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Hind Stalking

SHORT DAYS. HARD WEATHER. THE REAL WORK OF THE HILL.

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Hind Stalking at Glen Dessary

When the stags have finished and the hill empties of other guests, the Estate turns to the hinds. This is the part of the year that does the real work of deer management, and it is stalking of a different character: colder, wetter, more about ground covered than a single trophy, and for many guests the more rewarding of the two seasons.

Season

21 October to 15 February

Estate Closure

Closed 1 December to 15 January. Hind stalking runs either side of it, from 21 October to 30 November and from 16 January to 15 February.

Parties Per Day

Up to two, working separate ground

Accompaniment

Always with an experienced, qualified stalker

A Different Season Altogether

From late October the glen changes. The autumn colour goes off the hill, the burns come up, and the weather arrives from the west with nothing in its way. The light is low and short, and on a clear day after snow the view west to Rhum and Skye is better than anything the stag season offers.

Hind stalking suits guests who want to be out in it. Days are shaped entirely by the conditions, and the stalker will change the plan as the weather and the deer dictate. Decent boots, proper waterproofs and a willingness to walk are worth more here than marksmanship.

Red deer in a frosted glen at Glen Dessary in winter

The Cull, and Why It Matters

The hind cull is how the herd is kept in balance with the ground it lives on. Numbers are set each year against our own counts, and the stalker selects the beast: typically an older or poorer-conditioned hind, or a yeld hind without a calf at foot. Taking the right animals is the whole point of the exercise.

Guests on the hind hill are taking part in that work rather than pursuing a trophy. It is the side of Highland deer management most visitors never see, and the reason the stags are in the condition they are by the following August.

A group of red deer hinds on the open hill at Glen Dessary

Your Day on the Hind Hill

Days start later than in the stag season, simply because the light does. You will be out with a qualified stalker who knows this ground in every condition, working the hill rather than sitting on one beast, and more than one hind may be taken in a day where the cull requires it.

Back at the Lodge there is a hot bath, a dram and dinner from our chef, including venison off the Estate. Rifles can be discussed in advance, and we ask that all guests read our stalking terms before arrival.

Read our stalking terms and conditions

A stalker in tweeds lying on the hill, spying through a telescope

Hind Stalking Prices

Hind feeper party per day, staying in the Lodge £720 per party per day
Hind feewithout accommodation £950 per party per day
Additional day of stalkingbooked with the original booking, in case the first day is lost to conditions £500 per rifle
Deer Carcass Preparation Coursestalking season only £350 per group
Butchery Masterclassstalking season only, follows the carcass course £300 per group
The Lodgefully catered, minimum 2 nights with one day's stalking £275 per guest per night

The hind fee is charged per stalking party per day and is not a per-beast fee. Up to two parties per day. Lodge rates are subject to a minimum of 10 guests. For smaller groups please contact us. All prices include VAT and are reviewed annually.

Taking a Single Place

If you do not have a full party, our shared hind weeks put individuals and pairs together for a hosted week at the Lodge, with the stalking, all meals and a dram by the fire each evening included. You can come on your own and leave with people you will stalk with again.

See Our Shared Hind Weeks

What Happens After the Shot

The hind season is the right time to learn the part of stalking that happens off the hill, because there is always a beast on the larder hook to work with. Both courses run during the stalking season only.

Deer Carcass Preparation

A hands-on demonstration in the larder of how a carcass is prepared for butchery, taught by our stalker: the gralloch, hanging, skinning and what to look for at each stage. You are welcome to watch or to do it yourself.

Butchery Masterclass

The follow-up: breaking the carcass down into the cuts, where each one sits on the beast, how to trim and prepare them, and which are worth hanging longer. Take what you have prepared home with you.

Add This to Your Stay

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The winter hill, at its most honest

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