THE HIDDEN GLEN: An Unforgettable Scottish Highland Stag Hunt in Brutal Conditions

This goes down as the hardest days hunting of my life, testing every piece of hunting and camera equipment to the max as well as pushing our bodies and minds to the limit.
My friends from Weatherby were over for some scotish hill stalking in the hope that they could get their first Scottish Stags, and they had brought some pretty sweet guns to hunt with. When they invited me along - how could I say no!
It turns out that spending 10 hours on the hill being battered by fine sideways Scottish rainy wind was the setting for one of the best hunts of my life, making sure that this will be a day to remember forever.
Enjoy!
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[@neilkeenan2827]

What gun - round ect Jonny 👍🏻

[@tgsoutdoors]

It’s a Weatherby Backcountry Carbon Titanium in 6.5Cr. One of the finest holt guns I have reviewed in the past, and certainly got the job done here!

[@neilkeenan2827]

@@tgsoutdoors 6.5 creed, have you told Lloyd P 😂

[@user-bv4xk1vz2v]

6.5 creedmoor - interesting. How were the guide’s about that caliber? Do you remember what grain? Most folks in the US would shudder at the idea of using a 6.5 on an elk. Trend is definitely more toward something like a .300 win mag (although I am a 7mm rem mag guy). Consensus is that a 6.5 is probably ok on a white-tailed deer. Majority of folks I’ve spoken to in the UK seem to favor a .308 for deer.

[@JHruby]

No one with any actual experience with the 6.5s would "shudder" at the idea of using them for elk. Speed, accuracy, and modern bullet performance kill. Most hunter's ideas of what is "necessary" to kill a given animal were formed based on the use of old soft point bullets developed in the 19th century. Times change. American hunters would benefit most from worrying less about what cartridge and more about shooting skill. I work at my gun club and the average deer and elk hunter is barely able to shoot softball size groups off of a cement bench.

[@user-bv4xk1vz2v]

@@JHruby😂

[@bpetey5970]

A dream hunt. There is nothing like Scotland’s rugged vistas and roaring stags. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇬🇧 🦌 I hope to return to the UK for such an adventure one day. Thanks for sharing.

[@bpetey5970]

@@DaibhidhBhoAlba Thanks for the input. I’ll keep using both 👍

[@jeffdavis3248]

Another epic hunting landscape, simply fantastic! Thank you Jonny.

[@hoilst265]

I thought the hardest hunt in Scotland was trying to find fresh vegetables.

[@kemback1086]

smart arse

[@sandyssebothoma7520]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@Cats.Hammers.]

Beautiful stalk. The wild weather and terrain just add to the mystique and legend of these hunts. As always, just outstandingly high quality content. And, as always, a lovely bunch of fellas to share that unique experience.

[@mrbritish]

I really really like this. Wonderful detour from the typical clays content. Visually beautiful, great narration, music and b-roll excellent. Well done fellas. I specially like the drone shot of the downed stag at the beginning.

[@NE-land-sea]

Awesome hunt... Now come here to America grab a bow and get yourself an elk!

[@CanadianWaterfowler]

Fantastic ❗ Indeed the dream hunt! (Oh, the dedication of the cameraman! ...and the ties... Everyone there is wearing a tie... In the rain. While hiking up those slopes and crawling through rough terrain. While wearing a tie!) I hope you've got some footage from the field dressing and carrying back those big animals... That would be very interesting to see!)

[@Retro-Sprocket]

More deer stalking content please, absolutely loved this film. Magnificent stags taken, hats off gents.

[@beeboop1726]

Jonny I can’t help but feel that your old 303 would have been perfect for the dream hunt up on the hills of Scotland. I don’t know how stalkers managed years ago with no scope. Definitely a lot more crawling involved but that makes it all the more worth while! Cool video

[@timward8335]

Awesome. Sadly don't think I'm anywhere near fit enough to be able to experience such a wonderful stalk so I really envy you well done gents and congratulations aswell ❤

[@CountydeerstalkingCoUk]

Great to see TGS out deer stalking! Congratulations on the Stags and a great film, portraying just how challenging, yet rewarding, highland stalking can be. Well done guys!

[@davidsanders3114]

Wow what a session, well done lads. What a stalk!

[@JamesChurchill3]

Ah shame you missed the nice weather we sometimes get up here. I think last year it came on a Thursday.

[@kemback1086]

Och it rained that day in the Borders

[@elkhunterbill5087]

Congratulations on the stag and thank you for sharing your experiences. The camera work is absolutely excellent!

[@blucarbon6802]

Jonny, It is a pleasure watching your content. I truly like in this video and your upland pheasant video that you and others wore casual shirts and ties. I believe in the pheasant hunt you and some if not all of you wore tweed set ups. There is something about this tradition that truly resonates with me. Keep up the great work! Cheers from across the big pond.

[@DFox-ud3gx]

Thats right Jonny you have true grit !!!! Love these red stagg just smaller then our elk in the USA 🇺🇸 . what a beautiful hunt

[@lenzadlberger]

The Stags in Scotland and in the Alps are smaller Framed (120kg are rare 100kg is more the Average) then in the deeper flat Aereas like Northern Germany Hungary Poland and so on there they can weigh around 200kg, Yes Elks are way bigger in Northern America same can be said about European and Northern American Moose, Red Stags can have more points on the Antlers then Elk (up to 24 points are not rare for a really good Midage Stag in their Prime in some Areas of Europe) the World Record Red Stag is from Newzealand and had a Trophy Weight of 16.3kg (the Record from Germany is 16kg Trophy Weight hunted near Hamburg) So nearly as much weight as an really good Elk Trophy

[@Grant_901]

What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing

[@G78.]

Jonny you keep surprising us with your fantastic videos thanks from Ireland

[@manatoa1]

Beautiful, country, animals, and film!

[@darellkettley6622]

Johnny incredible video great shot. Well done boys👌

[@spartanrefinishing376]

Great video!!

[@h_xy09]

I went on my first stalk in Scotland and I have never looked back since

[@dominicjohnson8427]

What u mean uve never headed south again?😂

[@JamesChurchill3]

​@@dominicjohnson8427 No he's never checked his blind spots while driving.

[@roland4653]

This is on my bucket list. I am from the US, i just can't imagine hunting in the rain with dress shirt + tie + wool cap 8-) Looks epic!

[@m444ss]

a great video. a great hunt

[@CliveRees-ou2ir]

Looks like you had a great day following your passion for hunting. 👍

[@trevorsmith5597]

You’re good at making your videos. And this one is exactly Scotland. Love stalking in Scotland, though

[@martinhasseltoft9040]

hi, my name is Martin Hasseltoft from Denmark. I'm a new hunter, I'm a huge fan of your/your KZbin channel. I myself am a huge fan of tweed, but unfortunately it is not that popular in Denmark. I try not to care what other people think, I also wear a tie when I'm hunting. unfortunately tweed is very expensive in Denmark. but if you ever come to Denmark, I'll give you a beer. 👍 Kind regards, Martin

[@serverlan763]

Stags dont roar when it gets cold, they roar because there is a hind in season. The two often coincide.

[@jameshayton8469]

Fantastic Johnny, going to hopefully get up to Scotland on the Stags for my birthday next year!. Cant wait, what was the rifle you was using?

[@Nello353]

That beer ( ale ) looks so good, I envy them.

[@grahamsimpkins1540]

That was great, good to see some thing different on the channel 👍 alway fancy try that just have got a clue where to start 😂 Great filming in the crazy weather, must of been hard going for sure for Sacher ! ( sorry if I got the spelling wrong) Great content guys enjoy it 👍

[@jamesalexander4203]

Superb content TGS

[@richardharding9975]

Nice videos and grand scenery. We do this every year in northern Maine, though it's for whitetail deer. Live in a big wall tent with a wood stove. Good times.

[@jonstephens682]

Now that looked amazing, now you got to carry the stag back to base 😂

[@MRxr400]

two of the things i miss about Scotland, now back in Australia, is the rugged country side and the folk that live in it. Also the respect in the game animal hunting/management. In Australia, NSW especially, deer are classed as vermin, and can be shot at night with NV, thermal etc on private property.

[@grahambamford9073]

Jonny thats a fine looking stag you got. As we say in Ireland, "well wear". 6.5 creed seems a light round for such a big stag, but it worked. Nice stalking and shooting. 👍

[@chadnolte9134]

Great dream hunt video. Nothing like working for it.

[@nonameentered1918]

Just be glad you didn't bag a third, hauling two 3 hours back down the hill on 4 guys is tough enough :)

[@birddogmi67]

That is actually close to my dream scenario...just more sideways rain.

[@Micge]

That terrain is wildly different to what I'm used to hunting moose. It's all dense woods and swamp cut with occasional field or road to set up at. That all open "hill" seems like something I should try and experience once.

[@XLC-zd8dn]

Outstanding video. I am a Canadian, and when I was visiting Scotland (my ancestral homeland) I talked to a couple of big game hunters. They were telling me that it was cheaper for them to fly to Canada to do a Moose Hunt than the costs of doing a stag hunt in their home country. I would be interested to see an actual factual comparison.

[@tgsoutdoors]

Not sure it’s that’s correct!

[@ThomasMorton-by3eb]

Beautiful country there. Red deer is the best venison I have had to date. I had the opportunity to hunt one in New York at a private hunting camp.

[@tframe]

brilliant

[@birddogmi67]

Don't know how great it is until you venture it.

[@alihopley]

Great video guys, well done. Aye, she was a wet one , here in the West last October.

[@mattyallen3396]

I think you need to come to New Zealand for a hunt

[@tgsoutdoors]

I do!!

[@joelvaughn159]

I believe I might have been in Scotland at the same time for a family vacation. (~ October 7th) Those few days there rained A LOT! I heard one local say something like 6 weeks worth of rain in less then 24 hours.

[@mwnciboo]

Cracking... just cracking.

[@ru55laye]

Thanks for sharing that, but I have to ask. how do you get the carcase down off the mountain?

[@brianconnor1810]

Great video. What calibre were the rifles?

[@paulie120284]

John... You really need to start stacking lottery points for an Elk hunt in the western US. plenty of Do it your self opportunity! Or you could get a Wyoming outfitter to take you into the Federal Wilderness areas for the alpine adventure!!

[@davidgendron1953]

That would be a dream hunt, way more than an African hunt! That and capercaillie hunt in Norway!

[@MichaelAnsell1842]

All around….. stunning Beautifully filmed / produced Breathtaking location informative ( as always ) and to top it off, a magnificent stag. Amazing tgs But I do have a question 🙋🏻‍♂️ What do you use to waterproof your boots. A wax or spay ?

[@jorgbellinghausen6800]

Super nice video of one of my 'bucket list' hunts. I don't know whether I missed it or whether you didn't mention it, but what cartridge and bullet were you using?

[@TheConnorMwg]

What happens to the stag after the kill? Is it brought back for butchery or left in situ?

[@josephindahl6388]

looks real simlar to the area i hunt in Alaska, but smaller. same kind of hunting though

[@garyallison1193]

You need to try an elk hunt here in the US

[@27walker27]

Blows my mind that a shirt and tie is the gear off choice

[@heycidskyja4668]

Why? It's practical and has been worn for centuries. You can keep your synthetic 'tactical' gear for yourself, thanks!

[@user-xe7bi9lf1c]

Was that in Glen Lyon

[@enzogigante65]

What caliber are the rifles in?

[@tgsoutdoors]

6.5 creedmore

[@redeyefox05]

The pinnacle of UK stalking...best have good knee's though lol

[@kurzification]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="682">11:22</a> anyone know what brand pack this is? I couldn’t read it

[@wholeNwon]

In my day, I might have undertaken that hunt but with no optical equipment, a good muzzleloader and, obviously, shots at shorter ranges. Would I be as likely to bring home game? Obviously not, but that's just fine because I'd have had more fun.

[@jimo5146]

Shame so short. I could have watched a lot more of that.

[@neilbrailsford4882]

loverly rifle what caliber was it

[@neilbrailsford4882]

ignore some one beat me to it

[@hammyh1165]

Fantastic video. I've been lucky enough to do plenty stalking for Reds and also do it as a job . It's always been about the day out and not the shot , the shot just finishes the day off , ive been run off the hill plenty times by the mist and still had a good day. I know exactly where you were , i have friends that live near there.

[@SFCS-wc6yz]

Did you say your lung fell out? Hope you're well mate

[@alanrogs3990]

Wearing ties nonetheless. Proper gentlemen.

[@dznnf7]

"Brutal conditions." It rained. Hahaha....

[@tgsoutdoors]

Rain as a word doesn’t quite explain how bad this was

[@sergej23kv]

Hard hunt? You are driven there and if you can wear a collared shirt and a tie, that's not a hard hunt. Hunting opened to ordinary people? Is it public land ? You are paying to hunt on private land, and many can't afford that, so it is still privilege of the rich. You don't hunt public land where animals move due to hunter's pressure, and you didn't have to find red stag yourself. And you don't ever carry your gun 😂 You don't know what hard hunting is. You didn't even pack that animal out either. Come to hunt elk in Rockies and you will see what hard hunting, hard terrain, hard hunting conditions are.

[@heycidskyja4668]

By 'hunt' do you actually mean stalking? I.e., not on horseback? And as far as clothing you can keep your plastic 'tactical' gear and synthetic overalls for yourself, thanks!

[@sergej23kv]

@@heycidskyja4668 when I mentioned collared shirts and ties, I just pointed out that's an easy hunt. If you need to hike in 6+ miles (10+ km) in a steep country which usually means 1500+ ft (500m) of elevation gain, you need a comfortable clothes. Don't care about tactical stuff as you think, nobody cares about it. You don't know what hard hunt is. And I'm not using horses, do it all myself, including packing out. This in the video isn't hard hunt. They didn't even carry their own guns. They didn't have to find animals themselves, didn't pack it out, didn't have to camp in high country which means bringing all camping stuff with them. Whoever thinks hunt in this video is hard, that person doesn't know what hard hunt is. And hunting in the UK isn't people's activity, it's privilege of the rich.

[@alexsmith3377]

Hunt ? In a traditional world that seems to me that we are loosing. We hunt on horse back, we stalk deer. Why are we taking on these Americanism's?

[@PonderosaSoundStudio]

Wow. Beautiful terrain and good effort! I'm curious - does British legislation preclude carrying the rifle loaded until the animal has been sighted? Just comparing the situation with North American hunting (we would load the magazine at minimum when starting out, and if in vicinity of deer/elk/moose, chamber a round and of course have the Safety on until ready to shoot, paying heed at all times to all other gun safety measures of course). I can understand carryingthe rifle in its case given the inclement weather, but was surprised to see the rifle being loaded only after the target stag was sighted.

[@Brass-and-Bullets]

Majority of stalkers here in the uk will have one in the chamber when stalking lowland deer, in Scotland as there is a lot of crawling behind people into position and long walks it’s not normally carried with one in the chamber (i’m sure people do though)