Very British hunting blinds

Grouse butts, smart and simple, are part of our sporting heritage, says Patrick Laurie, but in lots of places only ghost butts now remain

Deep in the dark plantations of Galloway, there are lines of long-forgotten grouse butts that lie along the forest rides. Many have tumbled down into ruin, and more moss grows over the old stones with every passing year. These butts are an eerie reminder of days gone by, but it can be hard to imagine grouse being shot on moors that have since become commercial forests. Butts are often all that survives of an old tradition, and it feels strange that they should persist so long after the moors have vanished. Most of these old butts are made from stacks of dry, unmortared stone. They’re wonderful creations, and many would have been topped with sods of peat for camouflage. Given they are made from the very fabric of a place, they…

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Shooting Times & Country (Digital) - 1 Issue, 28-Jun-2023

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