Fighting talk: Organisational discourses of the conflict over raptors and grouse moor management in Scotland

•We analysed the discourses of six high-profile organisations with conflicting interests.•Organisations offered diverging interpretations of central issues.•Discursive strategies were employed to gain ‘dominance’ in the debate.•Discourses were dismissive of the motives and actions of other actors.•Discursive contestation at this level could widen barriers between stakeholders and damage conflict mitigation efforts.