Much of the day with Sam walking up grouse. He found around eleven, with three being the most in each covey, and I missed about four chances before hitting one.
Collecting and stirring my newly-renovated boat before a productive meeting with Stuart Smith of Fountain Forestry. Ranger Chris then joined me to lead the Sika stalk and I dropped a stag with a good shoulder shot.
The news today was of the Labour Party Conference agreeing to John Smith's call for One Member - One Vote; heralding the end of the union block voting system.
I took my first lay today and did not try to trouble the geese. After a latish breakfast, I spent much of the day with Sam walking up grouse. He found around eleven, with three being the most in each covey, and I missed about four chances before hitting one. Sam found it for me and was getting steadily better and steadier at pointing. I had booked a meeting with Fountain Forestry at Lairg and some Sika stalking afterwards with Chris Ross but used the opportunity to tow my newly-renovated boat to Borgie Lodge on the way.
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Mr Farquhar of Dunnet had dropped the boat off at the hotel on the trailer last night and I had managed to arrange to store it for the winter in one of Peter McGregor's garages at his new hotel in Borgie. A productive meeting with Stuart Smith of Fountain Forestry during which we agreed a compromise plan for the fertilisation and I made my points about pest control, cost control and finance formats. Chris had come down from the north and joined me to lead the Sika stalk and we had some food and got to the plantation in good time to give the dog a feed and run round before beginning.
To our surprise, we saw a large stag at close quarters and had to scramble to get Sam in and ourselves ready for the stalk. A detour to get down wind and then an exciting stalk to get within 60 yards before the stag was disturbed at the last moment. Chris whistled, the stag paused and looked back and I dropped him with a good shoulder shot. Even so he had sprung up and galloped away for a while before the lung shot took its toll. We opted to recover the carcass with Chris's jeep in the absence of an ATV and this we did leaving time for another stalk along the fence.
These foreign-introduced deer are difficult to spy and stalk except in the rut when the stags make loud whistling noises which can be quite unnerving close to. I asked Chris to save the large head for a trophy before we set off back. The news was of the Labour Party Conference agreeing to John Smith's call for One Member - One Vote; heralding the end of the union block voting system.