Wildlife Trips/Hide Rentals

Edg3

Hey all.

Ive been hunting and hunting the internet to find a place where I can rent a hide to take some shots of wildlife in mainland Europe. The Bavarian Nation Park has hides, but they seem to be only available to people who go on 500euro + trips out of the UK, after contacting the park directly I got stonewalled and told they dont have such a thing, even though I know of a trip provider that works out of there.

Im keen on animal photography but Im sick of working in enclosures and caged animals. Most Ive managed is birds in the Black Forest.

Does anyone know any places, in Germany or France or even Scotland that offer hides for rental?

Thanks in advance.

flyingsnail

I have never used them but this seems to be what you are looking for
http://www.northshots.com/hide_rental.asp

pullandbang

Buy a pigeon shooting hide which is portable and bring it with you. You'll find them in any gun/hunting shop.

Edg3

pullandbang wrote: »

Buy a pigeon shooting hide which is portable and bring it with you. You'll find them in any gun/hunting shop.

Nice idea to be honest. I used to use my neighbors hunting tent down along the river. But they're awkward to bring on the plane.
Reason I was hoping to find one that was already set up was for the best chance to see something, knowing my luck I'd set up facing the wrong way

pullandbang

Which is why I suggested a pigeon hide. It's lighter & smaller than any tent and will fit in your luggage. It has all-round visibility - you just need to cut a hole in the netting and poke your lens through.

Edg3

pullandbang wrote: »

Which is why I suggested a pigeon hide. It's lighter & smaller than any tent and will fit in your luggage. It has all-round visibility - you just need to cut a hole in the netting and poke your lens through.

Excellent idea, I'll look into them next time I have a chance. Have to find somewhere decent to set up. I'm considering scotland for sure though, close and has some amazing wildlife preserves, heard of one ages back but I cant think of the name.

pedroeibar1

Good advice from Pull&b; two types of hide, the pop-up variety and netting, the latter is more practical if going on a plane. Available on eBay, or here in shooting or army surplus stores. You do not say what you are hoping to photograph, or the type of lens you will use?
No matter where you go, be careful where you position yourself. Most land is private and many areas (including many Coillte woods) are closed to ‘ramblers’ at certain times so that deer can be culled. Not advisable to be in a camouflaged hide when that is going on! It's the hunting season now. There are plenty of places in Ireland where you can photograph game – red, fallow and sika deer, pheasant, duck, rabbit, hare, etc. Deer (and boar on the Continent) will be hard to find in photographic conditions as they emerge mainly at dawn/dusk and lie up during the day. You can roam the National Parks but could easily spend a week trying to get one good daylight shot of a deer. You will need infrared for badgers.
In one part of France where I’ve hunted it was a frequent occurrence for the tyres of strange cars to be slashed as locals believed them to belong to poachers. Local contacts and permissions are most important anywhere.
If you wanted to photograph pheasant or duck from a hide you should contact one of the driven shoots here in Ireland and ask permission, explaining what you want and offer them a few prints as a ‘thank-you’. Try posting over on the hunting/shooting forum and you probably will be helped if you explain clearly and ask nicely.

Edg3

Thanks for that advice mate, Ive done a little wildlife before but nothing like that.

Right now Im using a 70-200mm and a 400mm for most of my wildlife, its all I have for now.

I'd a run-in with a boar a year or so ago, wasnt even out photographing, so, would probably avoid them for a while
The shooting groups idea is actually a really good one, 2 of my uncles are into it so they'd probably be able to direct me. The best idea would be the national park idea, but I'm in college so it'd have to be weekends

Ive looking more into the photography excursions since i posted this and they sound amazing but your looking at £500 and I just cant swing that right now. Plus since so many of them go from england I'd have to make my way over there first then fly out and make my way home again, it wouldnt be terrible but miss one flight and everything is fudged.

tororosso

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Good advice from Pull&b; two types of hide, the pop-up variety and netting, the latter is more practical if going on a plane. Available on eBay, or here in shooting or army surplus stores. You do not say what you are hoping to photograph, or the type of lens you will use?
No matter where you go, be careful where you position yourself. Most land is private and many areas (including many Coillte woods) are closed to ‘ramblers’ at certain times so that deer can be culled. Not advisable to be in a camouflaged hide when that is going on! It's the hunting season now. There are plenty of places in Ireland where you can photograph game – red, fallow and sika deer, pheasant, duck, rabbit, hare, etc. Deer (and boar on the Continent) will be hard to find in photographic conditions as they emerge mainly at dawn/dusk and lie up during the day. You can roam the National Parks but could easily spend a week trying to get one good daylight shot of a deer. You will need infrared for badgers.
In one part of France where I’ve hunted it was a frequent occurrence for the tyres of strange cars to be slashed as locals believed them to belong to poachers. Local contacts and permissions are most important anywhere.
If you wanted to photograph pheasant or duck from a hide you should contact one of the driven shoots here in Ireland and ask permission, explaining what you want and offer them a few prints as a ‘thank-you’. Try posting over on the hunting/shooting forum and you probably will be helped if you explain clearly and ask nicely.

Thanks for the post pedroeibar, nice and informative on the subject; when you say infra red for badgers I presume you are talking about remote infra red triggers? Could be done for foxes too I suppose, although I guess it would require good research and lots of patience!

Edg3

tororosso wrote: »

Thanks for the post pedroeibar, nice and informative on the subject; when you say infra red for badgers I presume you are talking about remote infra red triggers? Could be done for foxes too I suppose, although I guess it would require good research and lots of patience!

I have a remote trigger for my camera plus a set of wireless flash triggers, its easy enough to set up a feeding spot for them (have done it here, badgers used to come eat our cats food at night), pre focus and just wait. Foxes, I havent had any luck with outside of ones that would be outside during the day.
Ive been doing more research and may have found some sanctuaries in the UK/Scotland that might let me photograph with them, for copies of my best ones of course. Fingers crossed.

tororosso

Edg3 wrote: »

I have a remote trigger for my camera plus a set of wireless flash triggers, its easy enough to set up a feeding spot for them (have done it here, badgers used to come eat our cats food at night), pre focus and just wait. Foxes, I havent had any luck with outside of ones that would be outside during the day.
Ive been doing more research and may have found some sanctuaries in the UK/Scotland that might let me photograph with them, for copies of my best ones of course. Fingers crossed.

Cheers, just starting to look into the possibility of doing something similar with remote triggers! I presume you set up in manual focus mode?

Edg3

Yeah thats the upside to the plate of food, pre focus on that point with a f8 or something like that and you've a fairly good chance of catching one, I found some badgers often look over at the camera when it makes a noise and its a great way to get a second shot. The flash may scare them, I found using a diffuser and moving it in closer works better, doesnt have as much an impact on them and they dont freak out First couple times I tried they ran out of the garden so fast, but every night they'd come back, eventually a couple nights in I managed to get a real nice shot of one and a cub. Was always afraid they'd charge the tripod but they never bothered.

tororosso

Edg3 wrote: »

Yeah thats the upside to the plate of food, pre focus on that point with a f8 or something like that and you've a fairly good chance of catching one, I found some badgers often look over at the camera when it makes a noise and its a great way to get a second shot. The flash may scare them, I found using a diffuser and moving it in closer works better, doesnt have as much an impact on them and they dont freak out First couple times I tried they ran out of the garden so fast, but every night they'd come back, eventually a couple nights in I managed to get a real nice shot of one and a cub. Was always afraid they'd charge the tripod but they never bothered.

Sounds like you had fun getting those shots The addition of a diffuser is a nice tip Now all I need to do is find some badgers!

Edg3

We just got real lucky that they showed up. We hear munching outside one night and there one was, over the next month or so it turned into an adult and 2 cubs, or pups, both are acceptable I guess
We also had hedgehogs and a fox show up to eat left over cat food. Hedgehogs love the buscuits and the fox loves the meat but will eat the buscuits to. Badgers eat the buscuits and are amazingly noisy. I love living in the country, so much around. We have buzzards now to, they live a field or two down, been around for years but only recently have I actually noticed them more and more often.