Bumper brood expected at this year’s Glorious Twelfth shoot
THE Glorious Twelfth is to return next week with a bumper brood of grouse as shoots recover from some of their darkest years.
The beginning of the shooting season on Friday will be a big boost to rural communities, with an increase in employment and visitor numbers.
The positive picture for this grouse season is in contrast to the last few years, when a combination of the pandemic and bad breeding weather forced the cancellation of many shoots.
Rob Mitchell, head keeper on a grouse moor near Middleton-in-teesdale in Co Durham, was out preparing yesterday.
“Things are looking much more promising this year as the weather was good when the grouse were nesting and we have been seeing some really healthy broods,” he said.
“On a shoot day, I employ a large casual workforce, which can change daily from school children to pensioners, including family and friends.
“The financial benefits are really important to them, as are the social aspects. A day’s shooting brings people together for something they have been looking forward to for months .
“We have something really special here. Long may it continue as grouse shooting really can be a lifeline for so many of our remote upland communities.”
Adrian Blackmore, director of the Campaign for Shooting at the Countryside Alliance, said: “Grouse shooting plays an incredibly important part in the lives of many who live in our uplands – not just economically, but also socially.
“It is not just about landowners, employees or individual interests, it is about whole communities.
“After a couple of really poor years, the prospects for this season are looking far better for most moors, and that is something to really celebrate.”