Red Stag and Soay Rams in Scotland

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In September 2008, I flew to Scotland to hunt red stag and Soay rams on Carminnows Estate, located in Dumfries-Galloway County, just north of the small village of St. Johns Town of Dalry.       

This was my first time in Scotland, and it would prove to be one of those magical lands one has to return to. Scotland is full of green rolling hills, deep forests, friendly people, and wonderful hunting opportunities.

I met the outfitter, Steve Sweeting of Carminnows Estate, at the El Paso SCI banquet in January 2008. That is where I bought the hunt. I went in to the main hall during the auction and could not resist bidding on this one.

Travel to and from the states was relatively easy. I did not want to go through England, so I flew from Phoenix to Philadelphia, and then on to Glasgow, where my guide, Lyndon Scholes, met me at the airport. Since Steve was able to obtain a gun permit for me before I left the states, there was no hassle at all when I arrived in Glasgow.

My guide, Lyndon, lived on the property and knew it well. I took a 17-point Scottish hill stag and a Soay ram. The hunt was not difficult and was most enjoyable. I expected rain, but we had some overcast days, some hours of bright sunshine, and no precipitation. We stalked through the forest, across the hills, along ancient rock walls, hearing the roar of the stags in rut. I saw many animals and had an opportunity to make a good selection. 

We hunted using spot and stalk techniques. In the early morning we would walk out from the estate compound, through the pastures and into the forested hills, across the bogs and rivulets, listening all the time for the roar of the stags and then try to make a stalk. Failing at that, we walked through the forest to the edges and glassed from a good vantage point, using our binoculars to view the herd and/or flock. If we found a desirable animal in that group, a stalk was made to close the distance as much as possible. Stalking the open country was a bit tricky, but there were many ancient rock walls that we used to our advantage, as well as the pitch and roll of the land. Finding a good stag, we crept up to the head of a rise and from the prone position I took my shot, ending that part of my hunt.  

The ram was a different ballgame. The sheep were located at the north end of the estate, and we drove to a point where they were visible and then started for a vantage point to glass. With so many eyes it was tough. Several times we followed them on foot from what seemed like one end of the estate to the other. Once the flock seemed to settle we would, again using the rock walls for cover, try to get close. After about three attempts, we held back and waited for the flock to settle down. After glassing the flock over and over again, I knew the ram I wanted. Once the sheep had settled, we obtained a good shooting position using the top of a rock wall. I then had to wait for the ram to get up and separate himself from the others. When he did, I was ready, and my shot was true.

Accommodations and meals were excellent, as was trophy preparation, and the estate had a good shooting area to sight-in my rifle before starting the hunt itself. This, coupled with a capable and knowledgeable guide, made the trip most enjoyable. After the hunt I rented a car and traveled to the Southern Hebrides Islands off the west coast and had a chance to visit several Scotch distilleries on the Isle of Islay.

In terms of pricing, as in all things, cost was relative. Since my hunt was on a private estate, no in-country hunting license was necessary. Typical of European hunting, the cost will vary according to the size of the animal taken. My only advice in that regard is to try to get a cost figure from your guide before you pull the trigger. He is best able to judge antler or horn size and give you that information. 

Contact Information:

Carminnows Estate
Steve Sweeting
Tel: 011 44 (0)1268 774606
Mob: 011 44 (0)7768268410
Mob: 011 44 (0)7792874511
E-mail: carminnowsestate@msn.com

Comments

if you want to shoot tame animals who are bucket fed, behind fences, this is the place for you. very sporting. a blind american could hit them. From not given on Thursday, July 22, 2010 5:34 PM Based on my personal experience, you certainly need to avoid Carminnows Hunting Estate, and Steve Sweeting: If you are thinking of Hunting in the UK or Scotland, beware of Steve Sweeting the outfitter at Carminnows Hunting Estate. Based on my personal experience, I feel this guy thinks nothing of using "Bait and Switch" tactics to sell a hunt. Possibly because we were international clients, he had no qualms in being arrogant about this while he took our money. My exposure to this foul experience began about (3) years ago at the Safari Club International (SCI) convention in Reno. My good friend, and past president of a Oklahoma chapter of the SCI contracted with Sweeting for a Hunting package in the UK, which was the FULL PRICE for a (4) day hunt for (2) hunters and (2) non-hunters; which included a Roe Deer and Red Stag in the cost. The agreement was with Carminnows Hunting Estate, for ($7,000 USD), and was signed by Steve Sweeting the outfitter. Keep in mind that this was a full price based on Mr. Sweeting's booking contract with my good friend, and was for US dollars, not pounds sterling. The reason I make this point is that when my friend and our wives left the outfitters estate, we had paid over ($11,300 USD), based the conversion rate at the time, and some changes due to game not available. The agreement was in US dollars, and should not have involved the conversion rate from our perspective, but this was just one of the surprises we would encounter with this outfitter. In fact, after later recalculating the charges it appeared that we had been overcharged by about (10%) anyway; but when asked to explain the bill in detail Mr. Sweeting refused to respond. One thing you never think about (and should) on these type of international trips, is "what if when you get there the individual you contracted with does not want to live up to his part of the agreement?" That was the case in this instance, and our decision was to go ahead and pay the conversion; but we were not going to agree to pay for inflating the base price by (20%) because of some contrived conditions unknown to us at the time we contracted for this hunt; and now sprung on us as another surprise. However, the outcome of not paying every questionable cent demanded by this outfitter is the basis that Sweeting has held our trophies, and will not ship them until we pay him his alleged shortfall. This has been the topic of continued communication for the past year, although we have conditionally agreed to pay the contrived additional cost, on proof that the trophies are in good shape, and confirmation of shipment; because we DO NOT trust this individual to do the right thing. As you might guess, this was not acceptable to Mr. Sweeting, and he is still holding our trophies waiting for the demanded full payment for his unsubstantiated additional costs, and an apology for suggesting that this is a rip-off. Mr. Sweeting will not be getting an apology for this nonsense he has created, but I do intend to tell my story. This was my first international hunting experience, but I have hunted and fished all over North America, from Mexico to Canada, and I have never met a more arrogant and greedy individual serving the public than Steve Sweeting, in my opinion. I think he believes that if he can put a client in a awkward position, then he can demand anything. Beyond the unethical and abusive treatment we received by way of his financial demands, we also encountered a litany of other shortcomings associated with our exposure to the Carminnows Hunting Estate, and Steve Sweeting: * We contracted for a Roe Deer and a Red Stag. We took a Red Stag, but could not find a decent Roe Deer to harvest (No Refund). * In lieu of the Roe Deer, my friend did get a good Chinese Water Deer, but that is some of the trophies that Mr. Sweeting is holding. * I was interested in adding a Muntjack to my game to take, but after (1.5) days of hunting England we did not see one, and then moved to Scotland for a Red Stag. Based on my experience, I would say that Muntjack on the Carminnows Hunting property are scarce. * While in Scotland we had occasional idle time, when my wife and I, or all of us were not hunting. During that time there was no food or snacks in the house where we were staying. After a couple days if this, we had to ask for someone to go to the store to get some snacks and drinks. * Failing to find a Muntjack, I decided to take a Soay Ram. I shot a decent one, but I forgot my camera. The guide advised that he would take the pictures, and provide me with the photos. As you can guess, these pictures are also part of our property that Carminnows Estate is, in effect, holding for ransom. * During our hunting experience in England and Scotland, Steve Sweeting was conveniently absent from both the Carminnow Estate hunting sites, and imposed on his PH and staff to relay his plans to add the unknown costs to our bill. Upon leaving the Scotland Estate to travel to the airport, after settling up financially with Mr. Sweeting's staff (which did not include the added 20%), Mr. Sweeting called to advise by phone that he would pick us up at the Scottish airport to take us to the London Heathrow airport. It apparently was in his plans to teach us a lesson for not paying his inflated financial demands, and he left us stranded in front of the Scottish airport for over (2) hours, before arriving to take us to Heathrow to begin the final African leg of our safari vacation (which was excellent compared to our UK experience). By the way, Sweeting never apologized or even commented about the delay and inconvenience he imposed on us. I am sure that there are many reliable and fair outfitters in the UK and Scotland, and I would recommend going. All in all, it would have been a memorable trip just considering the beautiful countryside. However, it became a miserable memory due to the arrogance and greed of this outfitter. From Ron Jewell on Saturday, December 19, 2009 1:44 PM I would like to find a good stag with crowns at the tops - maybe a sheep as well. I am in Oregon. From david burns on Saturday, December 12, 2009 1:45 AM

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