Sporting Estate?

by Douglas MacMillan

I

N WESTERN EUROPE, the control of large

tracts of land for the hunting of wild animals by social elites has been the hallmark of extreme hierarchical societies.

In England, William the Conqueror was well known for his love affair with the chase, and is still remembered, though not fondly, in the New Forest where he

created a large hunting reserve to kill animals and intimidate the locals. While the New Forest is now a haven for wildlife lovers and outdoor recreation, the ownership and control of land for hunting remains vibrant in Scotland despite of, or perhaps because of its more recent origins.

The main aim of sporting estates management is to produce trophy stags and well fed grouse in sufficient number for the annual shooting season in August and September each year. Accounting for 43 per cent of all privately owned rural land in Scotland, they represent the largest concentration of land dedicated to sport in Western Europe. Creating jobs in remote locations and promoting an image of Scotland recognisable to dedicated consumers of tinned shortbread, they occupy a contested landscape where Victorian values and dress code of the owners mingles uncomfortably with resurgent forward- looking communities with a rather different vision for the land.

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