Greetings from a Scottish Photographer

[cprobertson1 2]

Afternoon, folks! 

I'm a novice wildlife photographer who loves getting in amongst the wildlife - it all started hiding under a wool blanket waiting for deer to appear, only for me to wait three hours, get bored, stand up, and discover they were 20m behind me! Of course, by the time I realised, got over my shock, and grabbed the camera they were long-gone!

Sure, I may not be a traditional hunter, but that doesn't mean I don't hunt! ... poorly, because I'm a novice!

I originally posted on a camera forum (the obvious place for anything photographic!) - but I noticed that my wildlife photography broaches a lot onto actual hunting - stalking, reading trail signs, setting up a hide, etc - the only difference comes from what I shoot with (a camera... bet you saw that pun coming a mile off!) - and what I do with my trophies! Well, I haven't got any trophies yet... except from a bird somehow managing to defecate right on my lens, utterly ruining the shot of a swan I was taking... what a crappy photo that turned out to be!

Don't worry, I know my puns are terrible! ;)

You'll be glad to know I don't mind real hunting - I used to be into wilderness survival, and I totally understand the appeal. I was even an amateur trapper for a while - nothing bigger than a rabbit though! Rabbits and pigeons... Is it weird that I could really go for a pigeon sandwich right about now? At the moment, though, I have no need to "really hunt" anything - so I just bother! But hey, I get it - so you won't hear a peep out of me in that regard! :)

I thought these forums might be a good chance to learn actual hunting skills. I'm afraid I don't know any hunters or gamekeepers, and as far as I know there aren't any related clubs around here. So, for the moment, I'm limited to self-teaching - but that's just an added challenge! I have the motivation to self-teach, and I conveniently have a local population of deer that I can annoy practice on, and even better, they are on my way home from work. I'm an essential worker (oilfield services), I walk or cycle to work, and there's a number of forests and a meadow on my commute. Rest assured I'm sensible about it all - I simply refuse to put others at undue risk. That's all a discussion for another day though - mostly because it's really boring and involves risk assessments.

So! Any tips on which forums I should start in?

I have a few topics of particular interest, in no particular order.

1. Stalking skills - moving quietly in woodland, reading trailsign, what's this feature of the trail, where to go and why, etc.
2. Siting a hide - related to reading trailsign, figuring out where the feeding and bedding areas are, and ultimately where best to site the hide. 

I've left out clothing and camouflage on that list - I tend to just wear khaki/tan coloured work-clothes (hand washed to lower UV reflection) - it's cheap and hard-wearing, plenty of pockets, doesn't rustle when it moves, and dries quickly. Sure, a camo jacket may be more useful, but I don't have one of those... if I need camo I have garnished nets for that. It's like a cross between a poncho and a ghillie suit. Very fashionable. I'm the belle of the ball whenever I wear it to the shopping center. That's a joke. It's not actually fashionable at all. ;)

As an aside, I got bored a few weeks back and sought out some 1950's-era US Army field manuals on camouflage and camouflage materials - despite being way more information than I need on the subject, it was a surprisingly useful read. Even basic things like reducing contrast by matching hue, luma and chroma, reducing your silhouette, breaking up your outline, moving with the terrain, etc. are useful clarifications - and the notes on "garnishing" to match the surroundings are particularly useful. In fact, the materials section on building and maintaining your own camouflage from "expedient materials" (stuff you source in the theatre, rather than being supplied with) is incredibly useful for making a hide from whatever you have to-hand. 

Granted, a lot of it wasn't relevant - I don't need to camouflage buildings or runways - and I don't need to worry about the patterns of vehicle tracks in aerial photographs! But, it was still interesting - and the useful bits were worth sifting through the rest of it for!

So - enough rambling! Where shall I start!?

[The one 8,501]

Hello and welcome mate 

[Big rowie 187]

Welcome bud from a fellow Scot.

I'm learning too and can't find groups up here but I watch you tube on tips. Other thing is I just read on here all sorts 

You any photos to put up ? Show off some of your work lol 

 

Atb big r 

[j j m 6,555]

welcome bud