For those lucky enough to have been out on a moor this week, it will have hopefully been a truly special and memorable occasion, regardless of whether as a gun, loader, beater, picking up, or undertaking one of the other crucial roles without which a day would not be a success. Guns will have driven from all corners of the country as well as from overseas so they can celebrate something that is truly unique to our shores, and they will have done so in the full knowledge that grouse numbers on some moors are down, with days limited. But a day’s grouse shooting should be, and is, more than just about numbers. Found nowhere else in the world, red grouse are justifiably regarded as the king of game birds, hugging the contours at speed and providing the most exhilarating and testing sport; a sport that is in high demand given the finite number of moors that are managed for grouse shooting. Demand therefore invariably exceeds availability, and this season there will sadly be many who will end up being disappointed.

Red grouse cannot be bred and released from captivity and living on our northern moorlands throughout the year they are affected by many factors such as weather, disease, habitat and predation. Their populations can therefore fluctuate enormously from year to year, and from moor to moor, and this season was always going to be one in which numerous moors would be rebuilding their stocks after last year’s appalling breeding season which saw many having to cancel most, if not all their days. The situation has been exacerbated this year by the widespread outbreaks of heather beetle which have decimated large swathes of moorland, resulting in loss of food and shelter for grouse and the other ground nesting birds that share this moorland habitat. What was already going to be a lean year for many has therefore seen some moors with fewer beats that can be shot, and further days having to be cancelled. This will impact not just those moor owners affected, who use the income from shooting to help offset the considerable personal costs of the year-round management that is undertaken regardless, but also all those casually employed on a shoot day, and the many businesses in our uplands who also rely on the income generated.

Despite this, and the impact a shorter season with fewer days will have on so many, the enthusiasm and enjoyment of all those out on a day’s grouse shooting can be relied upon. It brings together people from all walks of life, for whom it is an important and enjoyable social occasion, and one can only assume that Chris Packham and his fellow directors of Wild Justice have never been out on a grouse moor and seen first-hand just what a day’s shooting means to so many upland communities. Conversely, those who are prepared to see and listen do get to understand and appreciate its considerable importance.

In their latest petition to ban grouse shooting, Wild Justice claimed that grouse shooting was bad for people and economically insignificant, However, during the recent parliamentary debate on the petition, Labour’s MP for Bishop Auckland Sam Rushworth made his views quite clear. He stated:

‘My first priority will always be the jobs and livelihoods of the people I represent. At a conservative estimate, 500 jobs in the Bishop Auckland constituency […] rely on revenues from grouse shooting, including the gamekeepers, those who run gun shops, provide hospitality during shoots, maintain dry stone walls, look after the lodges and train dogs, and the young people for whom being a beater is a great way to earn a seasonal wage. […] I really find it insulting when these people’s wages are talked about as “economically insignificant”.’

Sadly, whether by intention or ignorance, Wild Justice just don’t ‘get it’, and despite the annihilation of its latest petition when debated by MPs, and confirmation by the government that it has no plans to do so, they have said they will not give up when it comes to the fight to end driven grouse shooting. Needless to say we will be there ready to fight that and any other threats as they arise.