Capercaillie71
Well-known member
I see that for the second year in a row, many shooting estates throughout the UK are cancelling red grouse shooting due to insufficient stocks on the moors:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1212779.ece
Recently one of my local estates advertised a 20-year lease for their grouse moor, despite having spent many years trying to build stocks up, suggesting that they have given up grouse shooting as a waste of time and money:
http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.u...uleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch
I know that grouse populations are traditionally very cyclical, but everything suggests that if the climate continues as it has for the past few years with mild winters encouraging the spread of tick-borne diseases, then grouse shooting will cease to be a major driver for land use in the British uplands.
Now, part of me thinks this is a good thing - maybe the land can be put to some better use. I have nothing particularly against grouse shooting itself (although I cannot see the attraction in it), but I am angry about the wildlife crime that is committed on many grouse shooting estates.
On the other hand, grouse moor management benefits species such as golden plover, black grouse, curlew, snipe etc. and the loss of grouse moor management might be detrimental to those species. Also there is no guarantee that moors would be put to better use. Estate owners will want to do something 'productive' with the land, so they might look at planting trees or releasing non-native game birds to ensure they can still have some 'sport', in the same way that wild partridge shooting has largely disappeared in the lowlands to be replaced by reared birds.
What do you think?
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1212779.ece
Recently one of my local estates advertised a 20-year lease for their grouse moor, despite having spent many years trying to build stocks up, suggesting that they have given up grouse shooting as a waste of time and money:
http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.u...uleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch
I know that grouse populations are traditionally very cyclical, but everything suggests that if the climate continues as it has for the past few years with mild winters encouraging the spread of tick-borne diseases, then grouse shooting will cease to be a major driver for land use in the British uplands.
Now, part of me thinks this is a good thing - maybe the land can be put to some better use. I have nothing particularly against grouse shooting itself (although I cannot see the attraction in it), but I am angry about the wildlife crime that is committed on many grouse shooting estates.
On the other hand, grouse moor management benefits species such as golden plover, black grouse, curlew, snipe etc. and the loss of grouse moor management might be detrimental to those species. Also there is no guarantee that moors would be put to better use. Estate owners will want to do something 'productive' with the land, so they might look at planting trees or releasing non-native game birds to ensure they can still have some 'sport', in the same way that wild partridge shooting has largely disappeared in the lowlands to be replaced by reared birds.
What do you think?