On the hunt for stags

My time in Scotland is coming to an end, but before I leave, I want to check off one of my top wildlife subjects, the red deer stags.

This morning, those of us who had already been to the photography hide earlier in the week, got up nice and early to head out on a stag hunt.

As we had had an overnight frosting and sprinkling of snow, we were hopeful that the stags would have moved down the mountain and be a bit closer to the road for us to photograph.

As we headed out, we had our first sightings less than 2 miles away from the house we were staying at! It was quite a small group, but I wanted to take full advantage of the fact that we had spotted some so close and get some shots, just in case we didn’t get as lucky again.

I am really happy with the first 2 images I captured, the only thing that would have made it better (in my opinion) would have been in the stag was between 2 of the trees, rather that right in front of it, but that’s just me being picky!

Once these stags had moved on, we headed on towards the mountains, making a quick stop off at a view point along the way where I captured a panoramic image of the snow covered mountains in the distance.

We reached the mountain road that leads up to the Glenshee Ski Centre and our look-out for the stags began, we spotted our first herd and though it was quite far away, we all decanted the car and set about trying to get some images. This was an incredibly flightly group and, they started to head off up the mountain, pretty early on after we had arrived. I did manage to capture an imaged that I like of one of the stags looking back towards us as they all headed over the brow of the hill.

Whilst I was up there, I also captured one of my favourite landscape shots of the mountain road in a dusting of snow.

Our stag hunt continued, and a short drive later, we came across a massive herd of stags, there must have been at least 50 in this group. Again, we headed out to get a bit closer, the others that were with me decided not to come up with me, so I ventured up alone. I had spotted a mound that I could sneak up and be out of view of most of the herd.

I managed to capture an image of 3 young stags, at varying heights, which I absolutely LOVE! I also got a couple of video clips before the herd moved on.

After this sighting, we all thought that would be all we would see, however, closer to the mountain summit, Sally, one of the other photographers spotted a few young stags off on the other side of the road. We once again got our cameras ready and headed out.

I spotted a route up, that would lead me behind a rocky outcrop where I could hide as well as keep my camera steady with that whopping 200-600mm lens on. Once there, I had a brilliant encounter with the stags and got some images I am really happy with. I also managed to capture one of the stags having a wee, which I didn’t realise until I was editing my images afterwards!

We turned around and headed back to base, with a spot of landscape photography along the way. I swapped onto my 24-70 lens and captured some images that I am really happy with. We stopped off at a very picturesque bridge over the Cluine Water. As the sky was clearing, it was quite hard to get images with any sky interest, however, I did spot a red tractor driving down the old military road and waited for it to cross the bridge, which I think gave my photo a bit of a better focal point.

Later that day, Denis and I headed out for some more landscape images along the Glen Lui Trail, on the Mar Lodge Estate. This trail is 1 ¾ miles long and takes you along the Lui Water, before cutting back though some beautiful woodland.

Along this trail, there were plenty of waterfalls and rapids for us to enjoy. Though the photography was incredibly difficult due to the harsh sunlight mixing with dark shadows, we had a great time. The highlight of the trail was the waterfall and salmon ladder.

The trail leads to back to the visitors’ car park, where we headed down to the Linn of Dee gorge, which was absolutely breathtaking. We had been driving over this all week and I had been hoping that I would get a chance to photograph it properly and when Denis and I arrived, it was the golden hour, perfect for images!

I found a spot that I liked, and took my time, getting the composition that I wanted. With the sun going down and now cloud cover, the sky didn’t pop as I would like, however, the sun did backlight some water that was flowing down off the rocks which I LOVE and I think really makes this image stand out for me.

The next day, was to be our last full day in Scotland. Due to our successful stag hunt the day before, this time we all headed out together so that the others, who were in the hide the day before, could also get a chance to capture some stags.

The weather was even colder than the day before, with us heading out in -8°c! Luckily, the stags from the day before were still nearby, and we were able to capture some amazing images from the car of a small group out in the open, frosty grassland.

Once we all had some images here, we headed on, and in some woodland a short way away, we spotted another group and, this was where I would capture my favourite image of the trip. This was the image that I had in my head when we set out, and unlike most my images, it actually tuned out how I wanted it. Now, is it perfect no, was it shot at approximately 1,000,000 ISO yes, do I care about that no, this image really was the cherry on the cake for me on this trip, and I am so happy with it.

After we got our images, we headed on towards the ski centre in the hopes of seeing some more, however, there were none to be seen. After some coffee, we headed back to the house and on route stopped by this beautiful specimen in the frost.

All in all, I have enjoyed every moment of my time here in Scotland. This was hands down the best decision I made last year when I booked my place. As a complete newbie to wildlife photography, I can say that I have now got the bug and I have already booked a place on a trip to the Isle of Mull in 2025!

If you are looking to go on a photography retreat yourself, then I highly recommend those that are run by Carl Thomas Photography. He really makes the trips special, the food is amazing, and he is on hand to help with any areas that you feel you need a bit of advice with. You won’t be disappointed.