Grouse claw pins

[Jock Scot]

Well it is "the glorious twelfth" today, the start of our grouse shooting season and for the first time for over 40 years I will not be there. Dammit! Anyway for what it is worth, I was always told that the grouse claw pin was worn by women, either as a pin on their skirt or,more usually, on the lapel of their jackets. Of course we are talking of the days when tweed jackets were worn as a matter of course, by women.

[Phil]

It must be a sore miss for you indeed, Jock, especially after 40 years. The Press is saying that the prospects are very good this year too.
As you say, I too was always under the impression that a grouse claw was very much a ladies' brooch and said as much in a previous post on the same subject which seemed to attract a degree of derision. I suppose it only goes to show how out of touch we are with "modern" ideas of adornment.

Link - http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/g...ghlight=grouse

[Jock Scot]

It must be a sore miss for you indeed, Jock, especially after 40 years. The Press is saying that the prospects are very good this year too.
As you say, I too was always under the impression that a grouse claw was very much a ladies' brooch and said as much in a previous post on the same subject which seemed to attract a degree of derision. I suppose it only goes to show how out of touch we are with "modern" ideas of adornment.

Link - http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/g...ghlight=grouse

I know some will raise an eyebrow and think;"there is that old fuddy duddy Jock going on again". Actually I think the "Blanket pin" style of kilt pin looks just the ticket and anything else is overdone. Most certainly, those dreadful sword things with the clan crest on, are beyond the pale! The clan tartan surely states loud and clear who you are batting for, for goodness sake! Better, by far, to wear no pin at all than all these badges, shields, clan this that and the other, and all the rest of this fussy kilt pin nonsense. Still that is just my opinion, I suppose.

[Bugbear]

All I know is that I have one of those large blanket pins on my kilt apron, so I'm not going to worry about all this grouse claw business... I have to assume a grouse is tasty, though.

[Jock Scot]

All I know is that I have one of those large blanket pins on my kilt apron, so I'm not going to worry about all this grouse claw business... I have to assume a grouse is tasty, though.

Young red grouse, roasted are delicious. As are old red grouse, cooked in a casserole with added bits of bacon. At this time of year it is easy to tell young from old, when shot, you look at the tips of the end(outer) wing feathers and if they are pointed they are young and if they are rounded they are old.For those that are interested the red grouse are particular to the UK and Ireland.

[Phil]

For those that are interested the red grouse are particular to the UK and Ireland.

Yes and contrary to what an earlier contributor posted, they do not turn white in winter. The Ptarmigan, another native species confined to the higher parts of Scotland does turn white in winter (along with the mountain hare)

[Jock Scot]

Yes and contrary to what an earlier contributor posted, they do not turn white in winter. The Ptarmigan, another native species confined to the higher parts of Scotland does turn white in winter (along with the mountain hare)

So does ,on occasion, the stoat.Ptarmigan are also most certainly found in Iceland, I have seen them, and Norway too, I think.

[Phil]

So does ,on occasion, the stoat.

That's a stoater as they say in Glasgow. I forgot about the ermine.

[Heming]

So does ,on occasion, the stoat.Ptarmigan are also most certainly found in Iceland, I have seen them, and Norway too, I think.

Right you are indeed. We call them mountain grouse here. The white winter plumage make them almost impossible to see in the snow-clad mountains.

I'm no hunter, but I do like cooking and eating the darlings...

[Bugbear]

MMMMM, with bacon...

BTW, I have no desire to wear a pig foot as a kilt pin either.