An Ardnamurchan Estate Red Stag

During our wanderings across Ardnamurchan Estate land we see many red deer stags, of which this one seemed even better than most.  We found him not far from the Caim sheds one evening, and the reason he's looking a little concerned is that the small group of hinds he was with had spotted us and taken off over the hill.

Because he struck us as an unusually fine beast, The Diary sent these pictures to Niall Rowantree, head stalker at Ardnamurchan Estate's West Highland Hunting, and asked him to comment on the stag.

Niall writes, "He has the classic genetic features of the Rominter stags introduced to the main estate many years ago and was sired by the huge stag that ruts every year above Caim.  This year he will turn five years old and start to play his part in the breeding success of the herd.

"Stags of his class will be allowed to run with the herd until 9 or 10 years of age at which point they will have passed on their genetics and will become a highly prized trophy stag for one of our hunting visitors. Currently we have around forty stags of his class in the 4 to 5 year old age class, and 8 to 10 who are considerably better."

For  anyone who would enjoy a day out with guides with considerable experience of West Ardnamurchan and its wildlife,  Niall and his wife Fay run Wild Highland Tours which offers a range of local wildlife watching tours.

Many thanks to Niall for his comment.