Grouse shooting kicked off with typical Scottish rain yesterday, in stark contrast to the recent hot weather it was feared would delay the start of the season.
Many events to mark the Glorious 12th were called off due to low breeding numbers, thought to be a result of the summer heatwave, but the sound of shotguns rang through Dunkeld on Monday morning as a shooting party at Forneth Moor went ahead as planned.
The season, which is thought to be worth £32 million to the Scottish economy, started a day later than normal as the 12th fell on a Sunday this year, when shooting is forbidden, but proceedings were again marred by controversy.
RSPB Scotland blamed the grouse-shooting business for a huge decline in the population of mountain hares, accusing estate owners of unregulated culls to benefit red grouse numbers and that hare populations are now just one per cent of what they were in 1954.
Professor Jeremy Wilson, RSPB’s head of conservation science in Scotland, who helped analyse data of hare counts from the last 60 years, said: “These data reveal severe recent declines on grouse moors that are strongly correlated with the start of mountain hare culls, for which there is no clear scientific justification.
“Urgent action is needed if the future conservation status of mountain hares is to be secure.”
This was refuted by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, who said Scotland’s hare population remains one of the highest in Europe.
“This work is largely at odds with what is being seen on the ground in grouse moor areas, where hare numbers in good breeding seasons remain very, very high, sometimes reaching densities of up to 200 hares per square km,” a spokesman said.
“The average annual hare cull of 25,000 represents only seven % of the estimated population.
“Whilst on Scottish grouse moors hare numbers remain amongst the highest in Europe, we know there are campaigning wildlife charities, looking after hundreds of sites, with suitable habitat but no mountain hares at all.”
Despite the split opinion, the sport is proving popular with all ages as 14-year-old Angus Turnbull from Dunning, Perthshire, bagged his first brace of grouse (two birds) at the Forneth Moor event yesterday.
He said: “It was great being out in the countryside and I was very fortunate to get my brace.”
Andrew Grainger, of the Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group, said: “We know that it will be a challenging season this year but people who enjoy shooting are extremely passionate about it.
“It was great to see such a mixture of people out today including young lads and ladies.”
