The sea of bright yellow flowers appearing and the accompanying sweet smell of oilseed rape pollen surely signal a turning point in the year. The heat can finally be felt in the sun as it climbs higher in the sky and all around us the warmth of spring is evident.…
Deer stalking
Using trail cams for deer management
Over here on the wetter side of the Irish Sea, April has the potential to be something of a gloomy month for deerstalkers. The seasons for our three deer species don’t reopen until September, so the action still seems a long way off and, as April Fool’s Day arrives and…
Taking advantage of the longer days for roebuck culling
As the days are longer now, there’s more time to get stuff done in the middle of the day. Our estate rifle range is up and running again for use by private clubs or as hourly sessions overseen by yours truly. (Click here to get some ideas for the best…
Why studying your local roe deer population is essential to good stalking
April is always a busy month for stalkers. This year, it is even more so as we return to post-pandemic normality. It has been particularly nice to welcome regular stalking guests whom we have not seen at Garryloop for more than two years, due to the various restrictions. Demand for…
Roebuck stalking using non-toxic ammo
There are plenty of dates in the stalking calendar that I look forward to. I love stalking does during snowy Highland winters, calling roebucks during their rut in late July and listening to the eerie and haunting whistles of sika stags under an October moon. But if I had to…
Chris Dalton talks about living in the golden age of roebuck
Heading into April, the thoughts of many stalkers turn towards roebucks. It’s one of the most eagerly awaited times of the year, akin to the Glorious Twelfth for keen Shots, and there is very little that can beat the excitement of heading out at first light on 1 April. The…
How the British stalking community is changing
The changing of the clocks brings much-needed longer days for those with ‘normal’ jobs, but spare a thought for full-time stalkers and managers, whose days and stalking times are about to stretch out, sometimes making the whole thing pretty exhausting through the summer months. The end of the season is…
Deer management – Jon Snowdon on details for progress
The deer management group I run has a system that ensures we are always in contact via text when a colleague is on the ground. This information is sent by the individual concerned to every member of the group, and added later to a full report. The following describes the…
Stalking kit chosen by Chris Dalton for Shooting Times
Early spring is a crucial time for deer managers, and I spend a lot of time on the ground monitoring deer movement and activity. Both sexes are becoming more active as the days lengthen, with the does feeding longer as embryos develop and the bucks thinking about territories and starting…
Working with a garron – the Highland pony
I was never really interested in horses as a bairn. I grew up next to a Clydesdale farm, and though I’d occasionally give one a scratch, I was hardly champing at the bit to spend time with them — the local deer were far more interesting to me. (Take a…
Deer management: GBSA winner Chris Dalton’s real-world guide
One of things I am constantly being asked about, by both experienced and inexperienced stalkers and, surprisingly, non-stalking B&B guests at Garryloop, is what exactly deer management involves. Now that’s a pretty wide ranging question, but as a primer I thought it would be useful to look at the sort…
Deer seasons in the UK. When can deer be hunted?
The deer seasons in the UK have been precisely organised to give deer protection when they need it, to produce a sustainable and healthy population. The law allows hinds and stags to breed and move around different breeding grounds at key times – with the deer hunting season differing between…
Stag antlers: what makes a stag a Royal, an Imperial or a Monarch?
Q: How many points on stag antlers can a red in the wild be expected to grow when it is in good health with a good food supply? And what then makes a stag a ‘Royal’ and an ‘Imperial stag’? Many things have an impact on the number of points…
How to choose a riflescope
You don’t actually need much kit to go deerstalking. Binoculars to spot a beast and a rifle to bring it down are essential, but I would argue that a telescopic riflescope is the most important part of the set-up. There’s a reason why most stalkers advise spending more on a…
Thermal imagers for hunting – our top riflescope picks
Over the past few years, there has been an ever-increasing use of observation units and thermal imagers for hunting in the shooting world. An array of well-known and not-so-well-known manufacturers are dipping their toes into the market and releasing models. As the landscape of the shooting industry changes, the need…
Choosing riflescopes: what you should look out for
You don’t actually need much kit to go deerstalking. Binoculars to spot a beast and a rifle to bring it down are essential, but I would argue that choosing riflescopes is the most important part of the set-up. There’s a reason why most stalkers advise spending more on a scope…
Deer stalkers and walkers – how to deal with potential confrontations
Dealing with walkers?: While I was out stalking recently, I was accosted by a walker who let fly a torrent of abuse and accusations. This person accused me of "murdering beautiful creatures, ruining the countryside and posing a danger to honest walkers".
How to choose the right camouflage for deer stalking
Guests preparing for deer stalking often ask what kit they need, especially clothing. They ask whether they can wear camouflage. Usually the answer is yes, however some of the ground we stalk is on estates where the manager prefers us not to wear camouflage. (Read more on what to wear…
Deer stalking clothing: this is what to wear
One of the things I most enjoy about deer stalking is working with newcomers. Often these are people who have done a fair bit of game shooting or fishing but have decided it’s time to get into stalking properly. Inevitably, if you’re deciding to take up stalking or you’re keen…
The best trail cams for wildlife monitoring
Four sharp ‘pinks’ from a blackbird and she froze, ears strained, tongue flashing across her nose. Then she was off. A minute later an unfamiliar man lumbered into view, trampling clumsily through the thick bankside grass. The nearest footpath was a few hundred yards away. It was one of the…