Red Hind Stalking on Taransay - By Selena Barr

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.

However, 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 10 hinds and two stags to establish a source of venison for his family. 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 picture-perfect 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 ninebedroom pile on the neighbouring island Harris, and has recently undergone a complete refurbishment under the direction of swanky London interior designers, Beaumont Interiors. Marbled wetrooms, million-thread count cotton bed linen 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, however.

The estate also has four self-catering cottages. Two are traditional island dwellings, but the other two are highly modern architecturally-inspired onebedroom spaces that need 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."

My eyes were drawn to a large herd of reds.

Getting to Harris itself is not difficult. There are two options – fly into Stornoway 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. 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 myself, but the slow pace and peace and quiet makes a visit somewhat soul 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 had the island to myself for the whole day. The plan was to work my Bavarian mountain hound Gretel and attempt to cull a hind or two using my new custom rifle. Trying to ignore the

Dragging her back to the Argocat before loading onto the boat back to the lodge. 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.

I scanned the terrain for the flash of pale rump. Suddenly my 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, I decided to stalk into the group, using the dead ground as cover.

With the wind in my face, I belly crawled up the side of a small hill to catch a glimpse of the herd on the other side. I 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 was surprised to see stags still rutting, but perhaps October’s warm weather 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. I unfolded my bipod and positioned the rifle in front of me. I wriggled into position and peered through my scope.

The herd was still unperturbed and unaware of our presence so there was no undue pressure. I could take my time. The ghillie 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 round. It 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 hound 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 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 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

John Rigby & Co. custom London Best rifle johnrigbyandco.com

Hornady 150gr SST hornady.com

Leica 10x42 Geovid HD-B Rangefinding Binoculars Leica 1.5-10x42 Magnus scope Leica APO-Televid spotting scope leica-sportoptics.com