Portable Hide, who even knew?

sirch

sirch

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I never even knew there was such a thing as a portable hide until I saw this thread and there was also a discussion about clothing
which got me thinking about how much these things help with wildlife photography? I mainly go out with the intention of shooting landscapes but come across wildlife from time to time and and am considering getting into it a bit more since it would give me something else to shoot.

So does full camo. clothing and a hide make a huge difference or is sitting quietly in a bush without a loud tie on enough?
 
sirch said:
I never even knew there was such a thing as a portable hide until I saw this thread and there was also a discussion about clothing
which got me thinking about how much these things help with wildlife photography? I mainly go out with the intention of shooting landscapes but come across wildlife from time to time and and am considering getting into it a bit more since it would give me something else to shoot.

So does full camo. clothing and a hide make a huge difference or is sitting quietly in a bush without a loud tie on enough?
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Funnily enough, i picked up some cheap Camo gear from an Army Surplus stall, partially with the intention of using it for a Post Apocalyptic photo shoot, and partially for my wildlife photography, and i have found it enormously useful in getting much closer to birds/deer out in the wild, plus it costs next to nothing compared to "proper" outdoor clothing, and they are certainly built/made to last............. and they have shed loads of pockets, so much so sometimes i don't even take my camera bag but just stick a lens in each pocket, makes trekking over the Moors much easier

I also bought a some Camo netting to throw over my gazebo in the garden to make a very cheap and easy makeshift hide, works a treat too
 
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Muted colours are enough, use a scrim scarf or face veil and thin gloves to cover hands and fingers.
I think the colour of skin shines out like a beacon to wildlife and sudden movement.
 
ebay have ghillie suits for about £13 ( from china ).. or for under a tenner you can get a portable 1m x 2m camo net. small enough to fold away and pop in camera bag then just sling it over you when you find a suitable spot while out in the wilds.
 
I don't mind wearing the odd bit of Army Surplus gear, but even i would draw the line at going out in public wearing a full Ghille Suit, haha
 
Thanks guys, the scrim scarf and camo net ideas sound good. And @tom24, good point about hands and face, not to mention the shiny head!
 
I've only tried the hide a couple of times and it certainly seemed to help. Not sure how practical it is to take it with me to woodlands I visit, but it might come in handy at some point. In the meantime, it's allowing me to get much more practice in the garden, so I can maximise my daughter's nap time ;)

I need to have a look at clothing when out and about as that's something I have not paid much attention to.
 
Apparently, I was told, that birds cannot count ….. or can only count up to one

so the secret is for two of you to go in and them one comes out and the birds then think that there is no-one in there

but I'll believe anything, so probably a load of billiards
 
BillN_33 said:
Apparently, I was told, that birds cannot count ….. or can only count up to one

so the secret is for two of you to go in and them one comes out and the birds then think that there is no-one in there

but I'll believe anything, so probably a load of billiards
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You may be on to something there! My daughter was in the hide with me making a noise and the birds were scarce. She then left and went inside leaving me there and they descended on the feeders in double quick time :)
 
believe me you will need them - I've spent many hours from first light with my French neighbour high up a tree in his Palombe, (a French bloody "special" pigeon that they love to eat), hide - and all we have done is to eat french bread, pate, raw ham, (Bayonne ham - fantastic), and drink red wine, etc. …… we got a 'flutter" now and again but never a bird
 
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If you ever watch the making-of bits that follow BBC nature documentaries, portable hides make frequent appearances. Sometimes it's all that's been between the person and a large predator (Justine Evans, in wild Burma, waiting for a tiger to turn up). In any situation where you know animals will return to the same spot, they're worth their weight in gold.

The birds-not-being-able-to-count thing is a well known and reliable trick. Unfortunately it does require a friend...

I have a hide which is very important in my attempts to photograph my local little owls and kestrels. It's an Ameristep Brickhouse (third party copies exist) but I'd avoid that style in favour of one of the dome hides that are popular (the windows are too high). I also have a WildlifeWatchingSupplies bag hide which is useful for when a full hide is impractical.
 
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And/or make your own bag hide with one way pigeon mesh - buy a 4m length - fold it in half - sew up most of the front edge but leave a gap for your lens and the whole of the back edge - drape over you, camera and monopod or tripod but that's a bit of a squeeze ;) Very light to carry but not waterproof.
 
I had thought about putting up a hide in the garden then when we decided to redo the garden last year, I planned that repositioning the new garden shed to have the door open onto what will become hopefully a nature haven, would work just as well.

Just need to get a wriggle on now and finish off the planting along with adding the water tray.
 
The W said:
If you ever watch the making-of bits that follow BBC nature documentaries, portable hides make frequent appearances. Sometimes it's all that's been between the person and a large predator (Justine Evans, in wild Burma, waiting for a tiger to turn up). In any situation where you know animals will return to the same spot, they're worth their weight in gold.

The birds-not-being-able-to-count thing is a well known and reliable trick. Unfortunately it does require a friend...

I have a hide which is very important in my attempts to photograph my local little owls and kestrels. It's an Ameristep Brickhouse (third party copies exist) but I'd avoid that style in favour of one of the dome hides that are popular (the windows are too high). I also have a WildlifeWatchingSupplies bag hide which is useful for when a full hide is impractical.
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I've often seen them in those bbc documentaries too, very useful in the right location. There are plenty of wildlife photography hides around to confirm the idea of using hides to get close.

Bag hides are good as they are small and light to carry. They are easy to strap to a backpack too. The only problem I've ever had when using one is another photographer come over and talk to me! Suffice to say the owls didn't come near to us.
 
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Di Stone said:
I had thought about putting up a hide in the garden then when we decided to redo the garden last year, I planned that repositioning the new garden shed to have the door open onto what will become hopefully a nature haven, would work just as well.

Just need to get a wriggle on now and finish off the planting along with adding the water tray.
Click to expand...

I've sometimes sat in the shed looking out of the door at the feeders, as long as the kids and the neighbors are indoors it seems to work. The problem is that I have only so far managed to attract tits, blackbirds, dunnocks and the like into the garden
 
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