The cull:

Red deer stalking is an important responsibility, required to maintain both a healthy environment on the hill and a healthy deer population. Our deer population (and that of the local area) is counted every few years and this in turn feeds into our annual cull targets set by our local deer group. All of which is under the control of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

Our current cull targets are approximately 45 stags and 60 hinds, to be shot each season between September and February.  

The sport:

We welcome guests to partake in the wonderful (and important) sport of deer stalking, under the professional guidance of our estate stalkers.

We are very fortunate to have over 6,500 acres of outstanding stalking country, with a high density of deer drawn in by good vegetation and shelter. The topography is steep in places, with burns, corries and gullies to assist with getting close to the deer and into position for a shot. The location between Glenlyon and Loch Tay also provides breathtaking views.

We are able to put either one or two rifles on the hill on any given day, depending on the time of year. We recommend a group of no more than four with each rifle.

We give priority to guests who are staying at Chesthill House. Occasionally guests at Gardener’s Cottage may be able to take stalking. We rarely have spare numbers to allocate to guests who aren’t staying with us, but this is sometimes possible, particularly where there has been a cancellation.

What to expect:

You will start your day with a shot at our target, to check you are comfortable with the rifle and that the rifle is zeroed accurately. We provide a stalker, rifle and ammunition, Landrovers for accessing the hill, an Argocat, and radios. Your stalker will be able to adjust the day depending on your level of fitness and preference to walk versus use the Argocat (which nevertheless is often a useful tool to extract the deer from the hill and get it back to the game larder).

See our stalking gallery for what you might expect and have a look at the Blog for the latest stalking news on the estate. For information on foreign visitors rifle permits, please look at the Police Scotland website.

Please contact us with any questions or to enquire regarding availability.