With the recreational deer killing season in full swing, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have launched their annual info service to help walkers plan their routes around stalking activities.

Heading for the Scottish Hills helps you find out where stalking is taking place during the stag stalking season (1 Jul - 20 Oct, generally busiest Aug and Sep).

Each participating estate provides contact details and general information, and some give specific details of their planned stalking for the next day or two, with suggested alternative routes.

Since only around 70 estates in popular hillwalking areas actively participate, the majority in Breadalbane, the Cairngorms and bits and bobs of the west coast, the scheme's coverage is patchy. But there are hints that things might be improved in future years.

Fiona Cuninghame, SNH recreation and access officer, said:

'The service is a quick way to check that you won’t disturb deer stalking when heading to participating areas between July and October.'

'We’re working with partners to consider how we can re-design the system to make it more user-friendly and cover a larger area, and are hoping to launch a new, improved service in 2015.'