“whole social structure surrounding sporting estates (the big house, stalkers, ghillies, and the social rituals of hunting) intentionally create a culturally alienated pastime, reminiscent of the ‘halcyon’ days of Empire and privilege.”

The high price of hunting and its exclusive nature, means that most hunters are well heeled, middle aged men with connections, who can pay up to £1000 per day for a stag. As a consequence hunting for your food is almost unknown in Scotland where fewer than 1 in a 1000 have ever gone hunting. In Norway, with a very different social history, the figure is closer to 1 in 10.

There is also a more prosaic economic dimension to the exclusivity of stalking. Estates are an important investment and capital appreciation is a major motivation for owning an estate. According to a survey by property consultants,CKD Galbraith, buyers of hunting, shooting and fishing properties in Scotland have seen a beter return on their investment than that achieved by the FTSE 100 between 1982 and 2006. Their survey, which looked at about 200 sporting estates over 20 years, found returns ranged from 300–1000%.

Sporting estates are not really that traditional either. While countless lairds and monarchs have been stravaiging around the Scotish hills looking for something to kill, the Highland sporting estate as we know it was only really born when Queen Victoria purchased Balmoral in 1852.

To the new elite, the nouveau riche of the industrialised south, the Highlands was no longer a wild and impoverished place inhabited by brigands, savages and rebels, but a landscape of mystery and romance, redolent with opportunities for adventure and social climbing.

In short, for extremely wealthy people, it was an ideal canvas upon which to recreate the rituals and challenges of sport hunting and to rub shoulders with Queen Victoria and her family newly ensconced at Balmoral. Plus ça change?

Although many sporting estate owners like to claim they manage their estates sustainably many would beg to differ. Repeated moor fires to promote grouse habitat

“Te whole social structure surrounding sporting estates - the big house, stalkers, ghillies, and the social rituals of hunting- intentionally create a culturally alienated pastime, reminiscent of the halcyon days of Empire and privilege.”

:Andy Wightman

are slowly draining the soils of their nutrition and organic structure, while deer numbers continue to rise astronomically, costing the Scotish economy millions of pounds.

Scotish Natural Heritage believe that the red deer population may have trebled in the last 60 years and hungry deer are on the march, chomping their way through our native woodlands and imposing considerable damage to agriculture and forestry crops, trashing cherished gardens and orchards, and causing an increasing number of road accidents.

Let’s be clear some sporting estates are progressive and are striving hard for sustainability and the proposed legislation will only be judged a success if it can target those estates that are unsustainable. Perhaps the new rating scheme can be differentiated to reflect sustainability in some way, perhaps by providing a zero rate to estates which control deer numbers to agreed levels and provide opportunities for local communities to benefit.

How about a scheme that allows local people to hunt deer for food for a minimal fee? For those estates that continue to ignore the greater good in the pursuit of private pleasures, then something more persuasive may be required….. for example, a residence requirement may be effective as we know that the estates with the worst track record are typically owned by absentees. Interesting times ahead.

August 2015

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