The ballroom on the grounds of Mar Lodge Estates sets the tone: Here, near Aberdeen, hunting is celebrated and has been for a very long time. Though you may arrive to the hunting grounds in an automobile, the hunt requires old-fashioned walking and spotting and stalking, and often crawling on your hands and knees.
The dragging and pulling and lifting, and often the burning of your thighs, are old-fashioned too. But it’s good work and a trophy well earned. Back at the lodge, you celebrate the hunt with a nice single malt and begin thinking about decorating your personal ballroom.
Dušan Smetan hunted red stag on Mar Lodge Estates, which occupies a significant portion of Cairngorms National Park in western Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He stayed at Kincardine Castle (kincardinecastle.com) and made travel arrangements through Cabela’s Signature Outdoors (cabelas.com/soa). See more of Dušan’s fine work at dusan.photoshelter.com.
Credits:
Photography by Dušan Smetana