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The ultimate trophy asset for the new-money elite

Dominic Prince

Wednesday, 12th March 2008

Dominic Prince says grouse shooting attracts the super-rich — and demand will keep estate prices rising

A decent estate is about 5,000 acres, although some are as big as 15,000. The total area where grouse shooting occurs covers more than 1,000,000 acres in the UK and an average of 200,000 grouse are shot in England and Wales in a shooting season. Grouse is a short-lived species which relies on young heather shoots as a food source and, being ground-nesting birds, they have a high mortality rate within 12 months of birth, regardless of shooting.

Raising grouse is a time-consuming and costly business — roast grouse is by far and away the most expensive game bird to put on your table — and if the population fails and the moor is unable to sustain shooting, there’s no money back.

Irrespective of all that, Duckworth-Chad says that nowadays there is unprecedented demand for grouse moors. ‘Whenever a moor is advertised there are always some unknown and completely unexpected individuals who pop up [as potential buyers]. It is one of the ultimate playthings, for which people will pay well over the asset value.’

Indeed the simple economics suggest that you’re far better off buying a grouse moor than putting money into top-of-the-market bricks and mortar. After all, they don’t make grouse moors any more, and with only 300 to go round and 480,000 shooters in the UK, this has got to be one of the best sellers’ markets in the world.

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