With the Arctic winter conditions already costing the Scottish Borders millions, the area's rural economy could be the next hit, with gamekeepers this week admitting that Scotland's £30m a year shooting season is under threat.

And it seems few estates have been worse affected than those in the Lammermuir hills, where snow is still lying on the ground six weeks after the first fall.

The Kettleshiel estate near Duns was awarded a Game and Conservation Award in November for restoring a viable grouse population.

But now, just three months later, nearly all the birds have disappeared.
Kettleshiel's head keeper, Paul Percival, explained that the heather-eating grouse were unable to find food on the frozen moors.

"The first lot started to go between Christmas and the new year, and then they all went," Mr Percival said. And he admitted that he wasn't too hopeful of them coming back.

"Some of the lads have seen them in groups, but the groups are getting a lot smaller now and the grouse are losing condition. They've been feeding on hawthorn hedges and whatever else they can find but it isn't their natural food. They aren't surviving and they are too weak to get back.

"Before the cold weather I could sometimes count over a hundred grouse from the road on the estate, now I'm lucky to see five. We've found more than 30 dead birds now and we haven't really been looking for them. At the moment it's looking as though the season's off."

The setback could be a huge blow to the Lammermuir estates, which have reported a surge in bird numbers in recent years.

Grouse shooting is a vital source of income for many rural communities and according to a Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust report it supports 940 full-time jobs.

Mr Percival felt that if this year's season doesn't happen, it wouldn't just be the casual estate staff who would suffer.

"I would say it would have an affect in the local economy," he said.

"We take on casual beaters but also the guns stay locally in hotels, then there's the catering industry who usually benefit from them.

"All we can do is wait and hope a few more of the grouse come back."
Edward Johnson, assistant factor at the neighbouring Roxburgh estate, said that all the Lammermuirs had been affected in the same way.

"Since the heavy snowfall the heather has been covered and there's nothing for the grouse to eat, so they've departed to pastures greener," he explained.

"They've been seen in Berwickshire, on the beaches, down at Kelso.

"The worry is, if they don't come back we won't have any grouse to breed for next season. Potentially it could be quite serious, not only for the grouse but financially."

Although Mr Johnson stressed that the Roxburgh estate wasn't giving up just yet, he admitted that the chances of a normal season this year were slim.

"The keepers have been busy clearing snow so the grouse that are still here have something to eat, but we're talking about a miniscule percentage," he added.

"At the moment it's looking bleak."

Alex Hogg, chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, said: "It can take years of work by keepers to get the conditions on the moors right for grouse populations to grow so it's been devastating for many estates in the Borders to see flocks of up to 500 birds flying off the frozen moors.

"Keepers did everything they could to uncover areas of heather to save the birds that were left."

Mr Hogg, who lives in the Borders, added: "Clearly we're concerned about the economic impact because all grouse moors are dependent on a good breeding stock before the surplus can be shot. Time will tell what the implications will be."

Dr Colin Shedden, Scotland director of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said that there is little knowledge as to whether the birds will come back, as mass movement of grouse is something that rarely happens.

Speaking to 'The Berwickshire News' this week, Dr Shedden commented: "The situation seems to be most profound in your part of the world, which is unusual.

"We have previously had reports of grouse in Aberdeenshire that have been found on farms with livestock, amongst the hay, for example, but there have been people spotting grouse in some very unusual places in the Borders over the last few weeks.

"Some people say that weather like this can be quite useful as it weeds out the weaker birds and makes for a stronger stock so there may be some long term benefits.

"But if the majority of birds don't come back it could take a year or two to recover."

As grouse shooting tends to take place in August, September and October, months when there isn't much other shooting taking place, Dr Shedden said that it serves as a kind of early season filler.

"It is attended by high spending individuals accompanied by their families," he commented.

"If grouse shooting is suspended for a year there is no doubt it will have a knock-on effect in the local economy."

Sandi Hellowell, regional director for VisitScotland said: "Country sports play an important part in tourism for rural regions such as the Scottish Borders, so it's disappointing to hear that the grouse shooting season may be affected in this way."