The blue, or alpine hare, is, as all Scotch sportsmen know, a great
nuisance in grouse shooting over dogs.
Do what you will there is in every dog an innate longing to chase or
point ground game in preference to birds, and if blue hares are shot
upon the grouse moor in the sight of the dogs, nothing that you can do
will prevent the dog from pointing or drawing on the track of other
hares.
On well regulated moors blue hares are looked upon as vermin, and all
possible are killed in the late winter months, when they are white, by
the keeper, and sent to market; but they make very small prices, not
more than 9_d._ to a 1_s._ after paying carriage.
When at Dalnawillan in October, before leaving it was the rule to have
a hare driving day on Ben Alasky with two or three guns, the result
being generally about ninety hares and a few brace of grouse, and the
number killed have been included in the record of sundries.
All the gillies, boys, shepherds, &c., were on that occasion pressed
into the service.
There were two hills adjoining one to the other, Ben Alasky and Glass
Kerry, both about 1100ft. high, and both were driven.
The party started about 11 a.m. from the lodge, beaters and guns
forming a line, taking the ground before them to about half way up
Glass Kerry, getting on the way two or three hares and a brace or two
of grouse.
Then the guns were sent forward to their posts.
The line of beaters sweep round the hill.
Perhaps fifteen to twenty hares may be had. Luncheon is then taken on
the ridge connecting the two hills.
After luncheon the beaters in line start well at the bottom of Ben
Alasky, gradually beating round and round in a spiral until they reach
the summit.
It may take two hours.
It is the habit of the blue hare to mount the hill, but some few break
back.
The guns are in three butts, the first butt on the summit of the hill,
and the other two on the slope below.
Odd grouse skim over the butts and fall to a clever shot.
At times the hares come up in considerable numbers, and the single gun
(no loader) gets hot; but if a hare escapes the one butt it gets across
the fire of another butt, and so very little escapes.
Then comes the collection of the slain and crippled, and loading men
and gillies with the slain.
The reader may say, Why not send a cart or pannier pony? simply because
the peat moss of Caithness is too soft to carry a pony.
It was a pleasing little shoot, and the weather at that time of year
being generally stormy, the outlook from the hill was very grand.