Enough to make your

The experienced grouse of October and November are survivors that know where danger awaits and provide a challenge, says Blue Zulu

Grouse are a game bird of two halves. Everyone is familiar with those of the first, those tawny-brown birds skimming neatly in small coveys across purple moors, an ideal captured in 1,000 sporting paintings. They look benign, as jolly as stubble partridges, and they can come through the butts as easily as wellshepherded sheep into holding pens.

It is not surprising, then, that some talk airily of grouse being “easy”. They are not — many of us have been unstuck by “doddlers” — but nor are they horribly difficult. With plenty of young birds about, they come with the innocence of youth while many of the parent birds — still imbued with the breeding season’s territorial instinct — fly as singletons or pairs.

They are there in numbers too and a Gun can pick their shots. “Always choose the simplest bird” is the mantra of the experienced grouse Shot and up to mid-september there is plenty of choice. One noted performer is famed for dropping 32 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE birds in exactly the same place, about 25 yards out, “and you could cover them with a big bed sheet”, in the words of one awed loader.

These summer grouse are akin to serves on a knockabout Pimm’s-party tennis match and most of us are able to deal with them. yet after 15 September they transform into something altogether more challenging. Try returning a first serve from Andy roddick and see if that is easy. his record delivery is 155mph and while no game bird can reach that, I’ve