Hunting in January 2022 – Scotland

If you are thinking about hunting in January, then Scotland is a great option. The types of hunting available are:

  • Red deer hind hunting
  • Fallow doe hunting
  • Roe doe hunting
  • Walked up pheasant & partridge shooting
  • Mini driven pheasant and partridge shooting
  • Driven pheasant and partridge shooting
  • Duck and goose flighting 

scottish hunting in January

The pros of hunting in January;

As well as there being plenty of options available, the other benefit of hunting in January is that accommodation prices are much lower than at any other time of year. For most of Scotland, January is really the off-season, so hotels and self-catering accommodation all lower their prices to try and entice clients to book.

For hind / doe hunting and pheasant / partridge shooting however, the hunting in January can be some of the best of the year. Cold, crisp and sunny winter days provide stunning lighting to accentuate the breath-taking Highland Scenery, and the chill makes the dram of whisky in front the fire at the end of the day even more welcome than normal.

Availability

At this stage of the season (currently writing in early November), there is plenty of availability for hunting in January in general. Weekends are best avoided as those dates mainly get booked many months in advance, but with a bit of searching / some good timing, we can usually provide something, even on the busiest Saturdays.

hunting in january pheasant and goose

Another benefit of hunting in January in Scotland is the limited daylight. Normally limited daylight would not be a selling point, but when hunting roe doe and fallow doe it absolutely is. Roe and fallow deer, like a lot of deer, are more active as the sun comes us and as it sets, which means hunting is most effective at sunrise and sunset.

If you were to come to Scotland in June to hunt roe buck, this would mean getting up at 03:30 to begin hunting at 04:00, which is not particularly relaxing on vacation. In January, the sun doesn’t rise until around 08:45 – 09:00 (depending on where you are in the country) which gives plenty of time to enjoy that full Scottish breakfast before you go out stalking. Similarly, the sun sets at around 16:00 – 16:30 so there’s no danger of hunting clashing with dinner or that late afternoon whisky tasting!

Hunting in January – Locations

January hunting in Scotland is spread across 2 main geographical areas (shown below)

Highland Perthshire

Scottish Borders

We can organise hunting much further afield, all the way up to the Outer Hebrides, but this usually takes much more planning as dates are mostly booked many months in advance. That being said, it’s always worth asking if you have something / somewhere specific in mind, there are usually cancellations / last minute offers available if you can be a little flexible on dates.

January hunting prices

Please bear in mind the prices shown are very much rough guides, every estate prices differently and we work with numerous estates across Scotland. Prices include use of an estate rifle / shotgun and do not include and accommodation / transport meals etc.

Red deer hinds / fallow doe / roe doe – £785 per person day (no limit on the number of hinds / does at the discretion of the estate stalker and within the cull plan of the estate)

Walked up pheasant & partridge – £545 per person per day. 8 – 10 birds per person (min 2 guests)

Mini driven pheasant & partridge £1,000 per person per day. 16 – 20 birds per person (min 2 guests)

Driven pheasant & partridge – £2,200 per person per day. 250 bird day. Prices are based on 8 guns shooting. We can cater for smaller groups if they are happy to share the day with other groups of guests

Duck and goose flighting is offered only as an addition to a walked up or driven pheasant & partridge day. £POA

The cons of a January hunting trip;

One thing to watch out for when hunting in January in Scotland is that most non-hunting attractions have limited opening hours. Because of these limited opening hours, it’s best to plan your trip fully in advance including your non-hunting activities, we are happy to help with this of course. This being the case, we would recommend January in Scotland for those who are interested mainly in hunting rather than tourism / sightseeing.

There’s usually plenty of distilleries open for those also interested in whisky, but you do need to either pre-book or double check they are open before you set off. We’d suggest January is not the time to visit if you looking to visit castles / historical attractions etc. as most of them close for the entire month.

If you’d like to book a January hunting trip to Scotland, please get in touch as soon as possible before we become fully booked, we’d be delighted to welcome you to Scotland in January 2022.

If you’d like to book a January hunting trip to Scotland, please get in touch as soon as possible before we become fully booked, we’d be delighted to welcome you to Scotland in January 2022.

For general questions, please feel free to email me on alex@river-green.com 

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