Grouse and roe in one trip

On a trip to Perthshire in September to try for hill roebucks and some walked-up grouse, my shooting companion and I were disappointed by the scarcity of grouse. Looking to next year, do you think we were too early for the main fall of grouse? We saw a lot of geese overhead but the grouse seemed not to arrive. When are they normally expected to arrive for the winter and would we be able to combine hunting for them with a chance at roebuck?

I did a bit of a double take when I read your question, because I think you are a bit confused about

Red grouse are only found in the British Isles

and are a prized quarry the status of our only indigenous bird, the red grouse. They are only found in the British Isles and are most certainly not migratory. Aside from their considerable sporting potential, it is this uniqueness that makes them such a prized quarry among both resident and visiting sportsmen. This year has been recognised as a poor one for grouse, with many estates cancelling their shooting programmes. I would suspect that it is the general state of the population in the area in which you were shooting that explains why you saw so few. So as a package, hill roe and grouse on different days can be successfully combined.

If it is migratory birds for which you are looking, turn your attention to woodcock, but not in September. IW I am arranging the funeral of my uncle, who was a lifelong Shot, and I would like to organise a salute to be fired over his grave by a number of his gamekeeping friends. Is it legal to fire a gun in a cemetery, and do I need any special permission to arrange this?

In certain cemeteries made under the authority of an Act of Parliament, which incorporates the Cemeteries Clauses Act 1847, it is unlawful to discharge a firearm except at a military funeral. Elsewhere, it may be an offence wilfully to create a disturbance or commit any nuisance in a cemetery. I strongly suggest that you check with your funeral director or with the incumbent if your uncle is to be buried in a churchyard.

Provided that they can confirm that a salute is in order, then this seems an excellent way of honouring your late uncle’s love of shooting. You should, of course, ensure that the shooters are responsible for the security of their shotguns before, during and after the funeral and that they are issued with blank cartridges of a suitable calibre. GD