Tiff Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Three Thursdays ago, my shooting partner Paul (PCal) and I left Cornwall for our first trip to Scotland. Only ten hours later (much to our surprise), we arrived in Ardrossan and proceeded to camp on the harbour wall...Catching the 7am Friday ferry meant we first caught sight of Arran as dawn broke a few miles off Brodick; a great view and the first part of Scotland we'd ever seen in daylight. After introducing ourselves to Bob the FC ranger, we spent the next three days recceing the various beats and generally getting to know the island. I'll let the following photographs tell the rest of the story. Watching the deer above Lochranza, after visiting the Arran distillery - enjoying a tipple of Arran Gold as I type... Checking the rangefinder works on Sunday afternoon - The southern lighthouse on Holy Island, (ranged from the living room of our Lamlash apartment):After spotting a hind & calf Monday evening while orientating ourselves with the ground, we decided to take a look - but they were almost 70m or so directly above us...A good introduction to the terrain! Especially when we reached the top and PCal hadn't locked the car....back down we went, only to return to the ridge 10 minutes later! PCal's two hinds & two calves on the first morning - a real baptism of fire for him after not stalking for a few months. We caught the group at first light, presumably returning to the forestry higher up. The first hind and calf were taken prone at circa 250 yards, then the others ran on slightly, so after a 50 yard dash PCal went prone and took the second pair. All the while, the remaining member of the group (a spiker) looked on unconcerned!Getting stuck in on the second hind:Tuesday afternoon with intermittent rain / low cloud, we found a suitable high point and setup a couple of laying up positions that covered the ground: What the view should have been like... DPM works well in this terrain (with Tuesday afternoons vantage point in the distance). Also sticks are essential for walking, if you wish to survive! Especially when descending off the hill and through steep clear fell by head torch in the evenings. The terrain is VERY tough going in places and presents a decent challenge in itself! Wednesdays mornings dawn accent from the car (just visible) a couple of hundred metres below:More traditional stalking Wednesday evening....Thursday morning at 08.00, after getting into position before first light. Large pockets of heather (400+ yards long) amongst the forestry, great for passing the time and having a spot of lunch with a view:Remember to always use protection....As the temperature increased throughout the day it expanded considerably (much to our amusement) at least proving the airtight/waterproof seal - essential given the changeable nature of the weather. On Thursday after stalking 50 yards up the ride, PCal returns with caution...The reason why - If you take a 26+lbs rifle all day stalking for a week, this will inevitably happen at some point!There is life! The rides were like deer motorways in places, with plenty of rutting stands and wallows around. Thursday afternoon looking over the top edges of the forestry, with the cloud coming down...Fifteen minutes later covering the clear fell edges as the cloud descended, forcing us off the heather hill tops:Fifteen minutes later again, time to call it a day at 15.30...The days are very short, making it hard work to get in on the deer in the time available.Enjoying the view Friday morning:PCal's youngster taken at 11am on the final Friday morning, with Bob's dog posing rather well...Thus we missed the 13.50 ferry, so caught the following 16.40 back - meaning neither of us have yet to see mainland Scotland in daylight! We reached Cornwall at 06.30 Saturday - A very long 'day' for PCal who was driving. During the week nine deer were culled, with five falling to PCal's modern English stalking rifle...Savouring the views, before packing up for the final time.When we returned to the car (parked in the dark) just over the edge was this - a brilliant way to finish the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Great post Tiff, well done to you both, nothing like traditional stalking and stalking rifles…. Arran is a great place, though I've never stalked there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxshooter Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Nice pictures, an enjoyable read Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandy Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Great write up Aaron is a stunning place. Glad you both had a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brown dog Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Excellent read/viewing! From being a twice-yearly Scotland addict, I haven't been for about 4 years. I think that's re-motivated me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybrock Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Looks like you had a good time, some great pictures also, that's some rangefinder you are using what is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Excellent read/viewing! From being a twice-yearly Scotland addict, I haven't been for about 4 years. I think that's re-motivated me! You really need to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch_egg Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Cracking pics Tiff. Your rifle choice what a suprise. Did anything drop to the .338? I need to sort some stalking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1971silversurfer Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Crackin article lovely photos too. I agree times are a changing on the weapons front for deerstalking too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfisherman Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Great post! Arran is a great place.. and the hind week really does give good value for money. What calibres etc were you shooting? I was surprised to see no mods, i know the FC can be funny about not using moderators on the H&S card. Great post, thanks again for whetting my appetite! FFM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DW58 Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Great photos - lovely to see a Hairy Kraut-Hound with you on the hill, wish I still had mine, many great days stalking with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz6br Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Enjoyed that Thank you Gaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akeld Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 I do like a wright up with lots of pictures , fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiff Posted December 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Thank you for the kind words, it was great fun up there, with the stunning scenery and wildlife making it breathtaking at times. We'll that and the near sheer cliffs we were climbing up with 40-50+ lbs of kit to reach good downwind vantage points. I didn't shoot anything this time (apart from hundreds of photo's...), instead using the trip mostly as a recce for future visits. I've been fortunate to have shot a good number of deer over the last decade, so went with the ambition of having one or two really memorable quality shots, if everything came together correctly. On the other hand this trip nearly tripled PCal's lifetime total, so I got great enjoyment out of acting as a ghillie and watching his fieldcraft skills develop massively as the week progressed. I was carrying my 'usual' .338lm, PLRF15C & A.B. Kestrel, while PCal used his trusty AI in .308win. We didn't have any problems regarding moderators and to be honest you have to wear hearing protection when shooting my rifle...so in effect it becomes a moot point. However turning up at the newly built FC range, I was wandering if the corrugated sides & roof of the small benchrest style shed would stay on...Thankfully it was fine, although I'm not sure if PCal sitting on the other bench has fully forgiven me yet! It was 'rustic and cosy' inside, with the log seat being a nice touch - perhaps Diggle could do the same for hunter benchrest class to add some authenticity? Also oddly enough, I believe two of the other deer shot were taken just above the targets - some very obliging deer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Great write up and pictures, thanks Tiff. Some fantastic scenery, that certainly gets juices flowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Good to see quad sticks used in low firing positions - were they B&Q or proprietary ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeSoutherner Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Great write-up. Thanks for sharing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiff Posted December 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Good to see quad sticks used in low firing positions - were they B&Q or proprietary ones? The penta sticks are made by a local chap and sold through Bushwear and other outlets, under the name 'Elite Gun Rest'. They are very well constructed, with top components used throughout and are usable with my rifle; which is some going given the weight and recoil! Without them, at least one of us (probably both) would have returned with a badly sprained ankle at best. Whilst not designed for it, the five poles together happily supported 100+ kg of either of us descending off the slopes or when we broke through the mossy old clear fell. Obviously they are also very stable in use, making sub MOA 200 yard groups perfectly achievable from standing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pb86 Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 A very enjoyable read and some great pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 WONDERFUL TIFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srvet Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 You really need to Kind of makes me wonder about a boys trip northwards???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roe Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Kind of makes me wonder about a boys trip northwards???? It does,,,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhunter Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Looks a fantastic place, Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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