Hi Folks,
I have just got back from a week on the above mentioned course and i thought i'd pop my thoughts on here.
In a nut shell, if you have a hankering to shoot game (specifically deer), then this course is designed to give you a good grounding on what you need to know and do.
It covers all the basics, from observation to stalking, tracking to shooting, gralloking to butchery.
The course was held in conjuction with Moray Outfitting, on a woodland estate that they manage up in Scotland, just south of Inverness.
There was a 5 mile hike to the base camp (the kit was trailered in), where Paul, James, Iain and Andy from Moray Outfitting had set up a basic communal camp area with tarps and 2 long log fires. This was to be our home for the next week.
I won't go into a blow by blow account of what we did, but suffice to say that everything for gaining a DSC1 (deer stalking certificate) was covered in depth and a whole lot more. Paul and the team made sure that each subject was covered in such a way that you could grasp the basic idea and, if you wanted, take that knowledge to the next level.
We were very well fed and i'm sure i actually gained a pound or two, although i'm sure i was getting venison sweats by the end of the week.
We also were very lucky to be part of a group of 10 (including Hudson from on here), from all over the uk, and a cracking group they were to. Good company really does make a course like this work.
I really would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in hunting large game in the uk. Although i would say that it is a very active week and the terrain is hard, unforgiving and, this year, very wet. so if you are interested, be very honest with yourself in regards to fitness and ability to live rough for a week in the middle of nowhere.
Hope this helps anyone who is thinking of doing it and, although they are already booked up for next year, let them know your interest, as they do get cancellations.
I have just got back from a week on the above mentioned course and i thought i'd pop my thoughts on here.
In a nut shell, if you have a hankering to shoot game (specifically deer), then this course is designed to give you a good grounding on what you need to know and do.
It covers all the basics, from observation to stalking, tracking to shooting, gralloking to butchery.
The course was held in conjuction with Moray Outfitting, on a woodland estate that they manage up in Scotland, just south of Inverness.
There was a 5 mile hike to the base camp (the kit was trailered in), where Paul, James, Iain and Andy from Moray Outfitting had set up a basic communal camp area with tarps and 2 long log fires. This was to be our home for the next week.
I won't go into a blow by blow account of what we did, but suffice to say that everything for gaining a DSC1 (deer stalking certificate) was covered in depth and a whole lot more. Paul and the team made sure that each subject was covered in such a way that you could grasp the basic idea and, if you wanted, take that knowledge to the next level.
We were very well fed and i'm sure i actually gained a pound or two, although i'm sure i was getting venison sweats by the end of the week.
We also were very lucky to be part of a group of 10 (including Hudson from on here), from all over the uk, and a cracking group they were to. Good company really does make a course like this work.
I really would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in hunting large game in the uk. Although i would say that it is a very active week and the terrain is hard, unforgiving and, this year, very wet. so if you are interested, be very honest with yourself in regards to fitness and ability to live rough for a week in the middle of nowhere.
Hope this helps anyone who is thinking of doing it and, although they are already booked up for next year, let them know your interest, as they do get cancellations.
