Knowing your game species aides in helping hunters fill their tags. Observing their behaviors, understanding their movements throughout the seasons and knowing their habitat are key. Using trail cameras are effective ways in watching wildlife without disrupting their natural cycle and with technology today I am amazed at seeing the multitude of angles, shots and creative ways people are capturing wildlife. But there is another way that I like to observe wildlife and that is with a camera in hand. It allows me to get into the field, observe the animals behavior and see different aspects of their life in ways that I otherwise would not have thought.
You do not need an expensive camera to get nice pictures. Knowing you subjects will allow your to understand how close or far you must remain. Safety is always key when photographing wildlife. Keep your distance with any wild animal, regardless of how harmless they look. Know their behaviors during the different seasons (ex: the rut or with young). Sometimes not filling up the entire screen with a close up is better in regards to show casing the animal in it’s natural landscape and in these cases it is best to have the animal to one side or another in the frame and not directly in the middle. Cut the frame into four squares, keeping in mind that your subject should fill up one or a little of two of those four squares. Include a little bit of habitat and enjoy. With time you can learn your subject, their movements and use this to your advantage when the hunting season rolls back around.
