DESPITE the wettest June and July since records began, grouse moor owners are confident of a good shooting season.

This year, the Glorious Twelfth is a Sunday, meaning the start of the season is delayed a day until August 13 because of tradition, but most areas are looking forward to an average or good season.

The British red grouse is well suited to the harsh moorland climate and has bred surprisingly well thanks to a warm and dry April and May.

Simon Bostock, chairman of the Moorland Association, said: "Shooting customers arriving from every continent will not be disappointed, and nor will the restaurants hoping to serve grouse this year -all to the benefit of our rural upland communities and businesses."

The number of shooting days offered by each grouse moor will depend on how many broods of grouse were reared and survived.

Mr Bostock said: "Grouse are superb parents, and it is an extraordinary testament to the hardiness of this bird that we are hearing of some good counts with big strong broods."

The Northern Pennines have some big broods, with counts of about nine or ten. However, some broods in the worst-flooded areas have dropped to one or two, or have been lost altogether. Numbers in the Yorkshire Dales remain high, with the number of shooting days on offer thought to be average or better in Wensleydale, Swaledale and Coverdale.

The North York Moors had cold snaps in late spring and soakings in June, killing chicks, so halving the number of shooting days planned.