Fieldsports Britain - A Year in the Life of Red Deer, part 2

We are stalking red stags with Niall Rowantree on the Ardnamurchan Estate. A few weeks in the late summer and autumn are almost all the time a Scottish estate has to make money out of deerstalking. Niall and his team are working flat out to give the clients what they want: the glorious Scottish landscape and the excitement of creeping up on Scotland's most iconic animal.
This is part two of our four-part film A Year in the Life of Red Deer, where we follow Niall Rowantree of West Highland Hunting in his work managing red deer and other game on the estate in the West Highlands. The film is kindly supported by riflemaker Blaser and optics company Leica.
Here are the links:
▶ To watch the rest of the episodes in this series, go to A Year in the Life of Red Deer www.fieldsportschannel.tv/aye...
▶ For more about Blaser in the UK, visit www.blaser-sporting.com
▶ For Blaser in the rest of the world, go to www.blaser.de
▶ For #LeicaHunting kit, visit uk.leica-camera.com/Sport-Opti...
▶ For Niall Rowantree and West Highland Hunting, go to westhighland-hunting.co.uk
No News or Hunting KZbin this week - we are devoting the whole show to this film.
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We’re proud to promote enjoyment of fieldsports and the countryside. There are three guiding principles to everything we do on Fieldsports Channel:
▶ Shoot responsibly
▶ Respect the quarry
▶ Ensure a humane, clean and quick kill
Take part in nature. Join the Fieldsports Nation Fcha.nl
Why shoot deer?
There are more than two million red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer in Britain’s countryside and semi-urban areas, the highest level for 1,000 years. Numbers have doubled since 1999, according to the Deer Initiative, the UK government’s deer agency.
Deer are an attractive and an important part of our wildlife. However, they have no natural predator in the UK so numbers must be sensibly and strategically managed to keep them in balance with their habitat and to prevent damage to crops, trees, woodland flora, gardens and other wildlife.
Deer cause £4.5 million-worth (Forestry Commission Scotland) of damage to plantations and other commercial woodlands in Scotland. Crop damage is estimated at £4.3m a year according to DEFRA, with the greatest damage on cereal crops in east and south-west England.
More than 8,000 hectares (Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology) of woodland with SSI status is currently in ‘unfavourable’ or ‘recovering’ condition due to deer impacts such as browsing and fraying. Deer can also influence the variety of wildlife in woodlands and other habitats by altering structural and plant species diversity. According to the University of East Anglia’s Dr Paul Dolman, that has resulted in a 50% decline in woodland bird numbers where deer are present, impacting particularly on nightingales, blackcaps, chiffchaffs and warblers.
Deer are susceptible to Bovine TB and may be responsible for the transmission of TB to cattle. They are also the likely driver behind the UK’s increasing tick population (Scharlemann et al 2008).
Happily, venison is a delicious meat. It is wild, natural and free range, and - almost fat-free - it is one of the healthiest meats available today. Results from research commissioned by the Game-to-Eat campaign (Leatherhead Food International Research 2006) suggest that there are real health benefits to eating game. Venison is high in protein, low in saturated fatty acids and contains higher levels of iron than any other red meat.

[@bobwatcham5257]

This should be on main stream TV to educate the masses....

[@jasondoyle6061]

What a wonderful film. It's rare to find someone who knows their trade so well but can also impart their knowledge as eloquently as Niall. Well done to all involved in making this.

[@redeyefox05]

Could listen to Niall all day, so much knowledge re Red Deer and his surroundings.

[@philb.6941]

Amazing guy "Niall Rowantree", this is the way all hunting forms should be portrayed for the future. What a great video and so good to see such a true professional and his love for the hills!! Love this channel!!

[@brianjob8693]

Excellent show , Niall's so informative . This should be shown on country file to show it's not a case of if it moves shoot it

[@regsparkes6507]

Super edition tonight,...thanks to you, Charlie and David for his excellent videography too, very interesting facts and figures by Niall .

[@rufcdunnyrufc]

These highland episodes are superb! This man is a legend, good to hear from people like him, his knowledge and wisdom is priceless

[@danielmeredith1964]

Had the pleasure of meeting Niall at the shooting show in the NEC must have been talking for close on an hour and I can honestly say it was the highlight of the day really down to earth and very knowledgeable fella 👍

[@mikekaye7608]

Excellent film, one of the best informational episode's , well done

[@petercoddington8341]

Another superb film. Niall is an absolute star!

[@rossprice1550]

Brilliant film enjoy watching the older films 👌🏽

[@graegor0884]

Spectacular work David and Charlie

[@MrCarbonaro]

Excellent explanations, allow one small remark: at 13:19, Niall describing the antlers, in German the brow is called "Augsprosse", the "Eissprosse" is the one above.

[@tigris115]

I would love to take a red deer class with this guy

[@reggiebuffat]

Professionalism and love of nature, a great combination gentlemen. Congrats Charlie & David.

[@tonybennett4922]

Fantastic production, Niall is a wealth of knowledge, having lived in New Zealand what struck me is this would be on mainstream TV . Being from Ireland don’t think the public knows what’s involved in the sustainability of these wonderful beasts. Very well done to all involved 👍

[@SquirrelHunter]

Brilliantly filmed and presented video! Niall is a great ambassador for deer stalking.

[@johnmacpherson1777]

Absolutely brilliant

[@procarper1]

Brilliant bit of film enjoyed every min of it could listen to him allday

[@kriskarrouze9079]

Informative, well filmed, great episode, Niall nice guy easy on the ear. Thankyou.

[@reubenhunter609]

What a great film.

[@kennethbailey2616]

Wow, these Scotsmen really know their stags. Super video!

[@cazthebaldfox]

the moment he confronts the pissing friend is a proper moment ,if looks could kill his mate would have been grallocked and left for the foxes .superb knowledge of the species ive learned a lot of secrets for sure

[@thedog24633210]

From a non stalking hunter very interesting Well done David & Charlie

[@Huntingroom]

We‘ll come back soon! Fantastic area!

[@tchadwic82]

What a fantastic video. Such knowledge.

[@richardtodd3357]

What an education charlie. What a great watch. Only thought the French were tight hits. That Stag mount for two grand worth every penny.

[@BOOMNutrition]

What a show well done guys..

[@Mike-yq6jg]

Brilliant many Thanks

[@peterwalker9710]

great show so much knowledge a must for any deerstalker. Viewing from the Southern Alps in New Zealand.

[@rabmckay295]

Brilliant show guys

[@waikarimoana]

Good day there, Another great video for this week, great footage and few good looking Reds, thanks for the video, best regards from hunters of New Zealand.

[@mgouldy6]

Brilliant!!

[@medicatedflowers821]

Love there's Charlie nice to see the life of deer

[@johncreen5957]

Amazing, thank you .

[@castrolgtx5064]

Fantastic video thanks for sharing

[@stewartfrerotte7227]

Another great show thanks

[@allandobbs7059]

Just catching up on this series.Niall is so knowledgeable and a great ambassador for Deer Stalking and fieldsports in general.Excellent watch.Well done Charlie and David for presenting and filming it so well.👍

[@stevegarnett]

Excellent show- well done!

[@lukewestacott2421]

Very good show

[@kennethbailey2616]

I live his deer stalker hat, shades of Sherlock Holmes and Sir A. C. Doyle!

[@karolschaeffer]

That was great guys. top job

[@cliffordmarkland2624]

Hi Charlie enjoyed this episode I learned a lot regards Cliff.

[@ballisticsmeg]

Great video, better than most of the BBC shite on the TV well done chaps.

[@philbarnes6648]

Brilliant ! & a well crafted bit of television, more please. How about a 'Directors Cut' that includes the gralloch, I would love to see Niall talk us through that.

[@keithglenister5921]

excellent show

[@Farmer_scoobs]

Brilliant video really enjoyed it from Ireland

[@JETJOOBOY]

Amazing... Beautiful... Wonder if I will ever get to see such a place .....

[@TheSpeedGodz]

Excellent

[@hagmark1]

Great video, a very informative, interesting and educational insight into the stalking of highland red deer and their sustainable management. Moz...

[@MOOSEDOWNUNDER]

Bloody Epic lads. Well done. ATB Moose.

[@gatorp4794]

superb

[@stevem3461]

Fantastic

[@BobcatSchneidermann]

£2k for that beauty? That's not bad at all, I would have expected more. They are much more expensive here in Denmark

[@HerrGesetz]

Good show. I have to admit that I think UK red deer stalking is a bit on the posh side for most Kiwis though. So much class and tradition that a bit of the raw primal experiencing is lost maybe?

[@knutpohl339]

Great show, I tremendously enjoyed watching that! A small comment: "Eissprosse" is the bey-point, the brow tine is called "Augsprosse" in German.

[@fieldsportstv]

+Knut Pohl Thanks

[@drewsmith6066]

Great video so that one stag was 25 stone ? ..all the way big boy.

[@nigelappleton2963]

Hold it! What happened to the news or has David been culled as well? That aside, another excellent and very informative episode.

[@fieldsportstv]

+Nigel Appleton News is back next week 🙂

[@BUSHCRAPPING]

no news?

[@hugoakerlund5114]

Meh i my mind you cant put a price on a living being and neither can you put a standard on a stags crown. But lovely hunting and conservation. Hope i find the time to hunt in scotland

[@user-yk8ei2xh6t]

what price rifle in dollar

[@JETJOOBOY]

Good grief.. I processed at least 10 red Deer Heads in 3 weeks and only got paid £30...