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Articles by Liam Bell
An Open And Shut Case: A Time For Mercy By John Grisham
arts ‘A man of the law had been murdered in his own bed by his own gun…The killer had confessed and was in custody, and though only sixteen...old enough to know right from wrong’. What could be a simpler case even when capital punishment is an option? It has been a while but, when I looked on the holiday book-swap shelves, I could not resist the lure of the Grisham.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty: The Suspect By Rob Rinder
arts It seems that lots of celebrities are going down the ‘let’s publish a novel’ route. Perhaps it’s the aftermath of the pandemic when most people were stuck at home and took the opportunity to hit the keyboard. I’ve read a few: some have appealed, others not, some have been well-written, some not, although that is based on my personal opinion and preference and not intended to disparage genuine effort.
‘Sleep No More’: The Sleepless By Liam Bell
arts Margaret Thatcher reputedly only needed four….hours’ sleep, that is, with the occasional power nap to recharge her batteries during particularly difficult days. My mother, meanwhile, always insisted that sleep was the best medicine for any ailment and personally, I’m a mess if I don’t get at least eight hours; clearly, I’m never going to be a follower of Swami Ravi who, in this novel, preaches that sleep is an unnecessary human construct.
Permission to appeal granted in key “mixed use” property claim
Fladgate’s Real Estate Disputes team has successfully secured permission from the Court of Appeal on behalf of a landlord client seeking to pursue a second appeal against a ruling that a mixed-use property was a “dwelling” within the meaning of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The claim could have wide-reaching ramifications for property owners, investors and occupiers.
A Look Beneath the Waves: Analyzing Results from the 2024 U.S. Trials (So Far)
Thank you to Barry Revzin for running the numbers. We’re eight sessions into the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, which means we’ve got a wealth of data to comb through in between sessions. Before this meet began we only had the entry data, but now there are actual results available to us. You may have heard superlatives such as “fastest prelims ever” thrown around, but let’s dive into the numbers to see if that’s true or a gross exaggeration. Who Drops, Who Adds, Who Makes the Trials Cut?
Protecting poults
Losses of released birds to raptors is usually less than 5% of the number of birds put down. There are of course places where it is higher, but in many cases it can be as low as 2% or 3%. But this doesn’t make it any less frustrating when you find kills, especially if you only put a few birds down to start with. Protecting poults Pheasant poults have usually outgrown sparrowhawks when they get to 10 to 12 weeks of age.
Trapping mink - some key advice
Trapping mink issues Q: There are mink on the stream at the bottom of my garden. We have had cage traps out for nearly a month and still haven’t caught any. Do you have any tips or advice you could share? A: Mink are quite brave and rarely trap-shy. My guess is that the traps are relatively new and that it might take another week or so for them to blend in and ‘weather’, and lose their shine.
Bird flu concerns stay mostly in background
The H5N1 strain of bird flu (avian influenza, or AI) is still with us. The game shooting community is continuing to do everything within its power to reduce the risk of its spreading and confirmed cases do appear to be tailing off. That said, it is still a worry, and something else for game farmers, shoots and Guns to think about.
Securing game shooting for future generations
Ifeel a change is coming and I wonder if we have seen the peak of the second ‘golden age’ of game shooting. I have felt it for a while and others I have spoken to are feeling much the same thing. Just to be clear, I don’t think live quarry shooting is in any danger of being stopped, nor do I think people are going to pack up shooting and find something else to do in their spare time. It is just that I sense a change in how we do things and a slow return to what we value most about a day’s sport.
Rural crime - the progress being made and challenges still ahead
Acouple of weeks ago I attended a rural crime seminar, which was organised by a very driven West Mercia police sergeant from our local Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT). The aim of the meeting was to improve further the relationship between the SNT and rural businesses, and to raise awareness of their ongoing crime prevention tactics and the importance of reporting incidents.
how to catch your first one for a Larsen trap
Q: We want to run three or four Larsen traps this coming spring. How on earth do we catch our first call bird? (Read how to use a Larsen trap correctly.) How to catch a magpie – your call bird A: A call bird such as a magpie or carrion crow can be tempted into the traps by ‘nests’ of eggs, and in semi-urban areas by pieces of white bread. The ‘nests’ inside the traps have to look as realistic as possible and be placed somewhere where the magpies and carrion crows would expect to find eggs.
Managing increasing deer numbers in the UK
It is an undeniable fact that deer numbers are increasing. It is also a less well-published fact that they are being very well managed on estates and farms and in private and Government-owned woodland throughout most of the UK. I should add, though, that the well-managed bit is an inconvenient truth to those who see deer and the reduction in their numbers as some sort of modern-day crusade.
how to stop these predators on your ground
A shoot can have perfect holding, nesting and brood-rearing habitat. It can have the world’s best and most protected release pens and the best of foods on tap. But without predation control the success of our wild birds would be severely limited and the returns on our reared birds greatly reduced.
it's time for spring cleaning at the end of the season
The second half of January is a rush of catching up, late-season invitations and the last of our shoot days at home. And while I miss the buzz and camaraderie of shoot days, it is quite nice to get into February and make a start on our list of jobs for cleaning the shoot Spring cleaning the shoot – how to start First on the list if the feeders are full is taking in the pegs. Nothing looks more alien or more out of place post-shooting season than a line of pegs in a field.
is this the way ahead for pheasant shoots?
When shoots were more reliant on wild birds, more self-sufficient and less dependent on gamefarms, it was common practice for them to shoot ‘cocks only’ for the second half of January. In a poor year for wild birds, the gamekeeper and shoot owner would get together, count up what they thought they had and decide whether the ‘cocks only’ rule should be brought in even earlier. Hens were treasured and no keeper or owner worth their salt would risk over-shooting them.
Shooting in 2023
After the disruption of 2020 and the uncertainties of 2021, I was rather hoping that 2022 would have been more straightforward. The game shooting community has had a tough time of things recently and it would have been nice to return to normality. Sadly, outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) and worries about the wider economy have dictated otherwise, making for yet another tough year.
Rearing your own pheasants
If you are one of the many shoots that struggled, or failed, to secure their full quota of poults this year, and you are wondering where you will get next year’s birds from, you might want to consider rearing your own pheasants. It is not an easy option, and hatching and rearing won’t suit everyone, but if you or a member of your shoot have the time, the space and a few basic husbandry skills, it can be very rewarding.
Bird flu and next season
The spectre of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is still hanging over us. It is next to impossible to talk to anyone involved in game shooting without it being brought up and discussing bird flu and next season. The number of confirmed cases has increased significantly from last year, and the outbreaks on shooting estates — although still fairly small as far as a percentage of cases goes — are concentrating the mind.
Winter driven shooting - how to adapt peg placement to mild weather
We are predominantly a woodland shoot and, while we do have game strips planted against or behind most of our drives, the birds are more usually driven across our valleys out of the trees. Trees that in a more normal year would have lost most of their leaves by now. The Guns are standing in the open for most of our drives, so having leaves on the trees isn’t an issue in those cases, but one or two pegs are in rides at the bottom of wooded valleys.
Lead shot ban - what are customers saying about it?
I read an article about lead shot recently. As was to be expected, it was backed up by quotes, statements and statistics. Except this time, it was very much in favour of maintaining the status quo, and vehemently against a move of any kind towards the use of non-lead ammunition.
why do they attract fines on a shoot day?
Q: Why were white pheasants protected and people fined if they were shot? Was there an important reason for it, or was it simply because they were rare, and keepers and owners wanted to see them about? A: White birds have always been relatively rare, and keepers and owners liked to use them as ‘marker’ birds. These marker birds were easy to spot if they moved drives or were wandering off towards the boundaries, and they were soon missed if poached or predated.
Beating for beginners
For those of us lucky enough to be involved in game shooting, and for people who live rurally and have farming and shooting contacts, finding somewhere to go beating is fairly straightforward. Knowing what to do is almost second nature (these types won’t wonder too much about beating for beginners) and knowing what to take and what a day’s beating entails is, in most cases, a simple matter of asking a friend.
Beating for beginners - what you need to know about your first day out
For those of us lucky enough to be involved in game shooting, and for people who live rurally and have farming and shooting contacts, finding somewhere to go beating is fairly straightforward. Knowing what to do is almost second nature (these types won’t wonder too much about beating for beginners) and knowing what to take and what a day’s beating entails is, in most cases, a simple matter of asking a friend.
How has this summer's drought affected game crops?
Getting our game crops to grow this year has been a real battle. I don’t think it has ever been more dry. Everything we have done has been a bit of a gamble and it has been next to impossible to get things right. Yes, we have crops and, yes, they are growing, but only very slowly. And the ones that are starting to mature are a lot thinner and lower than we would like them. The maize went in all right, but was planted a little late because it was still cold in early May.
Pheasant pen repairs: poults or not, repairs are worth doing
Most of us will have had a quick look round our release pen by now. Rotten posts and rusty wire will have been noted and earmarked for work parties. Electric fences will have been checked for breaks and shorting, and gates, pop-holes and run-ins given the once over just in case. (Read these tips on building the perfect pheasant pen. ) Pheasant pen repairs Making a pen secure, and ensuring it is structurally sound, is fairly straightforward.
Getting the best out of your beaters on a shoot
Running a line and managing a beating team is an art. It’s difficult to get right and easy to get wrong. There is a certain amount of pressure on the keeper. While the beaters are no doubt doing their best and, in most cases, know what they are doing, it is the keeper who has to make the difficult decisions and who should be in charge. When you are in charge, the single most important thing you can ask your beaters to do on a shoot day is to turn up on time.
Payments for pest control is a great idea - if you can avoid the red tape
Tree planting is very much in vogue. Everyone, it seems, wants to plant trees. Many are doing it for selfless, altruistic reasons, others to improve their shoots and add variety to their farms. And some, it must be said, are buying ground and planting trees with the sole intention of making money from selling the woodland carbon credits to businesses that are aiming to be carbon neutral.
Why countryside education for children is so important
The sun was shining last week during our annual Countryside Classroom Day, organised by Countryside Learning. For those who don’t know, Countryside Learning is a charity that, among other things, helps to plan and fund trips to promote countryside education – for schools to farms and estates, where teachers and pupils can learn the basics of food production, farming and other rural activities, including gamekeeping.
How historical fiction writers have merged human experiences with factual accuracy
How do you begin the process of researching a novel? In the case of my latest book, , the task seemed straightforward if a little daunting. The novel is partly set during the second world war, so I spent a lot of time combing the Imperial War Museum archives. It also examines Malta’s transition from British colony to independence in the 1960s, so I was fortunate enough to undertake several research trips to the island.
Good historical fiction is not just about factual accuracy, but the details of human experience too
How do you begin the process of researching a novel? In the case of my latest book, , the task seemed straightforward if a little daunting. The novel is partly set during the second world war, so I spent a lot of time combing the Imperial War Museum archives. It also examines Malta’s transition from British colony to independence in the 1960s, so I was fortunate enough to undertake several research trips to the island.
Running a shoot - how to make the numbers add up
It has often been said that the only way to make a small fortune from shooting is to start with a big one. There are so many variables, and so many things that are forgotten and left out of a shoot’s budget, that it is easy to get it wrong.
Stalking with a Bavarian mountain hound
We have as good as finished our fallow cull and only plan to take a buck or two before the end of the month if we feel the need. Thankfully, after playing catch-up last year when our fallow cull was considerably higher than normal, we seem to be back to somewhere near where we want to be. The price per kilo is almost back up to where it was pre-pandemic and, most importantly, the butchers and dealers are taking as much as we can supply.
how to stop a fox in its tracks by Shooting Times
Now is a good time to organise a fox drive to reduce numbers. Foxes eat more pheasant and partridge poults than all the other predators put together. You don’t always see what they kill and eat, but they are continually chipping away at them; now, when the hen birds are sitting, in a couple of months’ time when the poults go out, and at each and every opportunity they get for the rest of the year.
how to use them legally and effectively
Using traps and snares effectively will reduce predation and give wild birds a boost — but you must stay within the law, says Liam Bell Traps and snares play a vital role in gamekeeping. If you are looking to establish new ground for a shoot or simply increase the amount of wild game in your area, knowing how and when to trap is essential.
Non-lead ammunition works well
An excellent day spent using non-lead ammunition proves exactly what wildfowlers and duck shooters already know - steel does the job A few weeks ago, I said I would report back from a day I had been invited on where most of the Guns had decided to use non-lead ammunition. (Read more on non-toxic shot.) I am happy to report that everything went exactly as planned and that the steel shot we used performed no differently from lead. The day itself ran really smoothly.
How to keep your poults happy
Poults start to wander three to four weeks after release. Not very far initially but, as they grow more confident, they wander further and further from their pen. It isn’t the same as the September and October wanderings of almost mature birds, but more the naive exploring of adolescents that need to be watched. These birds need to be kept as close to home as possible for as long as possible.
The new GL43 general licence
The new general licence for the release of gamebirds on protected sites is now in force and it is vital that land managers study the conditions Defra has published its new and long-awaited general licence (GL43), to cover the releasing of gamebirds on European protected sites. These protected sites are Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA), Ramsar wetlands and potential SPAs and SACs or proposed Ramsar wetlands.
it's looking positive for next season
After a year of uncertainty due to Covid, shoots are receiving bookings, and even more importantly, prompt payments for the coming season I have been chatting to friends who let days and run shoots commercially, and others who manage small syndicates and run shoots of their own and, to a person, they are feeling extremely confident about the coming shooting season.
a way to reduce costs and workload on a shoot
Moving away from using only annual cover crops is a way to reduce costs and workload on a shoot. Liam Bell looks at the options. The cost of planting and managing game and cover crops is ever increasing and we, along with many others, are slowly expanding the acreage we plant with permanent and semi-permanent crops.
Ex-layer pheasants are they worth the time or should you get poults?
There is no cheap, quick-fix route to success with ex-layers, but investing time and effort can pay dividends, as Liam Bell explains At first glance, buying ex-layer pheasants for £2.50 each appears to be excellent value for money when compared with buying in a seven-week-old pheasant poult at £4. But there are, of course, huge differences between the two and there is a reason why one is almost double the price of the other.
what to look for before signing up
It’s important to do your homework before taking on any new ground, says Liam Bell I know of several local self-run shoots that have decided not to start up again this year. The catalyst for the decision for two of them was the reduced number of days they shot in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Next shooting season in autumn 2021
There’s no doubt that the pandemic has taken its toll on shooting, but there are reasons to look to the future with some degree of optimism, says Liam Bell I have been trying to get a handle on chick and poult prices for the next shooting season. Rather unsurprisingly, I am struggling to get any consensus from the keepers who rear a few to sell on and the keepers and shoots who only buy in for themselves.
Leftover pheasants
Many game shoots are facing the dilemma of what to do with leftover birds, says Liam Bell With the ever-tightening COVID-19 restrictions in operation in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there is little hope for those of us longing for a return to driven shooting. It seems pretty certain that most of us will have more leftover pheasants on the ground at the end of this season than at the end of any other that we can remember.
Badly behaved gundog
Q: How do I ask one of our Guns, who has been a member of our syndicate for the past 10 years, not to bring his dog, without upsetting him? His dog barks, whines, starts fights, pinches food at lunch and is universally disliked. I know that he will take it personally if I ask him not to bring it, but it has got steadily worse, and the rest of the Guns are becoming increasingly fed up.
Applications of Blockchain Within Healthcare
Authors Liam Bell The Cyber Academy, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK William J Buchanan, OBE, PhD, FBCS, FIET, CEng, BSc (Hons) The Cyber Academy, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0809-3523 Jonathan Cameron NHS NSS, Edinburgh, UK Owen Lo The Cyber Academy, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK DOI: https://doi.org/10.30953/bhty.v1.8 Keywords: Asset Tracking, Blockchain, Drug tracking, Ethereum, Healthcare, Internet of Things Abstract There...
Liam Bell on the latest raptor killing reporting
A national newspaper story claiming keepers were under pressure to kill raptors is roundly debunked, but has the damage been done? The silly season appears to have come early this year. Whether this is a direct result of journalists and press officers suffering from cabin fever because of the COVID-19 lockdown or something else I am not sure.
advice from a keeper
It takes time but brings big rewards, says Liam Bell Many DIY shoots are looking at ways of reducing costs, and one way of achieving that is rearing pheasants yourself. There are plenty of benefits.
Keeping game in perfect condition
Careful handling, correct shot size and good airflow will keep your birds in top condition to the point of consumption, says Liam Bell Keeping game in perfect condition Game as a meat is no different from any other product — if you want
to increase its value and demand for it, it needs to be a quality product to start with. Small, damaged and poorly handled birds — the bane of game dealers’ lives — will never be A-grade no matter what you do with them.
Eco-friendly shooting
Being truly green and ensuring our shoots fully embrace environmental issues is vital to the future of shooting, says Liam Bell Simple things such as picking up used cartridges make a big difference Eco-friendly shooting There is always something shoots can do to improve things and help reduce any negative effects we might be having on the environment, however small.
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