Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-24
COSTLY GAME.
The Hunting Grounds Of Scotland and
Their Rental.
FROM the London World.

FROM the London World
Although Tor ten years before the death of
Sir Walter Scott the value of shooting ground
has been gradually increasing year by year, the
most sanguina Of Highland lairds can never
have anticipated that rents would rise to thu
present extrava.ant rates. The shootings of
Gienmoriston were let In 1895 at f1OO a year.
and ar the present time they are worth e.. 800.
The sporting rental of Glen Urquhart has in
Creased from ElOO in 1850 to $1,000 and in
every part OF the Highlands moors have risen
twenty and thirty times in value. Indeed even
within the last twenty years rents in many dis
tricts have treb.ed and quadrllpled The sport
M frt'al oil the county %! Inverness has more
ttau doubled In twelve years, and now exceeds
4lpou00.
The enormous Increase in the number of mon
eyed Wen has brought new host of eager
"DH-TcFS into the market and If it becomes
the fashion for wealthy americans TO rent vast
tracts ier sporting purposes IL Is Difficult! to say
whore the rise will stop Nr. Wlni1S bF the
simple process Of outhd1ins all competitors.
has turned nearly go GOO acres in the counties
OF foss aud Inverness into u deer forest. for
which he paws a rent of E11.O00 "a year.
\ man who proposes to hire a Scotch shoot
Ing must first make NJ his ind as to the
amount which he can afford to lay out on his
amusement. Ia addition to the rent asked for
tie ground. keepers, lriliies and publ C bur-
dens viii probably have To be paid hv the ten
ant IL l. estimated that each brace OF grouse
ccSIS the tenant of shooting at least one
pound; but during the present djsaDnoiptinc,
seaso2 any tenant who has relied on this calcu-
IatIon must have been seriously disappoJnted
IL is the usual custom for factors and agents to
ask rent Calculated On the bag OF the previous
year out an ''offTcr' should carefully examine
the game book for several preceding seasons
and no bargain should be conciu led until the
lodge and moor have been inspected by some
Competent person uncOnnected with the district
The cost oi this personal investigation will be
only 4 comparative trhe, and the benefits NAV
BIZ considerable.
The tricks of persons who have .'Tommje-
begs on their hands are numerous One is to
advertise shooting with a condition that no
more than 1850 or 1900 birds are to be shot
when 1t is notorious that the ground does not
Contain One-tenth of the stipulated number
Another is TO advertise q moor with the setiuc-
tive announcement that, as il marches with the
Noted forest of y. deer are frequently on the
ground. OF which not more than so many stays
and 81 many kinds are to be killed Probab,, no
stag has been shot Ion the Grounds for ten
years 1t is often stated that the shooting is
bounded by a famous amOn stream and the
Offerer taking the advertisement literally con-
Guides that the right Of fishing goes with the
moor, and ii is only when he arrives on the
ground that he discovers that the river is let to
somebody else or can only be ished 10y consider
ahie extra payment All these traps for the
capped by rigorous inquiries on the spot and
No. tenant is likely to regret the OUTLAY on such
Inquiries. lodge is frequently advertised IS
standing IN "a grass park, which the unsophis-
toated reader assumes to be analogous to an
English park: but in Scotland it simply means a
number of ordinary fields. separated sometimes
by fences, but more frequently by stone walls
In the same manner a deer forest does not re-
semble Windsor Great Park or the New Forest,
but is only bleak district of hill and moor
from which the sheep have been removed To
forest tract OF country means to drive the
sheep from it. in order that it NAV he entirely
devoted to red deer. who would live in amitv
with the sheep. but who strongly object to the
sight of the shepherds and their dogs A shoot
ing is usually let from July TO November 1;
but when partridge shooting begins the mOors
become deserted, and there is a general exodus
before the end Of September But of course
Some tenants stay till the expiration of their
term although there can be little sport during
TIE last SIX weeks; and remote lodge. with a
post three times week, is not cheerful loca-
ton IN late autumn.
keG's VARY from G100 upward. A shooting of
1O.'sO acres in Aberdeenshire which will afford |
oO1 brace of grouse, besides low-grouad game |
aEd which has good fishing attached lets at /
4iVTo a season MOy. in 1nyerneSs-shre on |
the shores of Loeb Laggan. lets at G4OO al |
though the bag is not more than 300 brace: but |!
the lodge is one of the best in Scotland The |
Tent OF deer forest used to be calculated at !
tie rate of t21 for each stag killed. but now $50
IA
Ar-t iishire. let by Lord BreadaIbane to Lord |
DudieE at $500 a year. has been subel during |
tie last four seasons at c3 800. 1t extends over
St5D acres, and Invariably Yields a bag" of 100
stagS. but the grouse shooting is poor. Ben !
Alder forest, in inyernesS-shire extends over
$1,000 acres. and lets at E3 600 year: last SEA-
son - stars We're shot. CeannacrOc i'm the
same county, extending over 81, 600 acres and
let at - 100. yielded 60 stays Rray Forest
sutherland, let at 50 600. and extending over
"a TO Welded az Th.
deer shooting was done by Sir Charles Mordaunt
LII Glenfeshie Forest. Inverness-shire go, 600
acres. Us his rent is CO. 800. and he killed 100
stags all BY fair stalking. This bag was made
by two rifles. Sir Charles himself killing 100.
while the rest We're slain by Lord Brooke. On
the other hand. Mr. Winans slaughtered 1856
stays IN his combined forests and each beast
must have cost him about f12O In private
forests the top scores are usual, made In North
Harris (Sir f. ScOtt). AthOle Duke OF Athole),
Mar lord Fife. Ardverikie (Sir John Ramsden).
AcRDasheiach Lord Wimborne). Glenfiddich
Duke Of Riehmond), and Glenartney lord
Aveiand). These seven shoOtings extend over
4o0. 0GO acres.
Han century ago the rental OF Highland
proprietor who owned nothing but a tract of
mOoIs and forests was counted By hundreds
Now such an estate brings i'll MANY thousands. |
There are nearly twenty shOOtin@s which are
let at t20UD and upward: and there are at least
forty with rents between G2GO0 and Gl 600 /
Tie estate of Applecross. i'm Ross-shire was
mentioned 10y MIR. Horatio Ross before a par !
Lamentary committee. when he desired to give |
an Instance of the increase in the value of deer
forests 1t was purchased by the late Duke of !
Leeds in 1851 from the Hackenzies for Gl35 COO |
In 1860 it was sold for GEL; 900 after the Duke
had 'forested' Applecross" and Coulin; and in !
49, one-third Of the original estate sold for |,
4lJO,0p0.
Wanted.