Irish Grouse Society

ace86

Myself and a mate are hoping to due some conservation on grouse in the coming year and was wondering is there an Irish Grouse society about? i have contacted Bird watch Ireland a few times alright about them but i find information is slow coming back via e-mail anyway.

MacraPat

I'd love to lend a hand at such a project myself.
The grey partridge trust also seems to be trying to branch out into grouse http://www.greypartridge.ie/

According to this (http://www.face-europe.org/National_Info_Sheets/ireland_en.pdf) publication on F.A.C.E-europe's website there's a
"Irish Game Protection Association (IGPA)". Sounds like they'd know all about that conservation stuff.
Get a hold of Douglas Butler's book on rough shooting there's a fair bit on grouse in that.

doyle61

Maybe contact the nargc. I know there was a grant available few years ago from them for any club that could do a breeding program

ace86

sound thanks for the help lads we have been doing vermin control in the last few years ourselves with our Gun club we don't have any project site because they are on private lands and commonage and in small numbers, but the big thing facing them at the moment is gentic bottle necking were they could start inter breeeding and would probably eventually die out to disease, and habitat is a major probably as well but i see myself that its comin back a small bit especially with destocking of livestock.

Browning

Hi Ace86, send me a PM with your contact details and I shall put you in touch with some people from the Irish Grey Partridge Trust, they will give you some info and advice regarding Red Grouse as they have done some work recently on genetic bottlenecking and would be only to glad to help.

Mauser 308

Guys I believe the NARGC are trying to promote a Grouse regereration project. They are giving grants and are involved in organising suitable habitat areas etc. Give them a shout and I am sure they will be able to help and advise. Good luck, its a great project.

welsummer

make sure that you have all the shooting rights. i know of a guy in wicklow that put in years of controlled burning and a self shooting ban with heavy predetor control to git the numbers up.Then another shooter and friends turns up and shoot 8 in the one day. Disheartening

Wolfhillbilly

Ace,

Best of luck with that. I've read a few articles in the Shooter's Digest about various grouse programmes. I went grouse counting a few weeks ago in one here in Antrim which is into its third year now I think. I was looking for an article about a project in Co Cavan that is also ongoing but can;t find it. But I do remeber that one of the projects that is ongoing is something to do with NUI Galway The doctor there is David Scallan. I'd say he would be worth getting in touch with. I can;t remember what the project was called but I remember that he had asked in the Shooter's Digest article that grouse feathers be sent to NUIG so I assume from that that he was trying to build up DNA profiling or something. Anyway. Id say he'd be worth getting in touch with.
davidscallan@nuigalway.ie

If you're interested the one in Antrim had an official launch a few months ago and is doing quite well.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12338968

MacraPat

David Scallan is a great guy. He did a talk for my Macra club on wild game management. He really knows his stuff and can present it in a easily comprehensible fashion.
I think this is the project which he was involved in:
http://www.nargc.ie/Upload/Management%20Plan%20for%20Carrownagappul%20Bog%20-%20Heritage%20Council%20%28final%20draft%29.pdf