Driven grouse shooting

Driven grouse shooting is a field sport in the United Kingdom that involves the shooting of red grouse. It is one of two forms of the sport; the other is walked-up shooting. Driven grouse shooting involves grouse being driven (i.e. encouraged and corralled by beaters) to fly over people with shotguns in fixed positions. In contrast, walked-up shooting involves participants advancing in a line and flushing the birds as they move forward. Walked-up shooting is more physically demanding than driven shooting, often resulting in a lower number of birds being shot.

The grouse shooting season begins on 12 August, except in the Isle of Man, where it would start on 25 August were it not for a voluntary ban now in place. It ends on 10 December, except in Northern Ireland (30 November) and the Isle of Man (31 October). 12 August is sometimes referred to as the "Glorious Twelfth" by enthusiasts of the sport.

The sport first appeared around 1850 and gained popularity among the wealthy in the late Victorian era. The expanding railway network provided relatively easy access to the remote upland areas of Britain for the first time and in parallel with this, driven grouse shooting became possible in a convenient and reliable form. In driven grouse shooting, large numbers of birds are driven over a fixed position, providing a regular supply of fast-moving targets without the need to seek out the birds. The advent of the breech-loading shotgun was also an essential part of the development of the practice, as it allowed for more rapid reloading in the field, matching the availability of target birds.

Shooting takes place on grouse moors: areas of moorland in Scotland, northern England, and Wales. These areas, covering some 16,763 square kilometres (6,472 sq mi) in extent, about 8% of the combined area of England and Scotland, are managed to provide a favourable habitat for red grouse. Between 1870 and 1965 the sheep population in Scotland fell by about 500,000 animals because of commercial competition from Australia and New Zealand. As a result, areas of former pasture were converted to deer forests or grouse moors.

Management techniques used on grouse moors include heather burning, also known as "muirburn" in Scotland, to ensure a sustainable supply of both young and old-growth heather, and predator control – mainly foxes and predatory birds such as corvids (including crows and magpies). Some people oppose these practices because some species are killed for the benefit of others, although proponents of managed moorland argue that the species targeted are abundant, while those benefited are of greater conservation importance. These include ground-nesting birds such as the lapwing, curlew, meadow pipit, golden plover, redshank and woodcock.

There has been controversy over the alleged persecution of raptors on grouse moors. Raptors are legally protected species in the United Kingdom. Opponents of grouse moor management also argue that such practices prevent the development of natural landscapes, forest and bog regeneration, and ecotourism.^: 167