RED HIND
STALKING
ON TARANSAY
By Selena Barr
Page 78
Australian & International Trophy Hunter • September 2015
There’s something quite magical about
hunting on an uninhabited island on the
edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Something that
arouses a primeval sense of raw adventure. In
Scotland there are around 140 uninhabited
islands in total, but only one of them boasts
its own herd of Red deer, like Taransay does.
The tiny, remote Hebridean island has
been uninhabited since 1974, except for
holidaymakers and is the largest island in
Scotland that lacks a permanent population.
Remarkably, the 3,500-acre island has a
population of approximately 50 stags, 100
hinds and 40 calves. “In the early 1980s the
then owner of the island released around 10
hinds and two stags to establish a source
of venison for his family,” explains estate
manager, Steve Woodhall, adding: “Today’s
herd carries good body weights – they’re of
average stamp for west coast hill deer – plus
there’s a few Royals in the herd as well.”
Made famous after starring in the BBC series
Castaway 2000, the bleak, treeless island
became part of Borve Lodge Estate when it
was purchased by pharmaceutical magnate,
Adam Kelliher, in 2011 for a reported £2
million. It sold in just five days. The
island is pristine, with pictureperfect beaches,
rolling
machair meadows, gargantuan rocks
and numerous archaeological sites.
The island has evidence of inhabitation
going back some 10,000 years and it has
a firm place in Celtic pagan folklore.
Throughout history it has been the site
of fierce battles including the Massacre
of Taransay in 1544, when the Morrisons
of Lewis invaded. At one time there
were three villages on Taransay but
the population dwindled, with the
last remaining family moving to the
mainland in 1974 when the island became
principally a place for sheep grazing.
When I visited, I stayed at Borve Lodge
itself, which is a plush 9-bedroom pile on
the neighbouring island Harris and has
just undergone a complete refurbishment
under the direction of swanky London
interior designers, Beaumomnt Interiors.
Marbled wetrooms, million-thread count
cotton bed linen from The White Company
and views of the Sound of Taransay, all
come as standard. This is five-star luxury
accommodation where you would not
expect it. A member of the Scottish Country
Sports Tourism Group, Borve Lodge comes
with a private chef and housekeeper and
can accommodate up to 14 people. We
had the place to ourselves. The estate also
has four self-catering cottages. Two are
traditional island dwellings, but
the other two are
highly
Australian & International Trophy Hunter • September 2015
modern architecturally-inspired onebedroom spaces that need to be seen to
be believed – ideal for romantic getaways.
According to a review in The Financial Times,
“Borve Lodge Estate takes the self-catering
experience to a level of sophistication
previously unknown in the Hebrides.”
Getting to Harris itself is not difficult.
There are two options – fly into Stornaway
on the Isle of Lewis or drive up through
the Isle of Skye and catch a ferry. Road
trips provide unrivalled thinking
time and are a great way of shaking
off work stresses before you arrive.
Stalking Red hinds on the Isle of Taransay
has to be one of my best diary entries of
last year. To reach Taransay, we boarded
the estate’s landing craft, named The Verley
Anne. A leftover from the Falklands
War, this rather eccentric vessel certainly
aroused the inner explorer in me. After
loading up the Argocat, deerhound and
rifle, we began the 40-minute voyage from
Ardhasaig in Harris. En route we spied
all sorts of indigenous wildlife including
puffins, seals and a golden eagle. After a
busy few months at work, I was ready for
some clean Hebridean air, wilderness and
solitude to help recharge my batteries. Time
forgot this part of the world. Islanders are
orthodox Presbyterian, meaning virtually
all commercial activity ceases on a Sunday
and a large proportion of the population
attends church every week. Inhabitants
do not drive their cars, draw their curtains
or hang out their washing on
this sacred day. An
atheist
Page 79
myself, but the slow pace and
peace and quiet makes a visit
s ome w hat s oul cleansing
and completely restorative.
Walking off the landing craft onto
the untouched white sand was an
experience in itself. So isolated
from mankind but brimming
with wildlife. I felt like the
explorer Captain Cook or Tom
Hanks in Cast Away. I could not
help reflecting on how different
this Tuesday was to my usual
weekdays in gridlocked London.
Steve and I had the island to
ourselves for the whole day.
The plan was to work my more
experienced Bavarian Mountain
Hound and attempt to cull a hind
or two using my new custom rifle
teamed with Hornady 150gr SST
rounds. Trying to ignore the
distracting far-reaching views
across to Harris, I concentrated
on scanning the island for signs of
the herd. With stag season now
well and truly over, stalking wily
hinds is doubly tricky. Hunting a
lone stag that has been cast out of
a herd by a more dominant rival
is difficult enough but creeping
up on a dozen twitchy hinds
requires fieldcraft of the highest
standard. A veteran of the hill,
Steve has a lifetime of experience
when it comes to outwitting
them. He has an impressive CV:
he worked as BASC’s Northern
Page 80
Regional Officer for eight years
before upping sticks and moving
to Canada to manage a private
hunting club. He returned to
the UK in January 2014 when he
was appointed to look after and
develop the sport on Borve Lodge
Estate. So I felt confident that we
would leave the hill with a beast.
The topography on Taransay is
much like mainland Scotland.
I scanned the terrain for the
flash of pale rump using my
Leica Geovid HD-B 10x42
rangefinding binoculars. It was
hard to concentrate on the job in
hand as I kept being distracted
by the island’s abundant wildlife
all around me. Suddenly our
eyes were drawn to a large herd
of Reds, containing around 40
animals, disappearing over a hill.
Two of the stags in the group were
sparring, causing the hinds to be
on edge. Now out of sight, we
decided to stalk into the group,
using the dead ground as cover.
With the wind in our faces, we
belly crawled up the side of a
small hill to catch a glimpse of
the herd on the other side. We
continued belly crawling through
the tussocky grass strewn with
deer droppings and couches
where they’d been laid up. Now
just 150 metres away from
the herd, they appeared more
relaxed as the stags had exhausted
themselves. “I’m surprised to see
Australian & International Trophy Hunter • June 2015
Selena, Simon and deerhound start
heading up the hill to reach the prized hind
stags still rutting,” whispered Steve, adding:
“October’s warm weather has put their
behaviour out of kilter.” A satellite group of
hinds were grazing to the left of the group
and a lone hind at the back presented a
safe shot. Steve unfolded my bipod and
positioned the rifle in front of me. I wriggled
into position and peered through my Leica
1.5-10x42 Magnus scope. The herd was still
unperturbed and unaware of our presence
so there was no undue pressure. I could
take my time. Steve ushered me to shoot
the rear hind as he watched the group
through his binoculars. I waited until she
was perfectly broadside before squeezing
off a 150gr Hornady Superformance SST.
She instantly fell to the shot. I reloaded
and the herd stayed put, not knowing
where the danger was coming from.
Once the herd had moved off I slipped my
deerhound and allowed her to claim the
beast as her prize. She was proud to indicate
to us that she’d found the dead hind. I
gralloched her on the hill and then dragged
her back to the Argocat with Steve before
loading her onto the boat. Borve Lodge
aims to cull around 20 hinds and 10 stags
each season, and this old hind was most
definitely part of the management plan.
After a day’s hard hunting on the hill, the
one thing every hunter wants is a hot bath.
Borve Lodge boasts seven deep roll top
baths as well as complimentary luxurious
bubble bath. Once clean, the next thing
most hunters want is a dram. This was
served in front of the roaring open fire in the
stylish, beamed drawing room. Somehow I
knew the long drive home wasn’t going to
be half as enjoyable as it was going the other
way. I am already planning my trip back.
A day’s stag stalking on Taransay costs £500
per outing. Price includes transportation
from the Lodge to the island and light lunch.
For more information, visit:
www.borvelodge.com
GEAR USED ON THIS HUNT
Hornady 150gr SST Projectiles
RRP: From $59 - $78 AUD per 100
www.hornady.com
Leica 10x42 Geovid HD-B Rangefinding
Binoculars
RRP: From $4,200 AUD
www.leica-sportoptics.com
Leica 1.5-10x42 Magnus scope
RRP: From $3,140 AUD
www.leica-sportoptics.com
Leica APO-Televid spotting scope
RRP: From $4,250 AUD
www.leica-sportoptics.com
Australian & International Trophy Hunter • September 2015
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