with the thermals. We soon had eyes on roe does and hinds using the Pulsar Merger LRF XP50, but no stags. I took these binoculars with me because I think they are easier to use than any monocular. It’s more comfortable to use both eyes for long periods of spotting and, because of the wide field of view of the Merger, I find it very quick to spot with. Case in point: after a 20-minute wait and a 100% ID, a stag came into view, and, at a distance of 360 yards, I comfortably put myself in the prone position and waited for the stag to make its way closer down the fell.

Despite the local bugs thinking I was an all-you-can-eat buffet whilst in position, the stag walked into a distance of 290 yards. I was more than comfortable, and with that, I took the shot, and the stag went straight down. Soon after darkness started to descend, we began making our way down and onto the clear fell. Even with thermal in hand, the harsh terrain hid the stag extremely well, but we soon managed to locate it.

We soon had eyes on roe does and hinds using the Pulsar Merger LRF XP50, but no stags. After a 20-minute wait and a 100% ID, a stag came into view, and, at a distance of 360 yards, I comfortably put myself in the prone position.

Lee Perryman

The real challenge

The spot and the trigger pull were the easy bit, but reality soon set in when I was face-to-face with the stag. The sheer size of it, the thoughts of the quad track being 300 yards away and, now, in total darkness. The breeze seemed to fade on the clear fell, leaving an open invitation to the midges, so we donned our midge nets, gralloched the stag and then dragged it 300 yards to the quad track. I’ve got to say that it took a hell of a lot of effort. Finally, we took a walk out to fetch the quad, then back to load the stag up, and eventually a drive back to base camp. And that was my first red stag and extraction.

Over the next few days, there was a routine of getting up and out before sunrise over the rolling hills to take up perfect positions. Then, we went back out in the early evenings for sunset. Overall, we managed to take two stags and a roebuck home.

Despite the lack of amenities and the bugs, the shooting terrain, BBQs, and open-air showers made this a fantastically memorable trip – not to mention the taking of my first red stag.

Before purchasing any night or thermal vision device, please make sure you adhere to the local legislation and only use it when it is allowed. Our ambassadors come from various countries and travel a lot, which allows them to test different devices. We do not encourage or support the illegal use of our devices in any events. If you wish to learn more about export and sales restriction policy, please visit the following link: Export and Sales Restriction Policy.

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Hunting red stags in Scotland

Who doesn’t love an adventure!

Success on the first night

We soon had eyes on roe does and hinds using the Pulsar Merger LRF XP50, but no stags. After a 20-minute wait and a 100% ID, a stag came into view, and, at a distance of 360 yards, I comfortably put myself in the prone position.

The real challenge

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