Hunting shooting weather  advice & resources

As soon as I generalise about our weather conditions for Scotland  , I'll be proved wrong! All temperatures quoted are in degree Celcius.  This general resume is for most of mainland Scotland.  Let me take you through each month.......

January:  High probability of snow on low ground. Could also be rain. Night temps could be well below freezing. However, January 1998 was so mild, one group hunting woodcock with me in Scotland found it was almost shirtsleeve weather with blue skies and temps around 15 centigrade! Global warming may the hot topic (sorry, I could not resist the pun) but we can still days of minus 10 or even minus 15. Remember.....we usually have more moisture in the air. I've experienced minus 50 in Poland (yes, 50) but it was dry cold - so dry that every time someone walked past you, millions of ice crystals rose in the sun like diamond dust, but as long as I was careful, it was no problem keeping fairly warm. But our wet cold with a wind behind it producing its accompanying chill factor can soon make you aware unless you are correctly clothed.  

February: Can be a windy month, high chance of snow - if both of these conditions are not too extreme, then this is perfect for pigeon shooting. Cold at night. Day time temps could be around freezing to around 10 degrees.

March: Same as February.

April: Weather becomes more mixed and conditions seldom stay the same over a day or two. Showery and often windy. Still plenty of chances of snow showers - sometimes prolonged.  Dry spells allow crops to be sown. Nights can still have hard frosts.

May: One of the best weather months in Scotland. I reckon we normally have fantastic weather for at least two or even three weeks in this month. Normally a dry month and if a high pressure system gets stuck over the UK, then clear, cold  and frosty at night with temps soaring during the day into the 15's or even the mid 20's.

June: We are into summer now, so night time frosts are rare. Weather may be warmer, but this can be a wet month.

July: Much like June, but with higher average temperatures. Day time temps could be 12 degrees but as high as 25 or even 30 on occasion.

August: By the middle of the month when the grouse are open, we can have very hot and dry days even on high ground (from 10 degrees to 25 degrees even at 2,000 feet).

September: By the middle of the month we may have some frosts arriving - always welcome so that the Red Stags begin to think about the rut.  Daily temperature is around 12 degrees.

October. We often have an 'Indian Summer' in this month and can have 2 weeks or so of glorious weather on low ground. This is often a fairly dry month and the high ground above 1,000 feet or so may have a dusting of snow.

November. Snow on high ground and mixed days on low ground. Day temperatures may average around 10 degrees or so with frost at night. Chance of snow on low ground but it seldom stays for more than a few days.

December. Greater chance of snow this month. '97 was exceptionally cold with one week when it was as cold as minus 20 and minus 25 degrees in Central Scotland  - it was very dry, however, so the cold was quite bearable. It is more likely that this month has night time temperatures hovering around the freezing mark and daytime temperatures of around 7 or 8 degrees. Our weather has more moisture in it, so colder days feel that way more easily - especially with a wind blowing.

This account makes it sound as if we spend our time freezing in icy rain for much of the year - of course it's not like that! Otherwise the pages in the photo gallery  section with photographs covering 12 months would not show one sunny day!

There are plenty of decent weather forecasting sites which give forecasts for up to 10 days in advance.

EuroWEATHER      USAtoday    BBC weather    are all useful.