Summer Almost Done

So the summer has almost finished in the Highlands of Scotland. It has been a mixed summer with some very good weather and some excellent hunting opportunities.

Although the Deer season has been ongoing all summer the big hype in the Highlands is the Red Deer Stag Rut and the anticipation of getting that first hard frost to kick it off has already been on build up.

Although the weather has been wet recently the temperature during the day is still reaching the mid to late teens and sometimes into the 20’s with no wind has not been great conditions for hunting.

Bugs have been bad this year specially the Highland Midge, those little minuscule monsters that are the scourge of the Highlands have had their “tackedy boots” on and well and truly polished, but, nothing a good midge jacket cannot handle.

What has been good this summer though is the chance to catch up on some vermin control before the deer season and winter culling starts.

Vermin control at this time of year is brilliant, the weather allows you to stay out longer with a lot more cover and the foxes and rabbits are not hidden by the hour upon hours of darkness that Scottish winters bring in.

Rabbits always flourish in the mid to late summer and after the harvest, we always see an influx of baby bunnies and mating rabbits taking advantage of the warm nights and the fresh grass and bugs. So getting on top of them quick is a must with on occasion shooting 50+ rabbits a night.

Foxes are the same taking advantage of the influx of rabbits and the warmer weather to wander earlier in the night and the release of this years cubs all looking to take on their own territories and hunting grounds before the winter.

Catching vermin at this time of year is a must because the conditions deteriorate rapidly over winter making it harder and harder to get on top of them before lambing, also allows us pest controllers to take advantage of the naivety of the younger “Charlie” who are not savvy to being hunted.

The summer brings its own problems though, not just the bugs and the moths hounding the lamp and fighting visibility through your scope but the added movement of people walking their dogs and taking short cuts through your fields later into the night. Hill walkers and ramblers are also commonly found in the most random and out of the reach places camped up in their “Bivvie” tents behind Hedgerows without you knowing they are there.

Just the other night I was out shooting when a figure appeared behind a fence in an out-of-the-way field, after his shock of seeing me he wandered over to my vehicle and asked me why I was shining a lamp at him, after a polite conversation he decided to pack up his gear and move on but not to my instruction but due to the fact he did not like what I was doing. Being extra vigilant at this time of year is a must.

Foxing at this time of year though is a lot easier with a lot less pressure, except on the pheasant shoots with the introduction of this years poults attracting a lot of attention. Most of my pest control attention is in regards to lambs though so catching up on foxes before the winter gives me a head start before the lambing in the spring as the ground I cover is well spread apart.

Deer has started full time for me now and finding the time for pest control is going to be very difficult but I manage, Summer is going quick , Autumn is definitely showing I am definitely looking forward to my favourite time of year, Winter.