Two Feathers

I hunted yesterday, shotgun and camera. I hope you have as much fun as I do. I will post a couple of pictures later. Good luck it will be best to use one zoom lens or 2 cameras as it might get
a little dirty to be changing and the action can be fast. I hope you post a picture after the hunt.

wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

Wiping out elk photography as well. At least in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

Something is amiss here. Either it's a duck hunt, or a Quail hunt. The techniques involved in effectively picturing them in photos are very different.
If it's Quail, you'l need to use setups because the hunters aren't going to wait around for you to photograph them while the Quail fly off. Quail are pretty slow to fly when pointed by a trained pointing dog (is that what they're using?). The dogs and the hunters might hold still for you, and many of the Quail will hold until deliberately flushed in front of the dog. However the Quail will try to stay hidden in whatever cover is available. It's often VERY hard to show the birds along with the dogs and hunters.
If the hunters are neophytes, I wouldn't even accept the invitation - it's just plain dangerous. If they're very experienced hunters, they will wait if they really want the photos.
Setups are easy, and the professional hunter ("guide") will know how to do that for you. The setups can be done with empty, unloaded shotguns.
To get active shooting scenes, rapid fire shutter is needed. Have the guide flush the bird and start your shooting sequence when the bird begins to rise. Keep back and to the side of the group - be aware of background, directional lighting - and shoot a wide field with a high pixel count camera to show all of the dog, the hunter, the rising bird, and the very brief smoke from the shotgun blast.
Duck hunts are easier - the hunters will be in a blind, requiring a wide angle lens to get up close and personal. The actual hunting as a whole will require backing off quite a bit, because the birds will be much further from the hunters when the action happens. Swimming dogs are a high value subject as they retrieve the shot birds.
Being South Georgia, it's probably a Quail hunt.

IHH61 Loc: Homestead Fl

Two very different kinds of Hunts. Sitting in a blind and waiting for ducks or following bird dogs through woods and fields.

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

Make sure you know which end of the gun, and camera, to point at the duck or quail.

shells Loc: Chicago

OK! QUAIL hunting. I shoot with a Nikon D610, have a Nikkor 35mm f1.4 , Nikkor 28-300 f3.5, and 50mm f1.4. Bring them all? If I get one suitable for framing i'll post it!
Thank you all!

twoods

Ducks are tricky, but quail can be down right hard. They are a quick bird and hard to grab a focus on. Fast shutter with multiple bursts is a must. Quail like to stay low too, so pick your background (wisely and safely) before the dog/hunter goes to flush. Ducks are downright fun. A good 70-200 is a good choice for them in a blind. Watch the position of the sun. The hunters will get upset if the reflection off your lens starts flaring birds. If you are a Facebooker, I highly recommend checking out Ted Wells, Luke Cruze and Nicole Belke. Excellent waterfowl photographers.

Smudgey Loc: Ohio, Calif, Now Arizona

You have received a lot of good advice, but for me, photographing the slaughter of beautiful birds is just not for me, so my advice is don't go.

leftj Loc: Texas

I'm assuming you are a vegan and don't eat meat of any kind since it involves slaughter. That's fine if you are but if you aren't then you are a hypocrite.

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

Great advice above to do some setup shots with unloaded guns. If you can get the dogs to point, try to get a wide angle shot with the dog in the foreground and hunter(s) in the back both in the ready position and with guns mounted simulating shooting.
Photos during actual hunting are pretty tough. Quail are best described as explosive and their flight direction is hard to predict.
Don't forget to try some arranged shots afer with the guns, dogs and quail - with and without hunters.
Look in Field and Stream for ideas.
To the poster who decried hunting, it is hunters' special taxes that help support game habitat restoration. I bet most hunting critics give lip service but no money.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I am not sure where that comment came from. As a hunter for more than 60 years I and every other hunter I know are happy with the game laws and don't want any of them repealed. Also your comment is totally without merit as waterfowl, especially the lighter geese are in such great numbers that even though there is a season, there is no bag limit during the season. Most if not all game in America, if there was a shortage in the past, have been brought back to numbers exceeding the numbers when Columbus came to America. There are more whitetail deer on the East coast than ever before. There are so many that they are and have been a nuisance on the highways for many years. When animals have gone into a decline it was hunters who voluntarily decided not to shoot those animals. In addition, monies to help game animals come almost entirely from license sales to hunters. What, if anything, have you personally done to help wildlife in your area. Most non hunters who love viewing game animals do nothing to protect the species.

While I appreciate your comments in the field of photography even your sarcastic remarks about the Fantastic Nikon compared to Shoddy Canon cameras, you would be better served keeping political comments to the attic or to yourself.

Have a great day,

Dennis

shells Loc: Chicago

Exactly what I wanted to hear! Thank you!

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I would use the 28-300 and stand behind one of the hunters not only for your safety reasons and common sense but so that you can get a shot over his/her shoulder as the bird flies away. You will have to be fast as it happens in a split second. If there are dogs pointing they you at least will know a bird will flush but only the bird knows which way he will flush. If it is back toward the hunter you will most likely not get a shot. Depending on the area, open field or wooded will somewhat help you decide on the ISO. I would start with 400 or whatever will let you stop the action with an aperture of at least 250. Normally quail will be flushing in a flock so being behind the shooter should allow you to take the shot and quickly pick out at least being close to the exact bird being targeted. It might take you a couple of shots to get it right but I don't think you will have a hard time of it. Good luck.

Dennis

neco Loc: Western Colorado Mountains

shells:

You will enjoy the hunt. Ducks will probably be from a blind and quail in the field. The blind shooting will allow you to get BIF shots as well as some ducks on the pond. If the light is right, the DOTP shots can be beautiful. For BIF, take a zoom lens of 300mm or so and take as fast as the light will allow, for DOTP, the same lens will work. Also, you can sneak out of the blind (if possible) to get shots of the shooters and the ducks from behind the action. I use my 24-105mm for shots such as these.

For the quail, I have usually put my camera on video, walk behind the hunters and filmed them as they walk through the field or wooded area and when they get the shots. You can make individual prints from video later. You can also set up shots where you are slightly in front and to the right or left of the hunters and have them walk and hopefully jump some birds. You can then put the camera on a tripod and put the shutter in burst mode and trip the shutter periodically as the hunters are walking with the hope that you get lucky and some birds flush and you get a good clear, capture.

Another option is to put a Gopro on the end of a shotgun barrel, set it to video or time-lapse and let the hunters, themselves, get the shots. The Gopro I have is very wide angle, so the birds when they flush are pushed far back. I then put the video in the computer and crop to the limit so one can view the flush, the flight, and the kill. It's fun. Send me a PM if you want to talk about this further.

neco

DMichael77

LOL, what did you expect this blog has it's fair share of tree huggers!!!