I shall be off to the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland soon for the deer stalking. The land also holds red grouse on the high tops and black grouse closer to the wooded plantations. I take a little double 20 for a walk around usually during the afternoons. No extra cost to the deer stalking which is on invitation anyway. Just have to pay a my share towards accomodation.
These two photos are of the moor in Derbyshire where I work the dogs. First one gives an impression of the flat nature of moors in this region. The tops were scraped off in the last ice age. This is later in the season so the heather, upon which the grouse feed, has lost its vibrant purple colour. It flowers in July and August and then the moors are alive with bees and butterflies to add to the pleasure.
This is a little earlier in the season and shows one of the Grouse Butts; the circular stone structures topped with turf over which the birds are driven. Note that some of the heather is in flower on this one.
It's also worth it for the stunning views. Note one of the stone guard walls that are placed between each butt for safety. You can see it to the right side of the photo. It is an unpardonable sin to swing the gun horizontally through the line. The gun should be lifted to the verticle when turning to take a shot behind. Driven grouse can fly at incredible speeds and hug the contours like fighter jets and can turn on just the tip of a wing. Lagopus.....
