SHOOTERS took to the hills yesterday for the Glorious Twelfth, the first day of the four-month grouse season.
Landowners expect it will be similar to last year but warned that if the credit crunch hits them the repercussions could be suffered next year.
Alasdair Laing, owner of Lochindorb Estate between Grantown and Forres, said: “We had a party out yesterday and we’ll be starting a driving programme today.”
He said there were still problems such as inclement weather and tick-related diseases, but the red grouse was a resilient bird.
“Ticks have been a problem for a few years now in some areas but people are getting quite a bit better at keeping them under control.”
He said he was unsure whether the sport would be hit by the credit crunch. He added: “If it kicks in at all it won’t be until next year. Most of the bookings this year were pre-booked.
“People want to shoot so I think it will be resilient.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish Countryside Alliance and the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) both highlighted the economic benefits of shooting.
The BASC said estates had worked hard to protect the environment and were being blamed unfairly for the illegal killing of birds of prey.
Geva Blackett, chief executive of the alliance, said shooting provided the equivalent of 13,000 full-time conservation and shooting jobs and £43million a year was spent on improving habitat and wildlife management.
But the RSPB has published research which, it claimed, showed the number of golden eagles were continuing to decline in parts of Scotland where grouse moor management predominated.
John Cooper, chairman of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “It is utterly ridiculous to label an industry which depends on the mass slaughter of wildlife for entertainment purposes as ‘glorious’. ‘Barbaric and immoral’ would be more appropriate.”
The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust said the grouse forecast looked good for Stirlingshire and the Angus Glens while Deeside and Donside would be better than last year. Perthshire looked disappointing due to bad weather and ticks. In Speyside there would be a few light driven days but not as many as last year, and in Inverness-shire and the Highlands an average year is predicted.