I recently decided to try out wildlife photography and over the last couple months have spent many happy but largely unproductive hours in the bush. I'm not thinking of birds so much, more the four legged creatures that inhabit the forest in northern Ontario - fox, lynx, coyotes, wolves etc.
All this got me wondering what the best way to see wildlife actually is. As much as I hate to say it, so far I've had the most success just driving around and hoping to stumble across something but I'd hardly say I've had much luck doing that even.
I purchased a predator call and a small blind, and read lots online about setting up blinds and calling techniques, and got a rabbit as a decoy as well. So far all I've called in are crows but I think that's maybe a good first step since they usually are the first to find a dead or dying animal.
There's also the option of bait which I would prefer not to use.
I own 137 acres of wooded land which has LOTS of fresh tracks on it (rabbit, moose, lynx, and fox mostly) but there are also many parks in the area which are loaded with wildlife. Are parks usually better for spotting wildlife?
I realize there is probably a steep learning curve involved here which I am just starting to climb. I am fortunate to have lots of time and patience. I'm not discouraged at all despite the lack of results since I love spending time outside, but if there is a way I could be using my time outdoors more effectively to stack the odds in my favour, I'd be greatful to hear it!
Posted by Mike Maples on March 12, 2007 at 9:05 AM
Capturing images of wild animals in wild settings requires a lot of time, patience and a detailed knowledge of the animal being persued. You have to understand not only where to look, as evidenced by tracks and other signs, but when and how. Some are very shy and some are curious. You have to adjust to all these conditions and try to get a shot.
As a "once upon a time" hunter I can testify to the difficulty of being in the right place at the right time to have an animal appear even within the 200 yard "comfortable shooting zone" of a hunting rifle. And this is with a game animal that is known to be plentiful in the area! I deer hunted for 30 plus years and even though our area is known for Bobcat, Red Fox, Raccoon and many other species, I have only seen these animals a handful of times during a very successful hunting career with many deer harvested. It's a targeted approach that gets the shot.
If you have major parks nearby then by all means go there. In many of these parks (like Rocky Mountain National Park and Great Smoky Mountain National Park) these animals are plentiful and they are so used to seeing people that they go about their business as if you weren't even there, so long as you or others don't approach too closely. Not only does this make for some excellent photo opportunities, it gives you a chance to observe natural behavior patterns that can help you when you are in settings that are more wild. I try to plan my vacations around these parks. I was blessed with more good animal photos in two days at Rocky Mountain National Park than I probably could have taken locally in a year. These parks can be that productive. Next stop...Yellowstone!
Ian, calling in predators can be easy or difficult, depending largely on the species and assuming you are doing things right.
I used to hunt predators that way many years ago, and have been doing it for the last four years in full camo with the screaming rabbit call and a camera only. Up here, fox are plentiful but they aren't as bold as they were on the Prairie, I believe because there are several larger predators here in good numbers, such as wolf, coyote, lynx and the occasional mountain lion.
I wouldn't bother with a blind when calling in predators. You simply need to rely on your camo and your setup, and you'll need the mobility more than the blind. You might set up five or six times in as many hours, with the walking/driving between times, and may only see one predator the whole time, some days none. Even a portable blind is too much hassle in those situations. Also, they make noise when they flap in the wind, alerting predators, and they have their own smell, which will alert predators. And, lastly, you have to move around far more inside them, with the shooting ports open on all four sides, in order to see what might be coming than if you don't have those walls around you. Movement will be picked up on immediately by predators.
Mornings tend to be better in general.
Fox and perhaps coyote are your most likely targets, here. In wooded terrain, it's always best to find an open meadow or, in winter, frozen lake or river. You have to be able to see them coming. If you're in the woods hoping for a peek shot around tree trunks, 99 times out of 100 the predator will circle downwind of the call and smell you without having to show itself. Fox circle less frequently than coyotes. Coyotes circle about half the time, and I have never had a wolf come into view from calling in the four years I've been trying it. Three times, I have walked away from a stand and seen fresh wolf tracks that were just out of sight of my stand and were circling downwind, so I knew the wolves did that and sussed me out and took off.
I'm not saying it can't be done, just that it's tough. Wolves can travel great distances, and even if you see fresh tracks in the morning made the night before, those wolves can be miles away, and beyond hearing your call. Same with mountain lion, and lynx range quite widely, too.
So, if you know your country, you know places with some openings where the rising sun will bathe them in sweet light. You'll be facing west, roughly, in those cases if you're out in the morning. Then you'll want a south, west or north wind, and not a strong one, so you have a chance of getting a predator to come straight at the call from the upwind or quartering directions. If you call with your best photographic background downwind of you, it's a rare predator you'll lure within camera range. You don't want a day with really strong wind because that call has to make its way into the wind far enough for a predator to hear it. On flat-light days, you're not constrained by sun position.
A great way to work on a flat-light day is to start as soon as the light gets good and work your way into the wind along a frozen river or flowage. Set up with some cover in front of you and behind you to block your silhouette. Even though you may be in full camo, predators are sight hunters with excellent ability to resolve movement. But, of course, leave enough space to shoot. I really like making a stand behind a couple small boulders or fallen tree, either sitting or laying down, depending on how tall they are. Get a mouse squeak call (about $6 from Primos) and squeak that first once you're ready to photograph anything. That way, if you've made your way within close proximity to a predator, they'll hear that and may come right in. I squeak for about 10 seconds straight, and not just big predators can come in, but a variety of birds are attracted to the squeak, as are any of the weasel family. If nothing comes in after about 10 minutes, call loudly and with variety for about 15 seconds straight on your scream call as loudly as you can. Wait about five minutes and do it again, spacing your calling at wider intervals. Most newcomers call too often. You don't want to do that. Out West, where there's a big view, I've seen coyotes more than a mile away start up when I called and, with me doing no more than my initial set of calls, pass within 50 feet of me. Predators can pin the location of the call from surprsing distances with great precision. Overdoing the calling gives them more chance to decide it sounds like a fake, as well as more opportunities to scan the exact location of the call for movement.
I give any stand about 30 to 45 minutes, then snowshoe into the wind up the river/flowage at least a mile before repeating the process.
I use a Scotch game call, which, rather than a blown call, is one with a long rubber diaphram that you squeeze to force air over the reed and make the scream. It's bigger than a blow call, but in winter, spittle from a blow call will freeze the reed up solid, so I like this system better.
Your most likely photo chances almost certainly will come with fox. The best day I ever had I called in five separate fox while making six stands through the course of the day. If you have a lot of wolf activity there, you'll not find many coyotes. While wolves don't bother fox too much, they will kill any coyote they find, usually.
So expect fox as you get better and spend more time at it, and if something larger and more wary comes in now and then — BONUS! And don't worry if your hands shake like crazy after you're done. Having a predator come within 30 feet of you, which has happened to me, is guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping. Also, be on the lookout for owls, hawks and eagles, which sometimes respond to the call.
As you said, you have time and patience, and one needs both to succeed at this type of calling. But it's a lot of fun just doing it, and never knowing what might trot/fly around the corner at any moment.
Simply put, baiting, or laying out the carcass of a deer or other large animal, it actually the most effective way to draw in the widest variety of wild predators. But that tactic is rife with controversy, and many photographers are against it because of their own ethics (others have no ethical problem with it.) And I don't want to turn this into a thread that argues ethics, because that wasn't what your inquiry was about.
Steve, your comments are especially relevant since we are pretty close (I live in Thunder Bay). Foxes are mostly what I have been expecting and hoping to see, but so far as I can tell nothing has responded to my calls yet so I may need to work on my technique. Calling seems to be one of those things where you can read 5 articles on how to do it and get 5 different opinions on what works best. I'll use your method the next couple times I go since it's a fair bit different than what I've been doing so far. I can just imagine the rush though the first time you see something responding.
Discussion
3 repliesI recently decided to try out wildlife photography and over the last couple months have spent many happy but largely unproductive hours in the bush. I'm not thinking of birds so much, more the four legged creatures that inhabit the forest in northern Ontario - fox, lynx, coyotes, wolves etc.
All this got me wondering what the best way to see wildlife actually is. As much as I hate to say it, so far I've had the most success just driving around and hoping to stumble across something but I'd hardly say I've had much luck doing that even.
I purchased a predator call and a small blind, and read lots online about setting up blinds and calling techniques, and got a rabbit as a decoy as well. So far all I've called in are crows but I think that's maybe a good first step since they usually are the first to find a dead or dying animal.
There's also the option of bait which I would prefer not to use.
I own 137 acres of wooded land which has LOTS of fresh tracks on it (rabbit, moose, lynx, and fox mostly) but there are also many parks in the area which are loaded with wildlife. Are parks usually better for spotting wildlife?
I realize there is probably a steep learning curve involved here which I am just starting to climb. I am fortunate to have lots of time and patience. I'm not discouraged at all despite the lack of results since I love spending time outside, but if there is a way I could be using my time outdoors more effectively to stack the odds in my favour, I'd be greatful to hear it!
As a "once upon a time" hunter I can testify to the difficulty of being in the right place at the right time to have an animal appear even within the 200 yard "comfortable shooting zone" of a hunting rifle. And this is with a game animal that is known to be plentiful in the area! I deer hunted for 30 plus years and even though our area is known for Bobcat, Red Fox, Raccoon and many other species, I have only seen these animals a handful of times during a very successful hunting career with many deer harvested. It's a targeted approach that gets the shot.
If you have major parks nearby then by all means go there. In many of these parks (like Rocky Mountain National Park and Great Smoky Mountain National Park) these animals are plentiful and they are so used to seeing people that they go about their business as if you weren't even there, so long as you or others don't approach too closely. Not only does this make for some excellent photo opportunities, it gives you a chance to observe natural behavior patterns that can help you when you are in settings that are more wild. I try to plan my vacations around these parks. I was blessed with more good animal photos in two days at Rocky Mountain National Park than I probably could have taken locally in a year. These parks can be that productive. Next stop...Yellowstone!
I used to hunt predators that way many years ago, and have been doing it for the last four years in full camo with the screaming rabbit call and a camera only. Up here, fox are plentiful but they aren't as bold as they were on the Prairie, I believe because there are several larger predators here in good numbers, such as wolf, coyote, lynx and the occasional mountain lion.
I wouldn't bother with a blind when calling in predators. You simply need to rely on your camo and your setup, and you'll need the mobility more than the blind. You might set up five or six times in as many hours, with the walking/driving between times, and may only see one predator the whole time, some days none. Even a portable blind is too much hassle in those situations. Also, they make noise when they flap in the wind, alerting predators, and they have their own smell, which will alert predators. And, lastly, you have to move around far more inside them, with the shooting ports open on all four sides, in order to see what might be coming than if you don't have those walls around you. Movement will be picked up on immediately by predators.
Mornings tend to be better in general.
Fox and perhaps coyote are your most likely targets, here. In wooded terrain, it's always best to find an open meadow or, in winter, frozen lake or river. You have to be able to see them coming. If you're in the woods hoping for a peek shot around tree trunks, 99 times out of 100 the predator will circle downwind of the call and smell you without having to show itself. Fox circle less frequently than coyotes. Coyotes circle about half the time, and I have never had a wolf come into view from calling in the four years I've been trying it. Three times, I have walked away from a stand and seen fresh wolf tracks that were just out of sight of my stand and were circling downwind, so I knew the wolves did that and sussed me out and took off.
I'm not saying it can't be done, just that it's tough. Wolves can travel great distances, and even if you see fresh tracks in the morning made the night before, those wolves can be miles away, and beyond hearing your call. Same with mountain lion, and lynx range quite widely, too.
So, if you know your country, you know places with some openings where the rising sun will bathe them in sweet light. You'll be facing west, roughly, in those cases if you're out in the morning. Then you'll want a south, west or north wind, and not a strong one, so you have a chance of getting a predator to come straight at the call from the upwind or quartering directions. If you call with your best photographic background downwind of you, it's a rare predator you'll lure within camera range. You don't want a day with really strong wind because that call has to make its way into the wind far enough for a predator to hear it. On flat-light days, you're not constrained by sun position.
A great way to work on a flat-light day is to start as soon as the light gets good and work your way into the wind along a frozen river or flowage. Set up with some cover in front of you and behind you to block your silhouette. Even though you may be in full camo, predators are sight hunters with excellent ability to resolve movement. But, of course, leave enough space to shoot. I really like making a stand behind a couple small boulders or fallen tree, either sitting or laying down, depending on how tall they are. Get a mouse squeak call (about $6 from Primos) and squeak that first once you're ready to photograph anything. That way, if you've made your way within close proximity to a predator, they'll hear that and may come right in. I squeak for about 10 seconds straight, and not just big predators can come in, but a variety of birds are attracted to the squeak, as are any of the weasel family. If nothing comes in after about 10 minutes, call loudly and with variety for about 15 seconds straight on your scream call as loudly as you can. Wait about five minutes and do it again, spacing your calling at wider intervals. Most newcomers call too often. You don't want to do that. Out West, where there's a big view, I've seen coyotes more than a mile away start up when I called and, with me doing no more than my initial set of calls, pass within 50 feet of me. Predators can pin the location of the call from surprsing distances with great precision. Overdoing the calling gives them more chance to decide it sounds like a fake, as well as more opportunities to scan the exact location of the call for movement.
I give any stand about 30 to 45 minutes, then snowshoe into the wind up the river/flowage at least a mile before repeating the process.
I use a Scotch game call, which, rather than a blown call, is one with a long rubber diaphram that you squeeze to force air over the reed and make the scream. It's bigger than a blow call, but in winter, spittle from a blow call will freeze the reed up solid, so I like this system better.
Your most likely photo chances almost certainly will come with fox. The best day I ever had I called in five separate fox while making six stands through the course of the day. If you have a lot of wolf activity there, you'll not find many coyotes. While wolves don't bother fox too much, they will kill any coyote they find, usually.
So expect fox as you get better and spend more time at it, and if something larger and more wary comes in now and then — BONUS! And don't worry if your hands shake like crazy after you're done. Having a predator come within 30 feet of you, which has happened to me, is guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping. Also, be on the lookout for owls, hawks and eagles, which sometimes respond to the call.
As you said, you have time and patience, and one needs both to succeed at this type of calling. But it's a lot of fun just doing it, and never knowing what might trot/fly around the corner at any moment.
Simply put, baiting, or laying out the carcass of a deer or other large animal, it actually the most effective way to draw in the widest variety of wild predators. But that tactic is rife with controversy, and many photographers are against it because of their own ethics (others have no ethical problem with it.) And I don't want to turn this into a thread that argues ethics, because that wasn't what your inquiry was about.
Good luck, and I hope that helps.
Steve, your comments are especially relevant since we are pretty close (I live in Thunder Bay). Foxes are mostly what I have been expecting and hoping to see, but so far as I can tell nothing has responded to my calls yet so I may need to work on my technique. Calling seems to be one of those things where you can read 5 articles on how to do it and get 5 different opinions on what works best. I'll use your method the next couple times I go since it's a fair bit different than what I've been doing so far. I can just imagine the rush though the first time you see something responding.