A British photographer based out of Exmoor National Park in the United Kingdom recently shared one of his favorite pictures in his collection. It depicts three strong-looking young Red Stags in a tightly knit group and looking at the camera. Based on the size of the antlers, each of the deer might be showing what could be the sprouting of the very first racks on top of their heads. Shaun Davey often captures some of the best wildlife footage from Exmoor National Park. He’s who took the picture.
Exmoor National Park was founded in 1954. Though much of the park is wide open space, there are still small villages and hamlets inhabited by people tucked into the landscape. The 18,810-acre area was established as a royal forest and hunting ground by King Henry II in the 13th century. It remained a royal property up until 1818. The area contains numerous rocky cliffs and ravines and some of the highest elevations in England. Sheep farming is a major activity throughout the park. It’s considered one of the biggest hubs for the wool trade in the world. The area is home to hundreds of species of birds and the biggest stronghold for Red Deer populations in the United Kingdom.
The Red Stag Is The Most Iconic Species In Europe
Red Deer are one of the largest and most abundant deer species in the world. They inhabit the vast majority of Europe. Native populations also stretch into the Atlas Mountains of North Africa and into western Asia in places like Anatolia and Iran. The Red Stag is also a major part of New Zealand’s hunting and wildlife culture. The species was first brought to the island by British settlers. The species was also introduced to South America by settlers. Today their populations are going strong in Peru, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina.
Hunting Scottish Stags Is The Ultimate European Hunting Experience
No place in the world more perfectly represents the Red Stag than the Scottish Highlands. Hunting for Red Stag in the Scottish Highlands is the pinnacle of European hunting. It’s culturally comparable to hunting elk in the Rocky Mountains of the Western U.S.
A recent feature-length story from Outdoor Life takes a deeper dive into the hunting culture of the Scottish Highlands. Numerous Kings of England throughout history prided themselves on partaking in an annual Scottish Red Stag hunt. Even notable Americans like J.P. Morgan Chase, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Teddy Roosevelt historically made visits to the Scottish Highlands to hunt Stags with royalty.
Given that historical context, it’s incredibly sad to see how far the Royal Family has now fallen with respect to traditions like this. Prince Harry recently spoke out against hunting with the type of feverish wokeness typically reserved for American snowflakes. It was one of the most hypocritical quotes of all time. Prince Harry has gone trophy hunting all around the world. I guess some people change though. He even gave up all his guns to appease his wife. That means he relinquished ownership of some of the most historically significant and iconic firearms in history. Meanwhile, Princess Kate Middleton has said she won’t permit her children to hunt. With that in mind, I guess it’s not surprising at all that country got its ass kicked by America in the Revolutionary War.
Anyways, here’s an awesome Red Stag hunting video from one of the most iconic hunting outfitters in the United Kingdom. Just don’t show it to Prince Charles and Prince Harry. They might cry about it and go shopping with their wives instead of planning a hunting trip like real men.
