Glorious Twelfth

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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. It should be noted that not all game (as defined by the Game Act 1831) have the same start to their open seasons - most begin on September 1, with October 1 for Woodcock and Pheasant.[1]

Red Grouse
Red Grouse

Since UK law says that the start of the season cannot begin on a Sunday, it is sometimes postponed to August 13, as in 2001[2] and 2007.[3] Because grouse are not and never have been reared to any extent for shooting, their numbers fluctuate naturally from year to year. In recent years, the Glorious Twelfth has also been hit by hunt saboteurs, the 2001 foot and mouth crisis (which further postponed the date in affected areas[4]) and the effect of sheep tick, heather beetle, and the gut parasite Trichostrongylus tenuis [5] and severe flooding and bad weather. In some seasons where certain moors are hit by low numers of grouse, shooting may not occur at all or be over by September.

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  1. ^ Official summary of legislation for shooting animals
  2. ^ Glorious Twelfth hit by foot and mouth | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited
  3. ^ BBC NEWS | Scotland | 'Glorious 13th' for grouse season
  4. ^ Glorious Twelfth cancelled in areas affected by virus - Telegraph
  5. ^ BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Grouse season 'not so glorious'