Hunters call it 'The Glorious Twelfth'. What is it?
On the twelfth day of August, the start of the shooting season for red grouse and to a lesser extent the ptarmigan in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is called "The Glorious Twelfth." [1] This date is traditional, and the current legislation in England and Wales is the Game Act of 1831 and in Northern Ireland, the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. [1, 2] The hunting season was popular among aristocrats and the upper class of the Victorian society. [3]
The Glorious Twelfth is the twelfth day of August, the start of the shooting season for red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) in Great Britain and Northern Ireland [1]. This is one of the busiest days in the shooting season, with large numbers of game being shot [1]. Land management techniques are carried out to maintain the moors so that they remain the perfect breeding ground for red grouse [3]. Gamekeepers burn parts of heather before August to allow it to grow at different lengths, which increases the number of grouse yields [3].