It was a funny year for shooting with generally high pressure, weak winds and high humidity, meaning that many moors did not see their grouse in August and September, given that the weather did not cool off until almost the end of October when the deluge started. There were good …
I am writing this report slightly later than usual because we have experienced the vagaries of a fully temperate summer. I think I will start with ‘April’ – this time last year I commented ‘we will have some adverse weather between now and the 1st June I am sure’ well …
We have had a pretty dry winter without long periods of relentless wet weather and driving winds which takes it out of the grouse. All the grouse I have seen this Spring seem very shiny and in good condition. Those counting grouse did not pick any diseased birds up and …
Report for 2014 Grouse Season Writing this on the 2nd December I am very weary from another amazing grouse season. The wild weather I predicted in the autumn did not arrive, so we had very benign conditions on most of the driven days for the majority of the shoots, with …
2014 Grouse Prospects I repeat the comments I made in April here – Fortunately it has been cool enough to prevent “worm” thriving through this years wet winter months of December, January and end February ! Large stocks almost universal across all moors, probably due to late maturing birds (later …
As predicted the extraordinary late Spring had a very significant marked impact on the grouse season, but the main thing was that when the grouse were able to get some bare ground to lay their eggs the weather picked up for hatching time, so big stocks were reported on many …
We have had a favourable time here on the Pennines throughout late May and June and the Grouse chicks seem to have done well. The felling is that the broods are on average slightly smaller than last year as I predicted, although some good sized broods have been seen on …
Since my thoughts in January, I was correct in my prediction of the late snow. The general consensus amongst Keepers is that the grouse would not have been able to lay eggs in early April, particularly on the high ground where the snow did not go until mid April. Therefore …
2012 season A truly memorable year – best ever season for many Yorkshire Moors in lower rainfall areas – of particular note the North York Moors were many days over 100 brace common place which is extraordinary. I doubt we will see such consistency again which was the product of …
Country Diary: Make the moor a little merrier again (link to The Telegraph website)
