Red grouse by sheep. Conservation measures taken on foot of the judgment have seen the population in the area double from 400 to 800. The red grouse is considered a game bird and is shot in large numbers during the shooting season which traditionally starts on August 12, known as the Glorious Twelfth. There is a keen competition among some London restaurants to serve freshly killed grouse on August 12, with the birds being flown from the moors and cooked within hours. Shooting can take the form of 'walked up' (where shooters walk across the moor to flush grouse and take a
Driven grouse shooting conservation projects every year. A parish survey around Blanchland, Northumberland (population 140), has found that 55 per cent of people are either directly or indirectly involved in grouse shooting and that increased guest numbers in the four-month shooting season push up the hotel's average occupancy rate from 50 to 65 per cent per year. Grouse is also served in many local pubs, hotels and restaurants, boosting the hospitality industry. According to industry sources: The profitability of grouse shooting is under threat from both climate and disease. There has been a long-term decline in red grouse numbers. Weather conditions in recent