The grouse season has kicked off in style today on the Glorious Twelfth which marks a four-month-long season of shooting across moorland.
The ‘Glorious Twelfth’ marks the season where hunting enthusiasts seek out red grouse on moors across the country and the weather has proved better than last year where extreme conditions hit breeding.
Shooting parties have taken to the glorious moors at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clovan near Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland and near Ripon in North Yorkshire.
Head keeper Mark Palmer with Paddy the dog at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clova, near Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland, on the Glorious Twelfth today
A wet dog jumps up at head keeper Mark Palmer as he holds a brace of grouse on the Glorious Twelfth today in Scotland
Owner Dee Ward of the Rottal Estates said he is fully booked over the next three weeks with guests who will take part in shoots before dining on the birds.
He is optimistic about grouse numbers after a poor season in 2018, when late snow followed by very dry conditions reduced the number successfully breeding.
Mr Ward said: ‘The grouse were out of condition when they came to breed and then we had very dry weather so there was not a lot of insect life, which the chicks require in the first few days to survive.
‘We feel that it’s going to be a slightly better year this year. Hopes are high.’
Archie Wold pictured with Milo the dog is a member of a shooting party on the moors at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clova, near Kirriemuir, Angus, on the Glorious Twelfth, with a brace of grouse he shot
However, the start of the season has reignited the debate over grouse shooting, which environmental and animal welfare campaigners say is barbaric and damages important natural habitats.
They claim predators such as foxes and stoats are routinely killed to keep grouse numbers up and have expressed concern over the disappearance of a number of birds of prey over grouse moors in recent months.
The Labour Party is calling for a review of grouse shooting and said consideration should be given to ‘viable alternatives’ such as simulated shooting or wildlife tourism.
A member of the shooting party takes his aim on a moor near Ripon, North Yorkshire, as the Glorious Twelfth marks the start of the shooting season
Labour claim the sport destroys ‘huge swathes’ of plant life while also killing large numbers of animals.
The move threatens to put the party on a collision course with landowners who argue that shooting creates valuable employment opportunities while helping to protect the environment.
Grouse moors cover around 550,000 acres of land in in England and Scotland.
A grouse on a moor near Ripon, North Yorkshire, swoops above the moorland at the start of the shooting season today
A golden retriever holds a brace of grouse in its mouth on a moor near Ripon, North Yorkshire, today as the season commences
Moorland groups cite the boost to the rural economy and the trickle-down effect to communities and say managed grouse moors support other wildlife.
And Countryside Alliance has hit back at Labour’s call for a review into the sport claiming it is a ‘political attack’ on the tradition.
Tim Baynes, director of the Scottish Land and Estates Moorland Group, said: ‘The Scottish Government have very sensibly decided to have a review, with a panel of experts looking at all the different aspects, and we expect their report in the coming weeks.
‘That seems to be the best way to approach this. The grouse shooting sector is very keen to do whatever it can to improve best practice and work with the public.’
Members of a shooting party on the moors at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clova, near Kirriemuir, Angus, on the Glorious Twelfth
Director of animal charity OneKind Bob Elliot said: ‘There is nothing glorious about the day which marks the start of the shooting of large numbers of grouse.
‘Wildlife culling is carried out all year round, on an enormous scale, to eradicate predators from the moors.
‘These animals can be legally trapped, shot and snared in Scotland’s countryside with very little in the way of public scrutiny, inspection, or regulation by the authorities.
‘People are now far more aware of the issues of intensively-managed grouse moors and the more they hear, the less they like it.’
Regional director at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation Duncan Thomas told Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2: ‘Today is the first day of the grouse season and what a superb day it is. Boys and girls, young and old – they are all having a cracking day out.
Head keeper Mark Palmer, member of a shooting party on the moors at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clova, near Kirriemuir, Angus, on the Glorious Twelfth, with a grouse he shot
‘The beautiful game will be celebrated in pubs and restaurants. And what a great day out it is – better than seeing kids on iPads.’
At the same time, the party have said that species such hen harriers – which feed on grouse chicks – and mountain hares were often illegally culled.
But despite such damage, Labour said that the 10 largest English grouse moors received a total of £3 million in annual farm subsidies.
Shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman said: ‘The costs of grouse shooting on our environment and wildlife needs to be to properly weighed up against the benefit of land owners profiting from shooting parties.
Archie Ward (left) hands game keeper Jack Turner the grouse he bagged today on the first day of the grouse shooting season, known as the ‘Glorious Twelfth’, on Rottle Moor, Kirriemuir, Scotland
Archie Ward followed closely by Milo the dog through the stream flowing through the moors at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clova, Scotland today
A dog holds a grouse between his jaw after it is shot on the moorland at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clova, Scotland, today
‘For too long the Tories have bent the knee to land owners and it’s our environment and our people who pay the price.
‘There are viable alternatives to grouse shooting such as simulated shooting and wildlife tourism. The time has come for a proper review into the practice.’
However Duncan Thomas said he was confident any review would demonstrate the benefits of a well-run grouse moor.
A brace of grouse shot at the Rottal Estate in Glen Clova, near Kirriemuir, Angus, on the Glorious Twelfth in Scotland today
Robin Leslie-Melville, a member of the shooting party out on the moors today in Scotland as they hunt grouse using shotguns
‘Grouse moors are bio-diverse and the shoots they support create vital employment in isolated rural areas supporting communities,’ he told The Daily Telegraph.
‘Effective heather management including burning and cutting creates amazing habitat and of course reduces the fuel load and risk of wildfire.’
Officials said that protecting the moorland environment was a ‘priority’ for the Government, as was the protection of the hen harrier.
Members of the shooting party across the moorland. The team of shooters line out a numbered pegs while a group of beaters and their dogs move through the areas flushing the game ahead of them
Milo the dog accompanies the shooting party out on the moors today as his owner holds a brace of grouse and a shotgun
Robin Leslie-Melville a member of the shooting party in Scotland today takes his aim on the moorland as others form a line across the land
Men and women cross the moor during a grouse shoot high on the Yorkshire moors in Swinithwaite, North Yorkshire, in August 2016
The birds were protected from illegal killing under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and the Government had strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey.
Ministers were said to be continuing to work closely with landowners, tenant farmers and sporting interests to sign up to voluntary agreements, including a commitment to stop the rotational burning of heather on bog land.