Chasing Grouse with English Setters in Scotland's Highlands

A blinking long drive

September 2021 was my first proper trip to Scotland. I’d only previously been up there for work, picked up a car and come straight back. We travelled up to Halkirk via Edinburgh and Speyside and met up with three of our mates at the Ulbster Arms ready to shoot walked up grouse. If you've not been to the Ulbster Arms, you can't get much further north before you fall in the sea..

Now I’m not going to lie, I would give a leg or maybe a kidney to shoot driven grouse but sadly my budget doesn’t stretch to that (YET, anyway, a girl can dream). Three of the party had already shot walked up grouse, both over pointers and as a walking line. I hadn’t been keen to do the walking line stuff so we’d booked a day shooting over dogs. 

Rain? In Scotland?

After a day-setting-up sort of breakfast we headed off to where we were to meet the keeper. That lovely drizzly soaking rain that drenches had set in as we were leaving and thankfully I’d packed more than one waterproof. Arriving at our destination involved traversing down a SEVEN mile drive to the house down a gravelled drive. Did NOT point out to Him Indoors that bringing my car would have been better as it had better ground clearance as his car ground it’s way down the drive. Honestly. Not once. Also, having a seven mile drive to my house is now officially my life goal, ideally with a camera at the main road so I can work out if I want to be home or not..

When we’d booked the shooting I’d been a little concerned that we’d be lugging our sorry carcasses up perpendicular slopes and I knew my fitness wasn’t up to that. I don’t know if you’ve been around Halkirk but its fairly flat. Which considering the rain was now coming in sideways isn’t such a bad thing. Because not only are you carrying your gun all day, you’re stepping over heather. If you’ve ever seen a horse with travel boots on walking around a yard like they were trying to walk on a marshmallow, its a similar approach. 

Sea Eagles

We arrived at the house to meet Mark the keeper who would be our guide for the day and were greeted by his two English Setters that would be doing all the hard work for us. Mark gave us the unfortunate news that there had recently been a spate of sea eagle sightings over the moor which might scupper our chances a little but that we’d have a good day out. Having seen my chickens react to our local sparrow hawk swooping through the garden, I can well imagine every grouse in the Highlands hiding at an eagle. But, that’s the chance you take shooting wild game. 

Following our safety briefing we headed off across the moors. We’d agreed between us that once you’d emptied your gun, the next person would swap in for their opportunity. I was third to shoot with Him Indoors shooting first. 

Casting for scent

As I’ve mentioned in other articles, my main love is watching dogs work and watching those two setters work the moors using the wind was incredible. You could see where the scent would catch them and they’d cast back downwind to pinpoint a covey. Their whole body language would change when they were certain they’d found grouse. The first time they marked Him Indoors prepared himself to shoot, took one step and went thigh deep into a bog. Well, unsurprisingly he didn’t manage to pull the trigger and gales of laughter accompanied a flush of birds. 

Eventually my turn came to shoot. Now I’m not the best or most experienced shot by any stretch of the imagination and normally when I’m the only woman shooting that tends to put me a bit off kilter but luckily I’d shot with everyone before so was more settled than usual. Before stepping alongside Mark I was mentally running through a little checklist mostly consisting of ‘where is everyone else, where are both dogs, am I going to stumble over some heather, is that a grouse, double check thats a grouse OO THATS A GROUSE!!!’ I pulled the trigger and on the second barrel saw that flinch that showed I’d made contact. I’d shot my first grouse!

Thank god it was flat

We covered 11 miles that day in continuous rain and wind with 4 of us connecting with our quarry. I shoot a 20 bore and would definitely personally pick that over a 12 bore for carrying it around all day just from a weight perspective. After the success of shooting my first (and only) grouse to be honest I was happy just watching the dogs work.

All good things must come to an end and we eventually headed back to the yard. Peeling off soaked layers I discovered the water had soaked through my breeks and had tracked its way under my gaiters and was about an inch from getting into my boots when we called it a day. I don’t mind being wet but wet feet are just miserable. We thanked Mark for a great day, fussed the dogs and headed back to the Ulbster Arms to thaw out and chew the fat about the day.