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Hunting with a Camera
By Charlie Heidecker

Most everyone is familiar with catch-and-release fishing. Anglers who love the sport and want to make sure their children and grandchildren will be able to cast a line and enjoy the thrill of catching a nice size fish practice this growing ethic. I pursue almost the same kind of a program, but with hunting. My catch-and-release consists of taking my camera afield instead of my trusty rifle or bow. Now the thrill of sitting in a blind for hours has taken on a new and different kind of challenge - my entire focus is to get the animal I want to “shoot” close enough for a decent picture.

If you want to try a catch-and-release hunting program for the first time, do a bit of pre-planning. Make sure you scout the area where you intend to hunt with a camera. Look for tell-tale signs of trails, find out-of-the-way little water holes, put out a bit of grain or apples for deer and maybe even a salt lick. I always buy a brown-colored salt lick so my photos of deer visiting a baited set-up aren’t ruined by a big white block of salt.

I remember my first time trying this different kind of hunting it only took about an hour in my favorite woodlot to discover the old saying “what you see when you don’t have a gun” is really true. I had been at my usual hunting stand for about a half an hour, when I heard the familiar gait of a deer moving through the woods. I raised my camera with the telephoto lens and tensed as the noise from his gait got louder and louder and the deer came closer and closer. Finally, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a fine buck about 20 feet from my hiding place and I snapped off three or four quick shots, hoping I had caught this beautiful deer on film - and that he’d be in focus! I was stunned because deer season had closed only two weeks before and wondered where this fine buck could have hidden and how did he manage to outsmart all the hunters during the whole season? That trophy buck now hangs on my den wall as one of the most cherished pictures I have taken.

Although I didn’t want to give up hunting with a gun or bow, something changed in my efforts to “shoot” an animal. The challenge now was to be able to go “hunting” anytime of the year - not just the open season. This extra time allowed me to enjoy many hours afield learning more and more about the subjects I had hunted with a gun only a year before. I watched as a young fawn that looked lost really wasn’t - his mother was hidden nearby to make sure her offspring was safe. I have had the thrill of waiting for a deer or turkey to appear when a great horned owl landed in a tree only 10 feet from me and never knew I was sitting there. Photos of that great horned owl hang next to several deer taken during my “extra” hunting season.

Today, when I raise my camera instead of my Winchester, it thrills me to shoot five or six frames to capture another trophy for my den walls. This time spent in the woods after the regular hunting season closes has allowed me to observe a mother river otter teach her two young ones how to catch a fish. I’ve seen a young red fox steal an egg from a duck’s clutch, then disappear in an instant. I’ve watched as two bucks sparred over does and as two tom turkeys fought over a hen who stood frozen only four or five feet from the fighting toms. Yes, this time has given me an insight into the animals I hunt. Now, before hunting season starts, I know where the secret deer trails are and I have a good idea of where a big buck hangs out and about what time he crosses a certain field to have his evening snack.

My second hunting season extends from the end of regular hunting season right into the opening the following year. A friend of mine told me that “the time you spend hunting is not deducted from your life span.” I’m not sure if that’s a true statement, but it sounds like a winner to me.

If you’re considering a “second season,” think about setting up a feeding station with salt blocks and apples and perhaps you’ll be lucky to discover a new kind of adrenaline rush. If you’re trying this for the first time, don’t be disappointed if you don’t see anything on your initial outing. Patience happens to be the watchword. You might have to make several trips before your efforts become productive. It’s like the first time you put out a bird feeder - it takes several days for the birds to start visiting, but once they know it’s there you have all kinds of birds stopping by for a few seeds. One word of caution - make sure you check with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as to when you are allowed to put out feeding stations and when they have to be removed prior to hunting season.

If you’ve tried my “second season” and enjoyed it, then begin to branch out and try for some of the rare or endangered animals and birds that inhabit Florida. I’ve sat in my blind for two or three days to get a good “shot” of a bald eagle returning to the nest and watched as a burrowing owl returned with a cricket to feed one of its young at the nest site. I made a list of “critters” I wanted to capture on film and, over the years, I’ve placed a lot of check marks next to those names.

One of the most important things to remember while in your quest for pictures - NEVER disturb any bird or animal just to get a photo. A young bird, left by its mother because you moved too close, can die while exposed to the sun and heat. Any animal, even the smallest, can become dangerous when stressed or cornered. If you happen to be photographing and see a young bear cub, never get between it and the mother bear or you could find yourself in serious trouble. And fawns are rarely lost, mom is usually hidden nearby and will return for her young if you leave it alone.

By hunting year-round, you will learn your subjects’ actions and fill your den walls with pictures you never thought possible, plus put an end to a severe case of the “hunting doldrums.”

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