When it comes to the countryside being misunderstood and misrepresented, there is no thornier topic than grouse shooting. Countless people who have never been up onto a managed grouse moor will tell you they are dead zones, totally devoid of life and beauty – but they couldn’t be further from the truth.
In 2022, while researching my latest book, Uncommon Ground, I went out with the head keeper on the Barningham Estate in County Durham. What really stayed with me is that it gave me a glimpse of a world that hardly exists anymore. At dawn, as the fog rose, black grouse called, there were wild grey partridges scratching around where wheat fields rolled out into heather, and the abundance of curlew, lapwings and redshank was extraordinary. These are species that are struggling across much of the UK, and yet here
they were thriving.
The reason these birds do so well on grouse moors is because the land is managed by some of the very best gamekeepers in the country, people who love their shooting, but are practical and realistic at heart. The grass sward on moors is kept short, which suits lapwings; the predator population (from foxes to crows) are kept down, and wading birds have been proven to fledge more than three times as many young when predator control is carried out. It’s also important to recognise that because of the income grouse shoot brings in, the moor owner generally has no interest in destructive land uses like commercial forestry. Grouse moors preserve essential habitat. To take a day’s grouse shooting isn’t just to experience remarkable sport, it’s to help fund vital work.
The very best time to experience wildlife on a grouse moor is in spring when the chicks are hatching. Going on safari in Africa is all well and good, but there’s just as much wonder in the heather hills in May. To hear a snipe drumming is one of those visceral moments, like hearing a lion roar.
The 2025 season was a difficult one for grouse moors. Heather beetle, which destroys the heather that grouse eat, was particularly bad. Lots of moors had to cut back on the number of days they were planning to put on and some weren't able to shoot at all. Grouse are completely wild and if you go ahead and shoot when you don’t have sufficient birds you risk damaging your population of game irreparably. The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust have described the season as a ‘building year’.
Tom Payne, who usually spends much of August loading on the moors, and has managed a few days this season, says it’s important to remember that even if you aren’t shooting, hard work is still being carried out in the uplands by grouse keepers and money is still being spent by moor owners. “Being involved with grouse shooting and having the opportunity to witness these true custodians of the uplands is remarkable. The effort it takes to put on grouse shooting is often forgotten about. It’s a whole year round effort, which culminates on the Glorious Twelfth [the 12th August when the grouse season begins]. I find it truly humbling to see, firsthand, most keepers’ knowledge of all things flora and fauna.”
Tom believes it’s high time that grouse keepers were given more praise for the work they do. “I read the other day that farming is the second most respected career in Britain, which is totally fair enough, but what about grouse keepers?” It’s time, Tom thinks,
to acknowledge their irreplaceable efforts, too.
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Of course, this is exactly the aim of the annual Purdey Awards for Game & Conservation. Now in 27th year, the awards have been instrumental in championing the regeneration, welfare and sustainability of the UK’s leading farms and estates. It’s an opportunity to honour the people working behind the scenes – the gamekeepers, the beaters, the local ornithologists – whose knowledge and vision often go unrecognised. After all, it is these people who continue to make British field sports the best in the world.
Applications for The Purdey Awards 2026 are now open. The first step is to complete the entry form. You will then receive a questionnaire, devised by Dr. Nick Sotherton of the GWCT, all about your shoot’s practices, projects and results in support of conservation. Entrants are also required to sign a declaration that they, and all connected with their shoot in any capacity, are conversant and in compliance with the Code of Good Shooting Practice. Entries close Friday 29th May 2026.
Apply here.