Today marks the opening of the red grouse shooting season (the Inglorious 12th) and the media is full of ‘woe is us’ stories from the grouse shooting industry claiming that the lack of grouse available to shoot this year (largely down to climate breakdown) will result in the annihilation of the rural economy. (It won’t).
Strangely, the grouse shooting industry is keeping very quiet about the jolly good wheeze it’s got up its sleeve to ensure that the bloodsports enthusiasts will still have something to get their kicks from killing – they’re using the red-legged partridge (RLP) as an alternative quarry to red grouse – although they won’t be able to kill them until the RLP shooting season opens on 1st September.
Millions of this non-native species, hatched and reared by gamebird breeders and sold to shooting estates across the UK, are typically released onto lowland shoots but in recent years there has been an upsurge in the release of this species on to upland grouse moors.
This may be a response to continuing low red grouse stocks, but in Scotland I suspect it’s also a response to the new legislation requiring licences for grouse shooting, which can be suspended / revoked if wildlife crime such as raptor persecution, badger persecution, fox hunting etc continues on those estates.
I’ve written about this previously (here), as the new licences only cover the shooting of red grouse, not the shooting of pheasants or RLPs. I’ve argued that shooting estates can simply by-pass the new grouse shooting licencing rules (and thus sanctions) by shooting RLPs instead of grouse.
Additionally, if a grouse moor owner’s licence is suspended/revoked because wildlife crimes have been uncovered on the estate, that owner/tenant could simply switch to shooting RLPs instead of red grouse because the licence revocation doesn’t apply to shooting RLPs.
Although, to be fair, the Scottish Parliament has recognised that estates may use this ploy to escape sanction for the continued killing of birds of prey on the moors and has thus included a provision in the new Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 to add other species, including RLPs, to the new licensing regime if it’s found that this is indeed what Scottish grouse moor owners are up to.
I’ve previously published photographs on here of new RLP release pens being built on grouse moors (here) and now another blog reader (thank you!) has sent me photographs of more new RLP release pens that he found on Friday on a well-known Scottish grouse moor in the Highlands:
The blog reader told me there were three identical RLP release pens at this site, approximately 50m apart, although only one is shown in the above photographs.
You can clearly see the size of the operation, including what looks like brand new hill tracks built across the moor to access the pens. I suspect the hill track campaign run by Scottish Ramblers might be interested in these.
I showed these photographs to Mark Avery at the weekend, who wryly pointed out, “There’ll have trouble arguing that this is traditional“.
Indeed.
Raptor Persecution UK 
I have photos of RLP pen on edge of Ilkley moor, Bingley moor side. It is possible inside or on boundary of SSSI site. I have reported this to NE and Defra. Info is that no shoots on Bingley Moor until September which coincides with start of RLP season of course
I look forward to the day when we pass a law that makes it a criminal offence to kill, maim or otherwise harass or disturb any living creature for the purposes of recreation, entertainment, sport or gambling. It would be a further offence to breed and or supply any such living creature for the above.
Well, one can dream!
I agree with you there. I find the whole thing of killing anything for sport absolutely disgusting.
Jenny
so true! I am fortunate enough to be a 25 minute train ride away from an area in which,with a little hiking,one can see both Black and Red Grouse.Sadly,though an upland area,it is now prone to dog-walking off the lead and scramble- biking,with the result that sightings have become more sporadic.Until 15 years ago,we had Black Grouse on Dumbrock Muir,North of Milngavie,and both species on the adjacent Muirhouse Muir.The former also boasted breeding Whinchat.Now,both moors are have lost these species,and have been taken over by unrestricted dog-walkers.Between such activities and the moronic practise of recreational shooting,I really fear for the future of our magnificent native Grouse.
Yes, maybe a good idea to have someone who has a reason to look after the habitat , and not just dog walkers and ramblers who seem to think they are they are the secret service.
Me too!
At least one “grouse ” moor in the Yorkshire Dales has done this for years and years but still an awful reputation locally. One of the UU moors in Bowland also was being used just for RLP shooting by its rather famous local tenant.
I suppose you could argue that low intensity management for grouse was about harvesting some sort natural surplus. That is certainly not the case with high intensity grouse management where densities are way way above the natural carrying capacity and biodiversity is damaged by predator control. This (to me at least) is the UK version of canned hunting and as such is morally bankrupt, nor any relationship to real hunting.
” included a provision in the new Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 to add other species, including RLPs, to the new licensing regime if it’s found that this is indeed what Scottish grouse moor owners are up to.”
It looks very much as though the resolve of the Scottish Parliament will be tested sooner rather than later on this manoeuvre by the shooting estates?
Unfortunately, it might turn into another multi-year campaign…
Thousands of RL Partridges and Pheasants have been released on the lower slopes of the grouse moors of Pitmain and Banchor estates in Strathspey. There has been a steady increase in stocking pens and feeding stations. Grouse numbers remain low despite the continued extensive muirburn on both estates ( same owner ). There is no doubt that stocked gamebirds are for shooters to switch species if necessary in the Newtonmore/Kingussie area.
It’s all rather like a football club which has been hit with a huge points sanction switching to playing tiddlywinks.
It’s just hastening the day when there’s an outright ban on driven shooting. Good.
It comes as no surprise that those with the lust for blood have discovered a sneaky loophole to the legislation designed to make them clean up their act and protect wildlife. Their desire to kill is such they will go to any lengths to ensure this is possible. Sick, sick, sick.
Firstly, this loophole needs to be closed immediately, and the licensing, must cover also cover the shooting of other game birds in these areas, namely RLP and Pheasants.
The biggest problem as I see it,. is the absolutely lack of openness and honesty about what is going on. All these upland areas are in reality, important conservation areas, and the “owners” should not be allowed to do whatever they like with it, or change management, and carry out damaging activities, without informing the statutory conservation bodies. What is more there needs to be openness about this, and not the past secrecy, so all are accountable. In other words, it should be possible to have access to this information, to stop any corrupt behind the scenes goings on.
The loophole won’t be closed ‘immediately’ – the issue was debated during the various stages of the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill before it became an Act, and instead of including RLPs and Pheasants on the licence, politicians voted only to include Red Grouse. A provision was included in the Act to allow those two species to be added later, if evidence emerges of wildlife crime associated with RLP and Pheasant shoots on the moors.
I understand the loophole won’t be closed immediately and what I say won’t take place. When I state what should happen, it is not from a position of naivety, I am simply stating what should happen, if our system was honest. It’s indicative, of the corrupt nature of our system, when certain powerful vested interests, have such undue power and influence.
i agree with all of you good points made these estates scumbags will always try to get round the law and have proved it by the release of different birds they could try hens it’s a joke but its not funny .
Im all for stopping killing for sport!, but we have to realise, non native species, have to be eradicated, one way or another. Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and plants!. They dont belong and are therefore, totally unnatural. Can someone tell me, how we go about that, without upsetting animal rights activists!, and woakes.
“but we have to realise, non native species, have to be eradicated, one way or another.”
Not strictly true. We do have quite a few non-native species which have found a niche in our environment and do no significant harm.
On the other hand, there are other non-natives which have caused and are causing absolute havoc with our environment.
“Can someone tell me, how we go about that, without upsetting animal rights activists!, and woakes.”
We can start with legislation and education… But all eradication programmes are difficult to implement regardless of political opposition, especially once an invasive, non-native species has been allowed to get out of control…
However, two of the easier non-natives to eradicate would be the Common Pheasant and Red-legged Partridge:-}
i have photos of red legged partridges being kept in pens on private land in fife as well. Is there someone I can report this to?
So much of our countryside is preserved and habitat brnefits numerous other species. This vendetta by the cuddly furry brigade against the odd rogue keeper among thousands will backfire. We removed the apex predator centuries ago so we now have to take their place in managing our estates to assure the survival of so many species.
Bary, the “cuddly furry brigade” (as you put it) are only one contingent of people who object to what is happening regards the intensive releasing of Red Leg Partridges in the uplands. I can understand you are trying to stick up for some general principles regards shooting as an often a positive form of land use. But this Red Leg Partridge stuff is just a really trashy and an exploitative abuse of upland areas that could not support grouse, yet for some estates it generates a reliable income (& provides alternative sport in bad grouse years) to support the economic ups and downs of their grouse side. Cramming Redlegs direct from game farm by the hundreds into a series of pens, releasing them and a mere two or three weeks later, then driving them a couple of hundred metres over the Guns is not a boon to wider ecology, and the attendant magnet-effect on any & all local predators is not welcomed by Grey Partridges, Black Grouse or any other species clingy on to life on the moorland edge. It is cheap and nasty moneymaking scheme, god knows what mindset Guns who do it regularly must have talked themselves into. I would suggest that you cast it adrift Bary, and disassociate it from real shooting as I’m sure you would the shooting of semi-tame Mallards off a muddy pond. Only defend what is actually defensible, and condemn the rotten stuff – that is my own policy, at least.