Nominee Summary
Hind Sight - Women Deer Land is a Community Interest Company run by women for women with an interest in deer and their sustainable management. First forming in November 2019, over the last 6 years Hind Sight has existed as a supportive, steadily growing community of likeminded individuals. February 2026 saw the running of the inaugural Winter Camp, where participants learned all about deer and their management in a safe and women-led space.
The preservation of skills
A recent study identified that some 95% of the 1000 full time deer stalkers in Scotland were male, and of that 1000 more than half were over the age of 50 and had familial ties to the sector before working in it. Hind Sight's founder, Megan Rowland, worked as one of Scotland's few female deerstalkers and identified that if this sector was to have a future it needed more than 'young people', it needs an entire missing demographic to be included and given a safe environment to learn in. In February 2026 the Hind Sight team ran their first in-person Winter Camp, teaching participants all about open hill red deer hind management. Alongside going to the hill to stalk deer, attendees learned butchery and lardering skills, safe and responsible use of rifles, and all about the ecology of the open hill environment from a women-led team. Preparations have begun for the next Winter Camp and for a highly anticipated Summer Camp looking at roe deer management in the agricultural/woodland fringe environment, run by an all-female team. The team are also developing a series of video resources and organising a series of webinars for this autumn and winter.
Increasing awareness
Whilst being based initially in the north Highlands of Scotland, the Hind Sight community extends nation-wide, with members of the herd in every country in the United Kingdom. Through using social media Hind Sight has been changing the face of the deer management sector, one post at a time. We hold the view that representation matters - "if you can see it, you can become it". The directors of Hind Sight come from a variety of backgrounds, hold a variety of careers and have a range of experiences in the world of deer; as such, we're demonstrating to other women that this sector is open to them, and that there is a safe place to learn skills, grow confidence and find community.
Ethical/environmental standards
A strong moral and ethical code is one of the fundamental principles that guides Hind Sight and what the group does. Our focus is on education and empowerment - with an ambition to upskill our membership to gain deer management qualifications and eventually be in a position to mentor and support others. We advocate strongly for the use of Best Practise Guidance when carrying out practical tasks and are keen to share learning resources. We also ensure that all meat eaten at our residential events is wild harvested or from local producers. We are keen not to be a sporting agency that runs retreats and hunting holidays for women, but to be a training and opportunity provider that enables those with an interest but perhaps no connections an open door into the world of deer management. This is why participants receive an intensive and well-rounded experience; not just shooting deer, but learning the how and why, ensuring that they develop and maintain a profound respect for these majestic animals and their place in our landscapes. A key tenet for the CIC is in keeping learning accessible, so where possible we pare down costs to keep the activities we run affordable - whilst also ensuring those working with and for us are paid appropriately for their experience, knowledge and time. It's important for us to be women-led where possible, so we endeavour to work with other women-owned businesses and not expecting people to work with us for exposure alone.
Noteworthy improvements
Hind Sight began as a concept and has become a steadily growing, real-world community. Going from meeting an occasional other woman with an interest or involvement in deer, the CIC is now beginning to connect hundreds of women through social media, the website and in-person events and we continue to welcome more each week. We see deer management, and an interest in deer more generally, as something that shouldn’t just be confined to the “traditional” rural, field sports audience, but something that should be open to women from across the board with interests in food, conservation, sustainability, nature, spirituality, paleo-archaeology, folklore, history... regardless of their background. The development of a website, membership portal, and resource library is an ongoing project, but one that will result in an extensive learning opportunity for all users, as well as a way to meet and chat with other women with a shared interest. We feel that deer management goes far beyond just pulling the trigger and heading back to the larder and we want those who are taking part to learn the “why” alongside the “how”; as such we’re working with the providers of the Proficient Deerstalking Certificate Level 1 and 2 to offer women who attend our events the opportunity to undertake and achieve qualifications while they’re taking part. In the long term, we see Hind Sight becoming one of the go-to places for women and girls to go for training and education in deer management.
Overcoming Challenges
First coming together in 2019, we had ambitious plans for 2020, unfortunately Covid-19 stopped that! Happily though, we took this as an opportunity to grow our community slowly and organically, adding new members as they could be vouched for by current ones. In this way we have created a safe environment to learn, share views, ask for help and advice, all in a judgement free space. Traditionally, deer management has been a male-dominated workspace. However, more recently, women have begun to play an active role in this work force. Yet, it remains a relatively isolating environment for those women, with many reporting issues of discrimination, harassment, even sexual assault. For anyone entering this profession costs can be prohibitive and opportunities scarce. Women and girls also face an added element of risk when meeting with strangers they often come into contact with online, before meeting in person to go deerstalking. Nearly all of us have taken chances and risks to get where we are today that we should not have had to. Additionally, like women across the board we all have lives and responsibilities, alongside running Hind Sight. Building it from the ground up, from a WhatsApp group to a fully fledged Community Interest Company; running courses, social media and a website has required the balancing of careers, children, care for elderly parents, all the while pushing into a sector where we can be perceived as not needed and not wanted - which is exactly why we are here.
