Big bang unlikely on UK's 'glorious twelfth'

EDINBURGH (Reuters) -- The 'glorious twelfth' -- the first day of the British shooting season -- has arrived with just one problem.

There simply aren't enough birds to go round.

Birds of prey and disease have taken their toll on stocks of grouse, the most sought after game bird.

"Unfortunately we're not in for a bumper year," said Colin Shedden, Scottish director of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

"The grouse breed on a six year cycle, and this year they are somewhere in the middle. It's not too bad but there won't be spectacular numbers either."

An unseasonally cold, wet spring was good news for trichostrongylus tenuis -- the bug which attacks fledgling grouse -- but bad news for gamekeepers struggling with a population which was already thin on the ground.

And many of the birds which have escaped sparrowhawks, bugs and the harsh weather of the Scottish Highlands are still too small to be worth shooting on the opening day of the season.

"A few estates will have shoots on August 12, but many of them will wait a few weeks before opening their moors," Shedden said. By then, the birds will present a bigger -- albeit faster -- target, he hopes.

The paucity of available grouse hasn't stopped thousands of well-heeled tourists flocking to Scotland for a trek through the heather and a shot at what is widely-believed to be the most challenging of all game birds.

The tradition of the glorious twelfth dates back to the middle of the 19th century. Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert was a particularly keen shot and timed his summer break to coincide with the start of the grouse season.

Royalty are now rarely spotted trudging through the heather, gun in hand, but the sport has not lost its elitist stamp.

Top grouse moors will be charging guests around £120 ($180) for every brace of grouse they shoot, and a party of eight can reasonably expect to bag 100 brace in one day -- racking up a cool £12,000 pound.

Scotland is the main attraction of Scotland because of its claim to be the only place on earth where you can shoot red grouse, Alex Hogg, Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, told Reuters.

"You can now go deer stalking in Russia and salmon fishing in Alaska, but if you want red grouse moors, you've got to come to Scotland," Hogg said.

Meanwhile the 'inglorious twelfth' is becoming an equally traditional event for animal rights groups.

The League Against Cruel Sports says that during the season, which runs until December, more than half a million grouse will be killed and 3,000 tons of lead shot be deposited on the moors of Scotland and northern England.

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British Association for Shooting and Conservation
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