After winning a Roe Deer Stalking Trip, Liam, joined by guides Chris and Graeme from South Ayrshire Stalking head out hoping for success on day two of their hunt. 

With an early morning start, the Liam, Chris and Sasha, the stalking dog, ventured out into a very rainy day at a large historical estate in Ayrshire Scotland, that was surrounded by deciduous forests, open fields and intertwining hedge lines – a beautiful location to start the morning.

Despite the hard rain it made for a great hike glassing and monitoring the surrounding areas for any signs of movement. The weather held wet for some time and not much evidence of deer has been presented but we had a good vantage point. Lower ground all around us but being on an open track meant we had to stay in single file to avoid over silhouetting.

The rain eased making for much easier glassing. Soon two roe deer appeared out of the long undergrowth prompting me to steady my rifle. But soon disaster struck. The deer had noticed Liam and stood bold upright – but Liam couldn’t take the shot. With the rain his scope was fogged up and his Parallax was out of focus, so he was blind.

Having just moments to take the shot, Chris stepped in the adjust the focus while Liam cleaned the lens. Then just as time was almost up, Liam took the shot just as the deer moved. The shot felt solid, but Liam was unsure if it was a clean safe shot. Chris got Sasha to work, who checked the shot site, confirming Liam had made a good connection with the animal, and provided it a swift and humane shot. To have shot a gold medal buck was beyond any of my wildest dreams especially for his first ever roe deer and came as a shock just how beautiful he was.

For Liam, hunting has never been about a trophy but instead about taking part in the management of a truly beautiful species of animal, contributing quality meat to a local community and most importantly honouring and respecting the journey out ancestors had to walk to survive.

In the evening Liam was joined by Graeme for an evening stalk. Back at the Woodland area, the weather was fine having remained dry and sunny. Liam and Graeme were hopeful that this would draw the deer out of cover to feed. They were looking for a Red Deer, but spotted a Roebuck – and as Liam said, stalking is one of those activities where you just go with the opportunities as they are presented. Ultimately, they decided to take the shot with the Roebuck and once again provided a clean and humane shot.

Having the expertise and company of Chris and Graeme on the stalk was a great privilege for Liam. Chris and Graeme knowledge of the local land, animals and stalking made Liam’s trip particularly special. Luckily the pair (and Sasha) were joined by the Ellie who filmed the entire day. To learn from Chris and Graeme and check out Liam’s experience watch the video here.

Chris Dalton's kit

Chris uses the Haenel Jaeger 10 Varmint Sporter .243 / Leupold VX-6HD 4-24X52 Rifle Scope / B&T Suppressor