It hardly needs to be said that the aftermath of COVID-19 is going to have a seismic impact on the game market this season. All indications at the moment suggest that the volume of game that is going to be shot and placed into the food chain is likely to be some 60-65% of last season’s total. The effect of lockdown, social distancing and, in some cases, Guns not being able, or not feeling financially secure enough, to pay shoot deposits have contributed to this.
Some shoots will not be shooting at all, others will have reduced both the number of days and the number of birds and many may start later. What is still unclear is the question of grouse, particularly north of the Border. The numbers look to be good in certain areas but will there be Guns to shoot them? At the time of writing, things are starting to look a bit more positive, with hotels, such as Gleneagles in Scotland, having announced that they will reopen on 15 July, but people don’t tend to book grouse shooting a mere month in advance and the overseas market will pretty much be a write-off.
Grouse need to be shot when the numbers are high, but will there be a hungry market for this specialised and unique gamebird if elements of the hotel, restaurant and catering businesses (HRC) remain closed or are forced to operate at much-reduced capacity? Around 80% are sold within this sector, so it’s a legitimate concern.
Supermarkets pay a certain degree of lip service to feathered game but they will certainly not take up the slack created by a flagging HRC sector. Added to this, there are still a lot of nervous people out there. Will they return to eating out as before? Shooting hitherto brought in £2bn to the rural economy — it won’t this season.
Denne historien er fra July 08, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra July 08, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside
