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A successful sporting day that eventually delivered two more Red Deer stags from South Strathy & then geese from Loch Saorach
It was another early morning and self-service breakfast before leaving for more red deer stag shooting in South Strathy. I had a little trouble with Nigel getting up on time and we started late and got later but we still made our rendezvous with Chris, the gamekeeper, and got going on a fairly dry morning. The stags proved a bit more evasive than the previous day and we had a long haul stalking one stag up a mountain, only to be seen and lose him, and then another for a mature stag in the open ground. This one was a large beast with a fine head laying down in low ground and we crawled up before I stayed behind with the binoculars and Nigel and Chris crawled right up within range, the last section having to be done by Nigel without his jacket in the cold water-sodden peat.
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Stalking two Red Deer stags from South Strathy and shooting five hare from Broubster as we were assisted by Chris Ross, the ranger after which we could learn from the process of butchering and preparation. Back just in time for dinner and then, after cleaning the gun, very tired to bed.
Nigel and I had our first experience of Red Deer stalking today and ended up with a fine 8-pointer stag each of about 200lbs carcase weight. We met up with Chris Ross, the ranger, at 6.30am and then followed him along the endless unmade road into South Strathy until we arrived just after dawn to hear the stags hollering and roaring away. There then followed the stalking process which involved listening out for the nearest stag, creeping up on him very quietly from a down-wind direction to get within 1-200 yards when a single rifle shot aimed below their shoulder with reasonable accuracy would kill the beast. Nigel was given the first chance when we saw a stag trotting through some trees and so were able to run ahead and ambush it as it stepped out into the clearing. The ranger made a stag call (a guttural roaring sound) which made it stop and then Nigel fired.
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A further shooting and fishing day at Thormaid, where Nigel shot another grouse and two snipe and I hosted both Ian McGregor, who fished with Nigel in the White Loch with wet fly, and the Fountain Forestry people; with whom I discussed management matters.
Later on, Nigel and I had fun at Lochs Thormaid and Saorach and I managed to shoot a drake Mallard as the first kill with my new shot-gun. Back to the hotel late for dinner but pleased with our days' sport.
I was up at 6.00am, writing up these last few days journal and preparing for a busy day and woke Nigel at 6.30am who also wanted to be up early to dress his grouse. Straight after breakfast, we went off to Thormaid trying to shoot grouse, but Nigel only managed one grouse but was good enough to get two snipe in the Dulochan system (the wet peat boggy area) . I tried but missed both grouse and snipe. Both Ian McGregor and the Fountain Forestry people arrived at the same time, and I left Nigel and Ian to fish the White Loch with wet fly whilst I had a meeting with the others.
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The day fishing on my own Loch nan Clachan Geala, catching three trout to 12oz on dry fly as Nigel ignored the Sunday laws and shot a grouse.
I chatted to Ian McGregor about our fishing and invited him to join me tomorrow. He tells me we should have been using wet fly to stand a proper chance and a drogue on the drifting boat!
I had checked my shooting books and had to give Nigel the bad news that shooting all types of creatures was strictly forbidden and illegal on Sundays in Scotland and we would therefore have to concentrate on the fishing. This was not a bad thing anyway because the fishing season was due to end on Tuesday, yet we had more free days at the end of the week. It was a nice sunny day, though a bit chilly to start with. The breeze was growing as the day went on and was a slight annoyance, but it was not too bad. I was first at the water and, having bailed out the boat yesterday evening, was soon able to row it over to the south-eastern bank to moor up and try fishing.
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