Wildlife hides and other people

[Joel.W]

I am looking in to the possibility of using a portable hide to hopefully help me with getting some shots of our more elusive wildlife, and was wondering if anyone had any experience of using a small portable hide. My main concern is that while the wildlife might ignore it, that other people might not! I find quite often that out with a big lens photographing something, people come up and scare the animal away to ask what i'm doing, most of the time its harmless and completely understandable but it can get a bit annoying. Has this ever happened to anyone using a portable hide? I am quite keen on the chair hides I have seen advertised in magazines and on the web but don't want to invest if it just means other people will scare the wildlife off instead of me! Cheers,

Joel

[DorsetDunk]

not had much experience with mobile hides in public open spaces and it all depends where you site it, but can imagine Joe blogs coming over to investigate its bad enough when bug hunting i had one bloke stop his car and climb into the field thinking that he had found a dead body while i appreciated his concern the others who let their dogs off the lead to investigate first get my goat, perhaps i should fashion a hat with a sign stating bug hunter at work do not disturb
so maybe putting up a sign to explain what you are doing and asking them nicely not to disturb you would work
if you are regularly visiting a spot could you not fashion a natural screen to camouflage and break up the shape of the hide from the direction the public would view it
I would feel very uneasy in a public open space in a hide without all round vision especially in a chair hide after experiencing dog attacks,and could also imagine kids chucking rocks too, I myself would approach a landowner and ask permission to use the hide on his land well away from the eyes of the public

[Jackaroo]

I've found that dressing in neutral or camo outer clothing and keeping dead still works as well as any portable hide. Having said that, I don't use a large lens (300 mm is all I can afford) but I do avoid setting up in sites which other people frequent. I believe folk use small camo nets as a drape to break up their outlines and that of their camera+tripod but I don't know how you might feel about doing that in a public area. Hides are the best for large lens photography but, of course, the beast you're hunting won't necessarily know this and isn't guaranteed to wander past.

[nightshade]

Leave a hide and kids will find it or someone use it as a loo! drab or camo with a bit of scrim to break the outline/silouette. Leave the scrim behind its cheaper, I was looking at some tall bank sticks with a soil screw Go - Outdoors (almost a metre tall and as much again telescopes out)

[Jonsfotos]

I would agree with Dorset Dunk.I have lost count the times I have set up my hides only to be disturbed by passers by, wandering over, often trampling flowers etc just to ask me what I am doing.It is something we have to get used to but I am afraid patience is running out in my case.I had one bright spark actually stroll over and watch me put my camera/lens on the tripod and then ask "Taking photos are you ?".I hate it when they state the bleeding obvious !. I had a guy wearing a bright red anorak stand along side me whilst I was trying to photograph Stonechats at a local reserve. I sensed something was up when the birds suddenly disapeared and when i removed my bag hide , there he was smiling!. " I thought there was someone under there " he said. Dogs let loose off the lead are another problem. If you are going to set up a hide of any sort close to where there is a well trodden pathway and is well frequented by all and sundry, then prepare to be disturbed. I use a baghide and I now tend to go well off the beaten track and fortunately, I know of a few places where I will ( pray to God ) be left in peace.Having said that, one of my feeding stations was discovered last year and was duly wrecked by some lowlife.Whether I was spotted going there or it was discovered by chance, I don`t know but discovered it was. Due to the nature of the areas I visit, the ground is very uneven and not suitable for a dome hide, so I use a bag hide and also some camo netting and that usually is all I need because it is only required to break up my outline and I find it works.If you can find a spot where the ground is suitable for a Dome Hide / chair hide and is placed well off the beaten track from prying eyes, then I would definitely consider buying one but only for those reasons.I would not want to be putting it up /taking it down all the time through being disturbed. With a bag hide you can just roll it up and move on if need be .Sorry If I am sounding in any way negative Joel but this is my experience in regard to your question.
Best wishes,

Jon

[operanut1972]

I'm inclined to agree with Jon, if you can use one, surely a bag hide would better/more manoeuvrable. As I am stuck in a wheelchair I would need a tank cover to break my pattern up lol

[miccro]

i use a dome hide with kingfishers, i have a 'low dome' that is very portable, very easy to put up (its one piece fabric with 2 poles) takes less that 2 mins , one of the best investments i made. the only issue is if you want to set it up in the stream itself as the ground sheet is stitched into the tent, you would get washed down stream pretty quick. i like it if your spending a long time in one place for a specific purpose as you can wait out rain showers, move around a bit- read a book etc, if your just in camo you have to keep still.

As for people interrupting, ive found the opposite, as they just see a closed camo tent i think they feel anxious about not being able to see the person and so dont approach, or they think that ive gone to such an extent to hide myself that its for a reason. certainly not had anyone knock on the tent to see what im up to.... as i use it on rivers and fisheries, the fishermen know what im up to and leave me be..

issues with it over a custom made hide - although it has windows all around its very restrictive in view. Also it has only one opening at the front big enough for large lenses, i cant swing the lens around within the tent. the large dome hide you might get away with it.

its good for one purpose of set up shots, restrictive for most others.

id go to ur army surplus store and get some netting and make a quick screen to trial, if its not doing the trick and you have a perch set or feeding station then id go for it.

mike

[Joel.W]

I was thinking that might me the case. I have looked into a bag hide, for some reason something I hadnt considered, and this could potentially be the answer. I was thinking of using it on a trip to Mull i am planning to help me get closer to wildlife, in particular divers and otters, but also in the future when in less remote areas to photograph wildlife such as kingfishers. I think a pop up or chair hide is going to be more hassle than its worth until I find some prime locations away from disturbance! Thanks for your input everyone!

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Jackaroo

I've found that dressing in neutral or camo outer clothing and keeping dead still works as well as any portable hide.

I'll bet the midges appreciate it! I'll also bet you don't keep "dead still" for long!

Jim

[Joel.W]

I am now seriously considering the idea of using a ghillie suit. It would be about the same price as a bag hide from what i can see. It would offer better vision of whats going on around me while probably being less noticeable and would also be more mobile, oh and I could really scare my brother too ! Has anyone ever used a ghillie suit for wildlife photography? Possibly a bit OTT but still, its another option i suppose!