Spring "hunting" with a camera

[Chip]

In support of trail initiatives to stay off the mud, a seasonal change of pace and my wife's irrational desire to have me home during the day to get some yard work done I am "hunting" this spring. Best bet is a short pre-dawn or pre-dusk hike to a familiar, reasonably remote area that numerous tracks were observed during winter outings. Then it's time to stop and wait. "Camo" colored clothes with a flash of hunter orange won't hurt. I bring something to sit on and snack (quietly) on. If you can get your back in a corner, up high against a wall, ledge or trees, that's ideal. My last couple outings I got a fox, a nice shot of a Canada Goose in a marsh and flock of turkey. You can always do a power hike before or after if this is too dull.
My goal is a nice photo collection of tracks and corresponding animals.

 

[Grumpy]

Neat idea!

G.

 

[Halite]

Great idea. I was all geared up to take a run yesterday, when I spotted a flock of turkeys in the backyard with some of the males doing the full tail spread. I tried to chase them down with the camera, but they are just skittish enough to prevent an approach close enough for a clean shot. Sitting and waiting, as you suggested, would be a better idea. Good luck with the hunting.

 

[Chip]

Turkey are pretty amazing. I accidentally "jumped" a flock once when hiking. I'm hiking, la ti da, without any warning I was in the middle of about 50 25lb birds flying past my head and running past my feet. In about 10 seconds they were GONE, like it never happened. I circled around to where I "knew" they'd pop out of the underbrush and there was no sign of them anywhere 5 minutes later.

 

[NewHampshire]

Right now is also a great time to go "shed" hunting (and no, Im not talking about those wooden structures containing yard implements .) With the snow disappearing its a great time to find deer and moose antlers that were dropped a couple of months ago. Nice for a change of pace, rather than hunting for those dull, obscured and hard to find blazes on the trees .

Brian

 

[jade]

Now THIS is my kind of hunting!!...a tofu and beansprout sandwich, a bottle of spirulina guava juice, a few almonds and an organic kiwi--oh what the heck, I may as well throw in a seaweed flavored rice cake too--pack it all in my earth friendly hemp sack and venture out into the woods with my camera and butt comforter for a day of wildlife entertainment....I LOVE hunting.....

 

[Chip]

DON'T FORGET YOUR LICENCE !!!

A fishing and drivers license would do nicely !

 

[cushetunk]

You should try getting photos of all the local warblers too... don't know about the tracks, though.

They're coming soon.

 

[jrichard]

My goal is a nice photo collection of tracks and corresponding animals.

For those that don't know... be sure to pack a SLR and at least a 200-300mm lens if you want good shots. I'd recommend Canon ultrasonic lenses for their relatively quiet, quick, and accurate autofocus.

I tried this with a Canon S60, but just about the only picture which is easily identifiable was the moose and deer. Anything smaller looks like a blurred pixel. The biggest problems are that 1) my camera only has 3X zoom and 2) the autofocus on cheaper cameras can take a few seconds to focus.

Imagine, I try to stalk in my best Tom Brown (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425099660/103-7739362-4654206?v=glance&n=283155) imitation, I get close enough to take a picture, but while I'm fiddling with the camera the creature hears it and bugs out. I'm left with a photo of the hindquarters of an animal as it hightails it out there.

Pictures of scat and tracks come out better since they don't move.

I'd be curious about how others go about this.

 

[Chip]

I get close enough to take a picture, but while I'm fiddling with the camera the creature hears it and bugs out. I'm left with a photo of the hindquarters of an animal as it hightails it out there.

Pictures of scat and tracks come out better since they don't move.

I'll add scat photos to the tracks and animals.

Right now I'm just using a 4 megapixel with 3x optical. It's my hiking camera.
Eventually I'll upgrade my camera and re-take the pictures. It'll be a process.
I was about 60 yards from the fox, so you can tell it's a fox, but it's not a great picture. The goose and turkey were within 20 - 30 yards, so those are better. I missed a chance to shoot a great looking Pine Martin in our lean-to a couple weeks ago, too sleepy when it woke us. I hope to get coyote, bear and moose soon. I'm not a big birder, but those and small game will be taken when the opportunity presents itself.

 

[forestgnome]

I'm just happy to be out there, wondering what I might see. One thing I've yet to see/photograph is an owl in a tree hollow, but this is something to find while stalking, as opposed to quietly waiting for wildlife.

One thing I always like is how quiet it is when you first hunker down and stop making noise, and then all the forest sounds that slowly emerge.

I'd love to encounter/photograph a bobcat, lynx or mountain lion.

 

[Chip]

forestnome, find the pellets !
If you have access to or hike past huge evergreens, poke around in the hollow under the branches. We've done this and have found owl pellet repositories, hundreds of pellets some times.

Here's a couple of pics from my project;

Here's my Canada Goose
The fox just spotted me
The fox runs off
Flock of turkey

 

[Waumbek]

jawbone fragment

I'd love to encounter/photograph a bobcat, lynx or mountain lion.

I've seen bobcats five times in the last several years. They were always moving so fast that I could not get a picture. And they were always bigger than I imagined.

As for spring "hunting," great idea. I found this jawbone fragment on a bushwhack off the Tunnel Brook Trail today. I think it's from a whitetail deer. It's quite small. Was it a fawn? There was still some marrow in it. I didn't see any other bones or hide, hair, etc.

 

[jrichard]

One thing I always like is how quiet it is when you first hunker down and stop making noise, and then all the forest sounds that slowly emerge.

I guess that's an important part. A hunter's patience and plenty of time are required. It probably takes about 1/4 to 1/2 hour for wildlife to relax and go about their business after the hunter has settled in.

I like to think I'm patient enough, but I lack the free time to do this seriously.

Something else that can be fun is pictures of impact on vegetation. IIRC, moose grind and pull when they browse but deer slice. Bear marks on trees, vole trails in the grass, beaver fellings, porcupine gnawing, etc...

 

[moonrock]

Sunday I headed to Raven Rock State Park, south of Raleigh NC, intending to burn off some Winter Surplus by hiking 5-10 miles.

It turned out to be just 5, however, because I unexpectedly spotted a Bald Eagle ! Unfortunately, "he" was on my side of the (Cape Fear) River and was not willing to let me or my 12X UltraZoom get close enough for a decent shot.

I hung out on the riverbank trying to wait him out, hoping he'd get bored on his perch and fly out over the river, maybe after the foot-long fish that occasionally leapt on the surface. But he didn't budge. Presently, an Osprey flew up the river until it spotted the eagle (one of Nature's Obvious Moments) and veered sharply away. I settled for the beaver that swam in a broad arc around where I was sitting.

http://community.webshots.com/album/549012821YLWICh