Glorious Twelfth

The Glorious Twelfth is usually used to refer to August 12, the start of the shooting season for Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) and to a lesser extent the Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) in the United Kingdom. This is one of the busiest days in the shooting season, with large amounts of game being shot. It is also a significant boost to the rural economy in moorland areas.The date itself is traditional, the current legislation enshrining it is the Game Act 1831 (and in Northern Ireland, the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985). Not all game (as defined by the Game Act 1831) have the same start to their open seasons - most begin onSeptember 1, with October 1 for Woodcock and Pheasant.

UK

Glorious Twelfth starts with a whimper (BBC)

The UK's traditional start to the grouse hunting season, the Glorious Twelfth, got off to a low-key start on Wednesday with a scarcity of game.

Shooting enthusiasts were predicting a disappointing day as many moors abandoned shoots because of the sharp drop in the numbers of birds.

Stephen Lea of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation says: "Prospects are very poor indeed. I don't know of an estate that is shooting today."

Only one or two grouse moors in Scotland were likely to start shooting on Thursday, the first day of the season, while others were delaying until later this month.

The decline in numbers of grouse has caused controversy in the run-up to the big day.

Anti-blood sport groups have blamed the hunters for the decline, but they in turn have blamed the weather.