Large flocks of greylag and pink feet arrive early in October to take up residence on these lochs, and many a memorable flight can be had at dawn and dusk under the wide Caithness skies.
A day's rough shooting at Bilbster could be a red letter day in anyone's game book. Tramping the fields may well put a grey partridge in the bag, the woods and rough corner will certainly conceal pheasants. Snipe, teal and mallard will be found lurking in the bogs and ditches, while in the evening a flight at one of the ponds will be rewarded with a few duck in the bag.
The plantations are home to considerable numbers of woodcock that arrive here under the "November moon". Roe deer are increasing in these blocks of conifers so the stalker could well be rewarded with a buck or doe, depending on the season.
Often the stubble fields will see vast congregations of grey geese feasting on the split grain. The true sportsman will allow himself two or three of these great birds at a flight.
The counties of Caithness and Sutherland together give some of the finest wild brown trout fishing in Britain. Caithness alone has over 100 or so lochs available and Sutherland has nearer 1000! With such choice
on offer it is easy to see why many anglers return year after year to this angling paradise. The species of fish you will catch in the fresh water lochs is the wild brown trout and they can average anything from 1/2lb to the 5-6lb mark, while in the rivers and estuaries salmon and sea
trout are the main quarry. The cost of day and week permits for loch fishing is extremely reasonable and boats can be hired for you through outlets on some of the larger lochs.River fishing can range from relatively inexpensive, particularly estuary fishing for sea trout, to extremely costly on some of the best beats of the Northern spate rivers.
For more information visit www.bilbstermains.co.uk