Red Deer Hind - 2012
Once a declining population, numbers of Red Deer in the UK have risen thanks to concerted conservation efforts. Valued for their meat, called venison, Red Deer are also kept as ornamental park animals. They prefer woodland, but have successfully adapted to open moorland. Deer stalking, particularly in the Scottish Highlands, is a country sport widely used as part of land management programs.
The Red Deer female is smaller than the male. They live in single-sex herds most of the year, the hinds coming together with stags who compete to control a harem during the rutting season. Hamish has caught her delicate features in his bronze Red Deer Hind sculpture, which is available in limited edition - perfect for wildlife lovers.
VIDEO
THIS SCULPTURE IN THE MAKING
This sculpture, together with the Red Deer Hind, was made in the Highlands of Scotland. I spent a few mornings stalking, with my camera on the hill and, thanks to our stalker, I managed to get close to a stag rounding up his hinds. Having researched and photographed these red deer, and while still fresh in my memory, I set up my tools outside the estate larder and sculpted both together.