September 29th

Men of Iron: I have just returned from a stalking trip on the north west coast of Scotland. The estate I was stalking on had four Munros, all of which could be reached by walking from sea level. This was to prove to be a very long day. 

As we left the roadside in the morning the stalker, myself and the ghillie passed a tent zipped up and with no sign of life. We set off climbing the very steep face. After an hour it became apparent by the behaviour of some hinds that the munro baggers had spooked the deer and they were heading round the rocks towards a stag we had decided was shootable as he was underweight and still in velvet. This caused us to retrace our steps back to the road for a rethink. 2 hours on and we had climbed the hill back up another route.

The frustration was exasperating. That day three men from the estate were all working and two paying guests were out. These guests were not wealthy land owners but working men who had saved hard for this special hunting experience. I cannot, for the life of me, think of any other working scenario where people taking leisure can disrupt men at work like this. It is unfair that working people in the countryside have no recourse when it comes to this type of situation. How easy things could be if, during the stalking season, walkers could communicate better with the estate before taking access or allow the estate, with understanding on both sides, to shut down on so many days a year to carry out essential management. Some work has been done on this but much more is needed if we are going to be able to carry out our jobs properly.

That evening, in the bothy, we were discussing the days events and its merits. We were all in agreement that the men who work in these mountains are a very special breed- and extremely fit! Two of the stalkers I was in company with were 62 and 63; unbelievable when you think that somebody in public service can retire at 50, usually on a very good pension. These men had to climb that mountain every day except Sunday, not like the munro baggers who were able to cherry-pick their leisure days, perhaps not even appreciating the wildlife around them. If men and women are to work in the countryside there has to be far more respect from visitors.

Far more scary was that, after 3 days, we hardly saw a beast. Discussing this with the stalkers, they were in no doubt that this was due to the out- of- season culls carried out by the John Muir Trust. This is a policy they have been pursuing, trying to establish birch scrub on peatland that is so poor it is unlikely to support trees.

I care so passionately now about this subject that I feel these hard working men on the hills may lose their jobs, forever ending 150 years of tradition and culture. But we will not stand by and watch this happen. We have been fortunate recently to work with Professor James Fenton, an eminent ecologist, on the science behind upland management and deer in relation to it, and we will be heading for Parliament to try and bring some balance to a horrible situation these men from the hills have found themselves in. It will be a sad day for our wildlife and profession if these people are driven from the hills by a policy with dubious ecological merit.

September 19th

Since the 12th August, we have been at the grouse and it has been great to  see, first hand, what it means to communities. 
It is not just about the keepers and shooters, it is the whole entourage that come together during a day on the hill.
Forty beaters, a dozen pickers-up, the guns, the loaders, it is unbelievable seeing everyone head out onto the heather. I have also been impressed with the professionalism of the keepers, their tweeds, their care for the job and the respect and pride with which they work. For a young person starting out in the industry, it is a great example.
This year has been special due to the large numbers of grouse. This is down to management, predator control and working with nature. We have had nice weather in the spring and early summer for the last couple of years, lots of insect life and good, mixed weather at hatching time. The careful use of medicated grit also helps the health and condition of the birds, overall.

It is quite amazing how many people are employed and how much money it brings in. If you extend that across Scotland, it is significant. I don’t think there is any other economic activity that could replicate the benefits for communities in these areas. Without it, I think we would see a lot more Sitka Spruce across our hills. I think it’s almost certain that we would have had more incursions of such species onto endangered heather moorland, if people had not been so keen to have grouse. Alternatively, these upland areas might have been over-grazed by sheep because that would be one of the few other possible land uses. What we would have in our uplands is large areas over-run with bracken, less income and none of the wider community benefits or jobs we see from grouse-related activity, and that’s not just for the moor owner. The benefits to other species, too, is massive. I personally think that, if a naturalist was to write a book in 100 or 200 years’ time about our history as we know it now, he or she would acknowledge we wouldn’t have nearly so much wildlife if it wasn’t for the management of keepers. When they look back on it, they will say, ‘thank god someone was interested in achieving a balance’.