grouse populations

[kvnmcwebn 0]

I recently read an article that worried me. Basically the article says the red grouse population in scotland is in bad shape. And what they attribute the decline to is not foxes or crows but ticks. Apparently they have been studying this for a long time and twenty years ago 4% of the chicks were infested now its 90 odd %. It said some keepers are using pesticides.. but its an uphill battle.

Now my parish gun club has miles and miles of the excellent red grouse habitat-maybe some of the best in ireland.

Before the 60s there were flocks of them. Now they are scarce-I have only seen 8 this year. I have played with the idea of raising and releasing some and could get support from the gun club but after reading this article i wonder if theres any hope...that is if its the same problem as our scotish neighbors. Would be interested to hear any thoughts or info...

Edited November 6, 2008 by kvnmcwebn

[longrange 0]

I recently read an article that worried me. Basically the article says the red grouse population in scotland is in bad shape. And what they attribute the decline to is not foxes or crows but ticks. Apparently they have been studying this for a long time and twenty years ago 4% of the chicks were infested now its 90 odd %. It said some keepers are using pesticides.. but its an uphill battle.

Now my parish gun club has miles and miles of the excellent red grouse habitat-maybe some of the best in ireland.

Before the 60s there were flocks of them. Now they are scarce-I have only seen 8 this year. I have played with the idea of raising and releasing some and could get support from the gun club but after reading this article i wonder if theres any hope...that is if its the same problem as our scotish neighbors. Would be interested to hear any thoughts or info...

 

i understand where your coming from, yes indeed there used to be quite good grouse shooting all over ireland,

i was in the south for 5 years and seen what looked like good grouse hill in many counties! but no birds?

nothing but sheep and hoodie crows!, same in many parts of scotland,

introducing raised birds is very difficult, becoming tame, andwill not mix with wild stock?

heather burning, vermin control, drainage iack of ticks, etc would be necessary,

i have a hill behind my house where they used to shoot 50 brace! now nothing but crows and foxes1

 

all the best

[kvnmcwebn 0]

ahhh..

Such a shame to loose this magnificent bird.

[longrange 0]

ahhh..

Such a shame to loose this magnificent bird.

 

many of the scotish estates, were given over to sheep, forestry, and deer,

on one of the estates i was on in 1951, they shot 1000 brace, and 15 stags,

in 1981 they shot 300 stags, and no grouse!

oh well one of these days.

cheers.

ps on the estate my father was on he had 16 underkeepers!

Edited November 7, 2008 by longrange

[SMOGGY 34]

you can't captive greed red grouse its just not effective enough, the lack of numbers over the past few years, is down to a number of factors, the main one is the poor summers we've had, the wet weather is good for ticks and worms the two biggest killers of grouse chicks,

 

But as any grouse keeper will tell you, getting a good population of red grouse takes some doing, (proberly one of the hardest jobs for any type of keeper) you need the right balance of habitat, with good young heather,waterings,grit piles, etc. predators kept down to a minimum, and a lot of luck with the weather,

 

Around us the high moors have been empty this year, but the low moors have held reasonably number, in the past the high moor would yeld regular 150 - 200+ brace days

 

atb smoggy

[longrange 0]

well said, still a shame though!, i've had the oppertunity to visit some of the best moors in yorkshre, and to see the numbers

they have, on bolton, alanheads,wimergil, etc is amazing, not like that in scotland!

but then, again we have the scenery!

 

i once tried to tell my grandson the difference between rooks and crows,

telling him that the rooks could be seen flying in fiocks

on watching ,a flock up the hill he said, look grandad thers some now!, no

they were all hoodies.!? never seen that when i was a keeper

[kvnmcwebn 0]

If 16 underkeepers cant do it no one can, and you cant fight the weather.

Theres no shortage of habitat here, miles and miles of upland and lowland heather, but now i see that habitat is not the problem.

Thanks for the all the info.

[on-point 0]

get the sheep off, don't let the buggers back on until they have been dipped and keep the dipping regular to bring down the tick base population, there are places on the north yorks moors that haven't had a day this year and that is simply down to tick - weather has been as good as it would ever get for grouse, predetors at very low level, heather in good age ratios and well maintained but the tick population problem is perpetuated by not controlling the sheep gates and ensuring they are dipped regularly. damn sheep.

Edited November 7, 2008 by on-point

[kvnmcwebn 0]

get the sheep off, don't let the buggers back on until they have been dipped and keep the dipping regular to bring down the tick base population, there are places on the north yorks moors that haven't had a day this year and that is simply down to tick - weather has been as good as it would ever get for grouse, predetors at very low level, heather in good age ratios and well maintained but the tick population problem is perpetuated by not controlling the sheep gates and ensuring they are dipped regularly. damn sheep.

 

 

Very interesting. All the habitat here has "free ranging" sheep. They are the black faced breed and I would class them as semi feral. Trying to get the farmers to keep on top of the

dipping would be a tall order but i will bring it up. thanks

[alimac 882]

alot of sense posted here, well done guys ..... would be worth dippin the sheep your self if your 100 percent committed to helping the grouse, mega work and mega money is needed and it can all be turned upside down by a week of bad weather at the wrong time...deer to , (sorry stalkers) shoot them all on site, no ifs no buts...

 

and yes its been a poor season up here again this year, but imo its like fashion, it swings in big circles...