Persistently bad weather and prolonged periods of rain earlier in the summer have weakened the outlook in the Highlands for this year’s grouse season, which started on 12 August.

As guns across the country prepare for the Glorious Twelfth, those running grouse moors in central and southern Scotland as well as Yorkshire and Northumberland are generally expecting a good season but prospects are not so good in the north of Scotland.

A brace of red grouse, found only in the heather moorlands of the UK, is expected to reach between £150 and £200 this year.

Robert McCulloch, associate partner in Strutt & Parker's Edinburgh office, reports that the bad weather and seemingly endless rain in late May and early June when the "bumblebee" grouse chicks were hatching has concerned Highland moor owners and gamekeepers alike with the early mood of optimism in many areas turning into pessimism as the wet summer continued, limiting the chances of survival for the chicks. Additionally, the warm and dry spring meant that insects required to feed the chicks hatched too early.

Mr McCulloch said: "Last year was the best Scottish grouse shooting season in a generation but the cycle of boom and bust is boringly familiar to those whose livelihoods depend on grouse shooting as either weather or disease can knock a flourishing grouse population back to square one overnight. 

"However, despite the mercurial mood of Mother Nature in May and June this year, there is optimism that grouse populations in some areas have escaped relatively unscathed with the moors of the Angus Glens, the Lammermuirs in East Lothian and Berwickshire and the Lowther Hills in Lanarkshire anticipating successful and productive seasons. These moors were spared the prolonged periods of rain and cold weather experienced by those further north. 

"The highest chick mortality will have occurred on those moors where there was no real break in the bad weather. The Highland moors have fared less well with the finger of blame being pointed at the prolonged cold and wet weather of May, June as several moors in Inverness-shire - and the frequently productive Upper Findhorn valley in particular cancelling their shooting programmes for 2011."

However, he said that despite the less than rosy outlook for the 2011 season and the present economic upheaval, competition for the few grouse moors that come to the market remains robust.

Mr McCulloch added: "Activity in the grouse moor market north of the border has shown strength of late.  Lochindorb Estate near Grantown-on-Spey found a buyer having been available for sale for 18 months, Glenprosen Estate in Angus was also sold and another well-known Scottish grouse moor is under offer having been for sale privately. Despite the misplaced gossip that most buyers of grouse moors are foreign, the reality is that buyers in this market are almost all Brits and mostly self-made businessman with a passion for shooting."

Meanwhile, Toby Milbank, partner in Strutt & Parker's Harrogate office, said moor owners in the north east of England expected a very fruitful year.

He said: "The peaks and troughs familiar to those working with grouse appear to have levelled out in recent years, largely due to improvements in moor management and the introduction of scientifically medicated grit eaten by grouse which has had a very positive impact on their health. High percentages of grouse eating the grit are worm-free as a result. It is expensive but it is ensuring good grouse numbers year after year and most moors are now using it."

"We expect a good season across the board from the smaller estates such as Pockstones to the larger ones such as the Wemmergill, Allenheads and Gunnerside moors.

"We understand that grouse counts have been broadly ahead of expectations this year and, generally, most moor owners are expecting equally high bags this year as last.  Brood numbers seem to be slightly down, especially on the higher moors, but the number of broods has remained high.

"Additionally, despite the cost of a day's grouse shooting, there are still plenty of people prepared to pay. I don't know of anyone who had not got every day let several months in advance of the start of the season.  

"There is also huge demand for grouse moors but very little ever comes to the market. I have a strong list of buyers searching for grouse moors but nothing available. They are often passed from generation to generation and, as a result, rarely come to the market."