About Stalking

As well as being an appealing sight, red deer are important to the Highland economy. Roughly 600,000 red deer roam the open uplands and forests of Scotland, and as many as 65,000 a year are culled. This brings in an annual income of around £15m from stalking lets and the sale of venison and other parts of the animal. Many larger estates employ stalkers to guide owners or shooting tenants and to advise which stags should be shot.

Stalkers also retrieve carcases and prepare them for sale. Where leases are concerned, parts of the estate are usually set aside for stalking and the number of stags that may be culled is laid down. The stalker and his gillie or ponyman help the tenants, but the estate usually retains ownership of the venison.

Between one fifth and one sixth of the hinds in a herd are culled in winter by estate staff. Culling is necessary as red deer no longer have natural predators such as wolves, and the huge rise in deer numbers means many would otherwise starve in bitter Highland winters.