The author's reports of stalking fallow in the English woods are fascinating, and he is illuminating on their habits and group behaviour. He tells of the Stonar Park herd that got drunk on crab apples, of titled poachers and eccentric chatelaines of signature private estates... The author knows the hills and relishes their culture and legends. The queer spirits of the Highlands, a land much de-peopled, he understands. He vividly recounts tales of sprites, kelpies and spectres. Above all - the critical thing - he understands the people. Right at the end comes the key phrase: 'I have never spent a day on the hill with a stalker I did not like.'... When the chips are down, Mr Hart-Davis heads for the hills. He rents stalking in the Scottish Highlands and has been everywhere. He rubs shoulders with lofty society, which tends to ownership of deer forests. Somehow, on the high tops, sheltering under a bluff as a chill storm blows by, there is no room for ceremony. Stalking is a brilliant leveller. There are the stories, the long days, the triumphs and the exhaustion, and there are the injuries and the tragedies. Adding spice, there are the disappearances, the human ones. Lastly, the laughs, often in the nature of stalkers, self-deprecating ones. Country Life A stalking memoir that may be among the greatest of our generation. This is a brilliant and totally absorbing memoir by a sporting sage who has written or edited 50 books and clearly has a deep, respectful admiration for all British deer. It will be of immense interest to all who pursue deer in our woods and hills... The author effortlessly brings to life the many characters involved in this book, and has a fascinating grip of the Scottish vernacular and a rare ability to transfer dialect to the page without losing any of its meaning... A healthy dose of humour is interspersed throughout this extremely entertaining memoir. One particular chapter really had my splitting my sides. It starts with the author collecting a new rifle from a gunmaker in Mayfair and being apprehended by the police en route to his place of work, Fleet Street, on a bicycle... Among the Deer is a must-have for every stalker, or indeed anyone with an interest in British deer. It is a refreshing read, written by an experienced hand, that easily captures the grace and majesty of our quarry and the wildness of our hills and woodlands. Sporting Rifle
