# The Glorious 12th, 2018...actually the 13th this year.



## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

Hello All,

The UK grouse shooting season kicks off today. Traditionally, the first day of the grouse season is known as "The Glorious 12th" but since civilized folk don't shoot on Sunday, the first day of the 2018 season is today!

Sadly, I won't be in the field till January 2 in Yorkshire, but here is some footage to whet the appetite.






Cheers,

BSR


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## derum (Dec 29, 2008)

Mr. B. Scott Robinson said:


> Traditionally, the first day of the grouse season is known as "The Glorious 12th" but since civilized folk don't shoot on Sunday, the first day of the 2018 season is today!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> BSR


Civilised folk be damned, it's actually against the law in England to shoot Grouse, and other game birds, on a Sunday.
I spent many miserable weekends at Swinton when it was part of an educational trust. Great pubs nearby though.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

No hunting on Sundays either. They do in Ireland, however.


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

And in the US there are no such restrictions.

Cheers,

BSR


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## culverwood (Feb 13, 2006)

Unfortunately with the very cold winter on the moors followed by a couple of very dry months in June and July I am told the number of birds is well short of normal this year.


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

culverwood said:


> Unfortunately with the very cold winter on the moors followed by a couple of very dry months in June and July I am told the number of birds is well short of normal this year.


My friends at Ripley had mentioned the dry summer. It is expected to be a lean year due to a lack of insects for feeding the little ones. It is a bit of a wait and see game for certain.

Cheers,

BSR


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Grouse shooting, unless you know a landowner, is so frightfully expensive that I don't even bother to daydream about it. Mourning doves are more in my budget.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

I haven't eaten grouse for a long time, but in my view, pheasants make for better eating. So do partridges - and guinea fowl.


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

I shot more guineas than you can shake a stick at in South Africa. Great sport!

South Africa wing shooting is a great value. When I was a resident, I could shoot guineas for a weekend at $150 which included room and board. As for big game, The two kudu I shot cost me $1000 each which included European mount, skin rug and 280kg each of meat.

UK shooting for a non resident is silly expensive. The 3 days I have booked are almost £5000 for only the shoot days. I still must cover lodging and Land Rover hire. But it is a singular experience and the money isn’t missed when considering the memories created with friends and family.

Cheers,

BSR


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Mr. B. Scott Robinson said:


> ...
> 
> UK shooting for a non resident is silly expensive. The 3 days I have booked are almost £5000 for only the shoot days. I still must cover lodging and Land Rover hire. But it is a singular experience and the money isn't missed when considering the memories created with friends and family.
> 
> ...


I'm afraid it's very expensive for those who can't afford it - free for those who can.


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

I subscribe to a service which looks for the odd gun to join groups of shooters when there is an empty peg or butt. If one has the gear and is willing to shoot on short notice and drive 2 hours, 150-200 bird pheasant and partridge days can be let for £200. 

Guns On Pegs is one such service. The other I joined on FB but forget the name. UK Shooting opportunities possibly? Sadly my schedule isn’t flexible and my geography is undesirable so I can’t take advantage.

Cheers,

BSR


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

A driven shoot would be an interesting experience at least once but my preference is for rough shooting. A pheasant, a couple of rabbits, maybe a mallard . . . the perfect bag for a really big gumbo!


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Oldsarge said:


> A driven shoot would be an interesting experience at least once but my preference is for rough shooting. A pheasant, a couple of rabbits, maybe a mallard . . . the perfect bag for a really big gumbo!


There is a lot of rough shooting, besides driven, in the UK. The driven shoots, at least where I came from, are mostly for grouse. My parents had a house on the opposite side of the valley to moorland, and in autumn and winter it was frequently in the line of fire. The driven shoots are not always popular with those around and about.


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

One can certainly shoot rough on many estates. Boundary days offer the opportunity to walk the edges and punch up a few birds that have wandered into the hedgerows.

Many of the estates I frequent have pheasants running all over the place. The first time I witnessed this just outside of Holt, Norfolk I was astounded. Cock birds were visible in the fields, in the roadways in the gardens. In order to generate a few dozen 200+ bird days, thousands of birds must be raised and released. 

Cheers,

BSR


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

Mr. B. Scott Robinson: 

I'm sure your local grocery store has grouse, already butchered! I know I quit the drudgery of fishing when I found out the Bristol Farms Grocery store sold fish - cleaned! 

R. Andrew Gilchrist


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

Andy said:


> Mr. B. Scott Robinson:
> 
> I'm sure your local grocery store has grouse, already butchered! I know I quit the drudgery of fishing when I found out the Bristol Farms Grocery store sold fish - cleaned!
> 
> R. Andrew Gilchrist


I will be certain to ask Ahmed the halal butcher the next time I visit the local market.

My dear Andy, we both understand that the pursuit of quarry has very little to do with putting meat on the table. Sport, outdoors, reconnection with nature, the smell of wet dog and burning powder....it's my Happy Hunting Ground! 

Cheers,

BSR


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Even though I have reached a point in life when the best possible hunting trophy is a standing rib roast in the center of the table, you are right.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^I heartily agree with your sentiments, Oldsarge,
but I do miss the days of a childhood in which I could walk down the steps of our back porch, walk across our yard and through a cornfield and could find myself in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, a wild game market featuring squirrel, rabbits, ruffed grouse, pheasant, wild turkey, whitetail deer, etc. The only catch was you first had to find it, kill it, gut it, skin it, cut it up as necessary and cook the beast(s), in order to be able to eat it. Good food and great memories! :beer:


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

My entire life I wanted to live like that but never have. Any time I wanted to hunt I either had to drive for hours or climb on an airplane. It's enough to make me want to move to the Irish countryside.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Indeed, it was a pretty heady lifestyle for a 12 year old kid. With our Mom, my older sister and a younger brother at home, I was (I suppose) the de facto man of the house and putting meat on the table was one of my responsibilities (as I saw it). It's a good thing I loved being in the woods and hunting...whatever was in season! LOL.


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

My grandfather had a small cattle farm when I was a boy. I spent many unsupervised hours fishing, paddling a boat, shooting and throwing rocks. 

My grandfather enjoyed games, cards, billiards and horseshoes. He was the best checker player I ever knew. 

Who could ask for a better childhood?

Cheers, 

BSR


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

As far back as I can remember I've regretted that no one in my family had a farm. Eventually, my parents bought land and planted a vineyard. Those were good years until Dad developed Alzheimers' and we had to sell the place to care for him. It was the family tragedy.


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