Since the grouse happened to bear the harsh winters, and as the opening of the grouse-shooting season came out to be good, the gamekeepers are quite optimistic.

The shooting industry is said to employ more than 950 full-time employers and make a contribution of more than £30 million to the economy.

There have been speculations about the shooting opportunities and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust says that this year the prospect might be restricted in comparison to the previous years.

Between August 12 and December 10, almost 250,000 grouse are shot, of the total 800,000 in and around Scotland.

“Not only is the economy still fragile, the winter weather presented an additional threat this year, particularly in North East Scotland and the Borders”, asserted Roddy Willis, of the estate management firm.

Although the harsh winters had not allowed the gamekeepers to carry out pest control yet the birds had managed to take care of their little ones.

He further added that July was always a tough time as the gamekeepers at this time commenced with the counting of the grouse and made predictions for the coming season.

But looking at the survival of the fittest grouse, it was clear that the news was not that bad. And also the existence of red deer on some highland moors happened to break the snow and benefit the grouse.