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Stag Hunting, Invercauld Estate, Scotland, October 2010

Do you see the Stag?
Do you see the Stag?
Fog on the way to the gamekeeper's house at Invercauld, coming down off the mountain from Glenshee, about 10 miles south of Braemar on A93
Fog on the way to the gamekeeper's house at Invercauld, coming down off the mountain from Glenshee, about 10 miles south of Braemar on A93
Fog on the Invercauld hills
Fog on the Invercauld hills
Peter the Stalker (that's a job, not a label) sets up the Sako for the kids to try.  Max and Juela just got their hunting license and their parents sent them along with the other Max on this trip.
Peter the Stalker (that's a job, not a label) sets up the Sako for the kids to try. Max and Juela just got their hunting license and their parents sent them along with the other Max on this trip.
Max tries his hand with the Sako in the fog.  The rifle is .308 Winchester caliber and wears a 6x42 Kahles Helia scope and a supressor.  The latter eliminates much of the noise of shooting, which is good both for guests and for the stags.
Max tries his hand with the Sako in the fog. The rifle is .308 Winchester caliber and wears a 6x42 Kahles Helia scope and a supressor. The latter eliminates much of the noise of shooting, which is good both for guests and for the stags.
Monday, 11 October:  The first group of hunters takes to the hills.  Peter, Bernd, Joerg ][, & I cross a rickety bridge over a burn (creek or water course) one at a time.
Monday, 11 October: The first group of hunters takes to the hills. Peter, Bernd, Joerg ][, & I cross a rickety bridge over a burn (creek or water course) one at a time.
Walking along the loch in the fog
Walking along the loch in the fog
Climbing.  The fog really held to the ground, and cut our visibility to well under 100 yards.
Climbing. The fog really held to the ground, and cut our visibility to well under 100 yards.
What weather!  Peter had never seen in many years of hunting a clear blue sky over a fog-shrouded set of hills.  I suspect a temperature inversion kept the fog down in the valleys, but up top the sky was cloudless.
What weather! Peter had never seen in many years of hunting a clear blue sky over a fog-shrouded set of hills. I suspect a temperature inversion kept the fog down in the valleys, but up top the sky was cloudless.
Fog totally shrouded the hills
Fog totally shrouded the hills
What a view.
What a view.
We continue along the hilltops.
We continue along the hilltops.
Nothing but fog below, shrouding the hills, hiding the stags.
Nothing but fog below, shrouding the hills, hiding the stags.
A walk in the clouds
A walk in the clouds
Descending in the fog
Descending in the fog

Bernd and Peter move out to watch some stags
Bernd and Peter move out to watch some stags
Descending into the fog.
Descending into the fog.
Bernd took a cery nice stag.  He waited a long time for it to stand up, and in the fog it was less than 50 meters away.  A good clean shot ensured that it did not run off and get lost.  Patience pays off!
Bernd took a cery nice stag. He waited a long time for it to stand up, and in the fog it was less than 50 meters away. A good clean shot ensured that it did not run off and get lost. Patience pays off!
A happy first kill of the hunt, Bernd taking the honors.  They crept up to within 50 yards when Bernd took the shot as the stag stood up and loomed in the fog.
A happy first kill of the hunt, Bernd taking the honors. They crept up to within 50 yards when Bernd took the shot as the stag stood up and loomed in the fog.
Joerg ][ photographs Bernd's stag and the happy hunters
Joerg ][ photographs Bernd's stag and the happy hunters
Tuesday 12 October: Dieter's photo of the frost on the cars.
Tuesday 12 October: Dieter's photo of the frost on the cars.
Joerg was the only hunter to get joy on Tuesday,
Joerg was the only hunter to get joy on Tuesday,
Peter takes a much needed rest after a long day of stalking with 3 hunters in tow.
Peter takes a much needed rest after a long day of stalking with 3 hunters in tow.
Joerg looks over his stag
Joerg looks over his stag
Joerg gets blooded by Peter
Joerg gets blooded by Peter
Joerg
Joerg "blooded" in Scottish tradition. It was his first stag.
Peter stalks for Dieter.
Peter stalks for Dieter.
Looking for stags
Looking for stags
More fog rolls in
More fog rolls in