Haha. Also very effective in getting arrested in an urban park setting (for getting too close to some primates).
3 Likes
The police siren might scare away whatever you’re trying to observe!
That said, it made me think about whether a polarising filter could reduce reflections on the camera lens, which I’ve noticed scare away some animals.
2 Likes
dang…
PS. generally when i work as an educator i have some rules for my group and newbie naturalists one of them is
- Do not point your camera or binoculars at other people - esp. if it a family group , or have women or children. Make it obvious that you are not even unintentionally looking at them, even it if means you miss something nice.
2 Likes
That’s an important tip, especially if you are travelling abroad to a country in which some people are very sensitive about their privacy.
1 Like
Big lens shrouds can theoretically alleviate this issue, I don’t think it’s fool-proof, or inherent in the design of all lens shrouds, maybe just a coincidence.
If you have an 8"+/- deep lens shroud (like what many birding enthusiasts utilize) the outer glass of the lens is “hidden”, thus the likelihood of the birds vision ending up directly “on-axis” with either the “eye” of your lens or the reflection of light off your lens is greatly reduced.
Your experience, species, and environment may/can/will vary.
3 Likes
Looking forward to hearing more about this.
Walk as though you are walking on leaves, always.
and be careful!!
anyone, of any age/experience/ability can seriously injure themselves hiking in variable terrain, it can happen anywhere. You need to constantly be aware of your surroundings and where you are stepping. When I am following birds and moving I constantly look down at the ground ahead of where I am moving.
I carry my camera with the same care that one would give to a loaded firearm in the field, it’s so easy to slip and fall in the field, falling with loaded firearm, like a shotgun, can be extremely dangerous or deadly for anyone in the area.
For the non-hunter: If you fall hard enough, at best you’ll break your camera and/or lens, worse you can seriously hurt yourself (major cuts, broken arms, legs, ankles or wrists) possibly permanently (a blasted hip injury you will live with forever.)
Personally, I cannot afford really to even replace my camera or lens, let alone to afford medical care for an injury due to a slip and fall, or to compromise the finite health I have remaining and my ability to walk and hike to the incredible places we fellow naturalists get to experience while out observing.
6 Likes
Based on some of the “observations” I come across on iNat, I would add the advice given to hunters, “Never shoot what you can’t clearly see”!
big lens hoods won’t help with the lens looking like big eye. it offers protection for the objective and reduce internal glare in bright lighting. You have to point the lens at the subjec to get the picture and it’s gonna look like a big round eye no matter what.
what I learn from hunters is use camo, walk slow, use any available cover, be aware of wind direction, don’t talk, carrying the lens/camera across the chest over folded arms so you tire less quickly, and more ready to shoot when the opportunity arises; and most importantly, good stable shooting positions: standing, kneeling, sitting, prone, braced.
being non-hunter means you have the ability to keep shooting as you approach the subject slowly from where you initially spot it. Shoot some frames, get a little closer, shoot again, until you are satisfied, or the subject decides you’re close enough and leaves.
3 Likes
You can try to be sneaky or unseen but animals are better at this game than humans - they have to be, their survival depends on it.
A great way to get closer is changing your attitude that the animals can read. Most people will act like predators - hard eye contact, fast approach, very direct approach, obvious purpose of getting close to get the photo. But what the animal reads is this predator wants to eat me!
Instead change your attitude to that of a grazing animal - no fast moves, amble along, wander, appear oblivious to all but the sweet grass you are chewing. The way you make eye contact is very important. You can do so but do not hold your gaze, and be more interested in anything else. Use your peripheral vision mostly with the occasional glance in a calm manner. No quick eye movements. No direct approach, but very casually wander in the general direction of your subject. Stop and pause frequently like you found something good to eat.
What this does is sends the body language that you are no threat at all - animals are excellent at reading this. Not surprisingly this is known as the grazing animal technique and it works very well much of the time.
7 Likes
Does actually being a vegetarian help? With mammals, I mean, that could smell whether you have been eating meat?
You are giving them a read - a communication that says, yes I’m here but I’m interested in other things and am no threat to you. It is a kind of role camouflage - you show them the actions of a non-predator and they will see a non-predator. It’s body language.
What people often don’t consider is that we are apex predators and tend to act like it. You need to show them something else in a language they understand.
1 Like
The deer don’t know if you eat venison.
2 Likes
Deer are browsers as opposed to grazers for the most part. The strategy would be to step three or four steps and stop. They tend to pull a few leaves and chew briefly and move again.
Deer are cud chewers and often can be seen laying down in the afternoon, chewing.
I have found with my DSLR or iPhone it’s good to practice taking photos by holding the camera close to chest, not looking at view finder or screen. It minimizes movement. You’ll need to know your equipment well.
I have better luck standing perfectly still when deer have spotted me. They will often move their head (silence camera shutter sound effects) to try to see you better, often stamping a hoof to make you move. They ( usually bucks) will blow at you. That’s how I know I got busted.
Keep your backdrop in mind. You moving along a treeline is better than in the open.
Although hunters usually sit at dawn and dusk, the deer are active during the day too, I see many around 10am and 2pm.
Also consider the elevation changes. Even a small change can make a big difference. I’ve sat 15 feet up a tree and appeared ground level from a relatively short distance away.
3 Likes
Learn to think like what you are hunting/photographing. Put yourself in the other creatures shoes. What is normal for them where they live? What is threatening? Context matters. For example suburban wildlife will often completely ignore cars, dogs, and people wandering by, but will flee if you try sneaking up on them.
Learn everything you can about where your quarry lives, its daily routine, what it needs, what it fears. Is it a predator? Prey?
2 Likes
They might know if you eat meat. Some vegans say that they can tell who is a vegan by smell. Given that nonhuman mammals tend to have a keener sense of smell, it would not surprise me if humans with different dietary habits smell different to them.
So I’d suggest you should probably leave your venison jerky at home when out on a deer hunt.
1 Like
Considering that hunters are known to wear scent camouflage as well as visual camouflage, they probably already know this.
When moving closer to larger birds that are on the ground, water, or perched on top of isolated poles, I try not to approach them directly. Often these types of birds will leave the area completely if they are uncomfortable with your presence. I walk closer to them but at the same time off to the side. I don’t look at them while doing this.
For small birds up in trees I usually just walk up to the area, pick a comfortable spot close to the trees, wait for them to get used to me, and they will come back if I startled them to a further tree.
1 Like
From the distance? If you cone to an animal as a hunter you should come down the wind, not in front of it, and if even other people can smell meat from you, brush your teeth (but I doubt anyone eats big meat meals before going out, it would slow you down).