The deer forest ( Gaelic: frìth) is a sporting estate which is kept and managed largely or solely for the purposes of maintaining a resident population of

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

for sporting ( deer stalking) purposes. It is an institution and phenomenon peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland. Typically, deer forests are in hilly and mountainous areas of the

Highlands and Islands The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland, and the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles). The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act o ...

; and, despite the use of the term "forest" they are almost all devoid of trees - the word is used here in its original sense, meaning an area set aside for hunting, rather than its later association with trees (see

Royal Forest A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood (), is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term ''forest'' in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the ...

). The land is typically not suitable for crops. Most deer forests have large areas covered with heath, in many places peat bogs, marshes, lochs or bare rock, elsewhere patches of grass or other herbage, while plantations of trees of greater or less extent may also occur. They usually extend to and more, and deer which live there belong to the small-bodied, hill-dwelling race of red deer typical of northern Scotland, which have adapted to life on open hills after the loss of woodland habitat. Overcast day in Craiganour deer forest - geograph

Overcast day in Craiganour deer forest - geograph

Most deer forests are not fenced or enclosed in any way, and the deer can move freely across large tracts of hill country. Boundaries, referred to as ''marches'', are usually marked by a river, stream, ridge, shoreline or similar natural feature. ''Hind forests'' and ''stag forests'' are so called because of the tendencies of red deer to form large, single-sex herds outside the autumn rutting time, and most forests hold either a resident stag herd or a hind herd for much of the year. In ''deer forest'', the term ''forest'' is derived from the ancient and medieval use of the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word ''foris'' - "open" or "waste", to denote an extensive outdoor "waste area" kept as a hunting preserve. Scotland's deer forests are almost all privately owned and managed, although a few once-distinguished forests such as

Torridon Torridon () is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torridon. The village lies on the shore of Loch ...

and Glenfeshie have moved into semi-public ownership via bodies such as the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

, the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

and the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, and sporting deer stalking is no longer carried on there. Some deer forests are retained in the hands of their proprietors, while many others are rented out, either for the shooting season or for a period of years, and in this case, may bring a large rental to their owners. A person who rents the ground pays a fee for every stag killed. A deer forest is always an expensive affair, not only for the rent that has to be paid, but also for the number of keepers, guides, watchers, beaters, etc., that have to be employed in connection with it. A comprehensive account of nearly all the deer forests in their late Victorian heyday is provided by Grimble (1896)

List of deer forests

* Aberarder Forest * Aberchalder Forest * Achentoul Forest * Achnashellach Forest
Amat Forest
* Applecross Forest * Ardverikie Forest * Attadale Forest * Badanloch Forest * Balmacaan Forest * Balmoral Forest *

Balmore Balmore (from the Scottish Gaelic "Baile Mòr" meaning a large settlement) is a small village formerly in the county of Stirlingshire, but now lies in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, located 1 km west of Torrance and 5 km east of Mil ...

Forest
Barrisdale ForestBeinneun Forest
* Ben Alder Forest * Ben Armine Forest * Ben Damh Forest * Benmore Forest
Blackwater Forest
* Boblainy Forest * Braemore Forest *Braeroy Forest *Bunloinn Forest *Cabaan Forest * Caenlochan Forest *Ceannacroc Forest * Cluanie Forest * Coignafearn Forest *Corriehallie Forest *Corriemoillie Forest *Corrieyairack Forest * Corour Forest *Coulin Forest *Craiganour Forest *Culachy Forest *Dalnacardoch Forest *Dalnamein Forest *Diebidale Forest *Dalnaspidal Forest * Drumrunie Forest * Dundonnell Forest * Dundreggan Forest *East Benula Forest
East Glenquoich ForestEast Monar Forest
* Erchless Forest *Fannich Forest *Fasnakyle Forest * Fisherfield Forest * Flowerdale Forest * Forest of Atholl *

Forest of Birse The Forest of Birse is a remote upland area in the upper catchment of the Water of Feugh, which forms the south-western portion of the Parish of Birse, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It also forms the western part of the community of Finzean, but h ...

*Forest of Glenartney *Forest of Glenavon *Forest of Harris * Forest of Mar *Freevater Forest * Gaick Forest *Garbat Forest * Glen Affric Forest *Glencalvie Forest * Glencanisp Forest * Glencannich Forest * Glencarron and Glenuig Forest *Glendoe Forest *Glendhu Forest * Glenfeshie Forest - no longer managed for deer stalking * Glenfiddich Forest * Glengarry Forest *Glenquoich Forest * Glenshiel Forest *Glenshieldaig Forest * Glenshirra Forest * Glen Strathfarrar Forest * Guisachan Forest * Inchbae Forest *Inchnacardoch Forest * Inchnadamph Forest * Inverinate Forest * Inverlael Forest * Inverpolly Forest * Inverwick Forest *Kildermorie Forest *Killiechonate Forest * Killilan Forest * Kinlochewe Forest * Kinlochhourn Forest * Kinlochluichart Forest * Kintail Forest - owned by the

and no longer managed for deer stalking
Kinveachy Forest
*Langwell Forest *Leanachan Forest * Ledgowan Forest * Letterewe Forest *Levishie Forest *Locheil Forest *Loch Choire Forest *Lochrosque Forest * Mamore Forest *Morsgail Forest, Lewis *Moy Forest *Portclair Forest *Rannoch Forest
Reay Forest
- owned by the

Grosvenor Group Grosvenor Group Limited is an internationally diversified property group, which traces its origins to 1677 and has its headquarters in London, England. Previously (from 1841) based at 66-68 Brook Street & 53 Davies Street, it is now based at 7 ...

* Rhidorroch Forest *Royal Forest *Sherramore Forest *Shieldaig Forest *South Harris Forest *Strathconon Forest *Strathgarve Forest *Strathnasheallag Forest *Strathvaich Forest *Struy Forest *Talla Bheith Forest *The Queens Forest *Tollomuick Forest *

Forest - no longer managed for deer stalking *Tummel Forest *West Benula Forest - portions including the lodge inundated by the Loch Mullardoch project *West Monar Forest * Wyvis Forest Ordnance Survey One Inch maps of Scottish Highlands

Notes

References

{{English Game Deer hunting Rural Scotland Hunting and shooting in Scotland Highlands and Islands of Scotland Deer in Scotland