Until i860 rifles were of poor quality, and marksmanship so uncertain that
the stalkers were generally accompanied by men with a couple of strong Deerhounds,
who played their part in running the Stag to bay and ‘ holding ’ it if
it was missed. This involved a form of the chase somewhat similar to
hunting elk with the los-hund—a sport, in fact, where strength of wind and
limb was more important than marksmanship. We see this all admirably
depicted in Landseer’s enduring canvases, and the era of the Deer-hound
combined with the rifle may be said to have set in with the arrival of the
Prince Consort, who did so much to popularise the sport in Scotland. At this
time, too, numbers of Stags were killed by driving to posted rifles in the large
forests, such as Glen-Tilt and the Blackmount. In 1864 no fewer than 157 Stags
were killed in this last-named forest, a number which has never since been exceeded
in any Highland forest. Another era came in with the introduction of
the accurate express rifles of Mr. Henry about the year 1865. At first these
were muzzle-loaders, but later on breechloaders were adopted, and their introduction
sounded the knell of the Scottish Deer-hound.1 Yet another era may be said
to have been inaugurated by the invention and use of the small-bore rifles with
nitro-powder in 1894. Their accuracy is So great that a Stag may be fired at
safely at much greater ranges than formerly.
There is much talk at the present day of the deterioration of Highland Deer
and the advantages and drawbacks of artificial feeding, and of this I must say
a word or two.
No doubt in a large majority of cases feeding is of the greatest benefit.
There are perhaps half a dozen Highland forests where really good grazing
and good wintering are found, and which are not overstocked, and in such places
it is best to allow the Deer to shift for themselves. The head stalker at Glen-
quoich, where feeding was resorted to some years ago to a considerable extent,
has expressed his opinion that he did not believe that an extra food supply in
winter was of any help to the Deer, and that they grew as good heads and bodies
without it. He was probably correct as regards Glenquoich, for the grass comes
both rich and early in this forest, Knoydart, and Kintail, which, added to the mild
climate of the west coast, would easily account for this view of the question.
But given such a high and exposed forest as Strathvaick, where an enormous
stock of Deer are kept, it would be extremely bad policy as well as very cruel
1 At the present time in one forest in Inverness-shire Mr. Angelo kills ten to fifteen Stags annually by coursing with
trained Scottish Deer-hounds.
to keep so great a number in such a cold shelterless area, where spring is very
late and food scant, without artificial aid. I can remember when Mr. Frank
Morrison had the forest in 1882 that there were about a fourth of the number
of Deer there are now. How poor and wretched they werel and Mr. Morrison
hardly ever secured a fine head. Then there was no winter feeding. Now, with
an enormous herd, Mr. J. C. Williams ‘ feeds’ heavily, the Deer are in fine
condition, and he annually secures some of the best heads in Scotland»1/ The late
Lord Lovat was of opinion that it is a great mistake to feed Deer in winter unless
‘ absolutely necessary.’ Nowadays in eighty cases out of a hundred it is
absolutely necessary.
To obtain fine heads in the autumn it is essential to keep stags in good
heart during the previous winter and early spring. When the summer pasture
comes they can maintain themselves, but if they begin the season in a state of
semi-starvation the richest summer grazing will not produce fine trophies. A wet
summer is always the best for heads both in park and forest, just as a dry
season means poor heads; but a wet season does not necessarily mean Deer in
fine condition. On the contrary, continuous rain, although it seems rather to
improve horns, worries the Deer and prevents them from getting fat.
The elimination of the best Stags, overstocking, and the shooting of far too
many ‘ growing’ Stags in the Scottish forests easily account for the deterioration
of the Highland Red Deer heads, though not necessarily the bodies.2 Stags are
in fact shot long before they have obtained decent heads or have reached such an
age that they can grow them. Every spring I look through the catalogues of the
shooting agents, where I see the names of forests which I know well, with the
number of Stags which the future tenants will be allowed to shoot. In almost
every case the number of Stags allowed is twice and even three times what it
1 In Strathvaick in 1895 Mr. John Williams killed 105 Stags, which included ten royals and one thirteen-pointer.
Nearly every year he obtains much the same number and quality of Deer. He is a great believer in killing off old and
bad-headed Stags. Switch-homs and hummels are shot on sight.
* On this point an explanation is necessary. There is a popular idea that the biggest and strongest Stags which collect
large herds of hinds in October are the sires of the calves which appear in the following June. In eighty cases out of a
hundred this is an error. These big fellows are generally kept so busy early in the rutting season that they do not breed
with the hinds even if the latter are ready to accept them, which is often not the case. In fact many of the hinds do not come
properly into season until November, at which time the big Stags are too worn out by worry and starvation to hold them.
Consequently the active young staggies and brockets get their opportunity to cover the hinds, and they are generally
the sires of the forthcoming calves. I know that many experienced stalkers will dispute this, and will say, moreover,
that it is not possible that the calves o f immature Stags can be as good as those fathered by adult Stags ; but with this
again I must disagree, and I will quote only one instance. The finest Stag, a really wonderful animal carrying the record
head for length of any park Stag ever bred at Melbury, was sired by an eighteen months old pricket which had been kept
in a paddock with two hinds prior to being turned out, so there was no doubt about the parentage of the animal.