Wildlife tips?

[torilovessmiles]

I take pictures of my pets all the time, but I really want to get some wildlife shots, particularly of coyotes. There are a ton where I live, but I never really can seem to get close enough to get a good shot.
I know from going hunting with my dad that coyotes are secretive and can walk right past you without being seen.
So, wildlife photographers, what do you do? Got any tips to offer a newbie?
Edit: for those of you asking, I currently have a Canon PowerShot SX10 IS.
And I live in the Northern Appalachian Mountians, so we have the large, fluffy-coated North Eastern variety of coyote. I love them

 

[Civchic]

Be patient. Dress to blend in. Be prepared to sit and wait (or hunt and search). Open your ears and listen for everything - eventually you will learn to tune out certain things and hear the whisper of a snake in the leaves, or the crunch of an animal stepping. Keep your head up and your eyes peeled. Walk slowly and quietly.

And learn some fancy swearwords for when you turn around JUST as the coyote slips away. Or you're focussed on a house sparrow as a cerulean warbler flitters past.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

What camera & gear do you have now?

 

[sm4him]

For coyotes?

Wear raw bacon pinned to your clothing. That should do the trick. :lmao:

Okay, if you're not willing to go quite that far:
What kind of gear are you shooting with? With wildlife like coyotes, bears, things like that, you want to be careful that you do not get TOO close. They are, after all, wild animals, and if they sense danger they may run away. Or, they may turn and rip you to shreds.

Therefore, it's far, far better to have a long lens that to try to sneak up closer on them. Yes, you still want to get as close as you COMFORTABLY can, but too many people don't understand how close is TOO close to a wild animal.

Civchic's advice is good. You say there are a ton where you live. Do you know of decent local spots where they tend to be? Find yourself a good spot, and settle in--either use some sort of portable blind, or at least hide yourself and get down low to the ground. Then WAIT. And wait some more. And wait a little longer.
Rinse and repeat, choosing different spots until you find a "honey hole"--a good spot for finding them.

Oh, and don't wear neon pink, or orange or green. AMAZES me how many people go out "to find birds" where clothes that might as well be a cannon going off, warning every critter for miles around that a HUMAN is present.

 

[TheNevadanStig]

Yep, dull colors are the best. You dont have to go out dressed as a spec ops soldier in full camo and paint by any means, just nothing too bright. Also, leave the deodorant, cologne or perfume at home. Try to work into the wind, not with it.
Coyotes are pretty easy if you know where they frequent. A blind, a predator call box, and some patience is really all you need. Sunrise and sunset hours are by far the best, coyotes are not really active during the daytime. I wouldn't worry about the "dangers" of coyotes too terribly much in all honesty. There has been ONE adult death in all of north america from coyotes. Your are more likely to win the lotto twice than be attacked by them, literally.
But for the best chances, blind and a call box. You can get a lot of predators very close that way. I prefer something that can play a dying or distressed rabbit. Oh and luck. Luck is a huge factor in all things wildlife.

If you cant do any of that, the next best thing is to find were the brush is really thick, and try to get the animals moving through the trails in those areas. When the brush gets thick enough, it basically forms a funnel forcing things to move through a small area with no where else to go. I do this a lot when trying to get deer.

Be quiet, patient, and lucky! You'll get the shot your after!
473 by TheNevadanStig, on Flickr

 

[robbins.photo]

Oh, and don't wear neon pink, or orange or green. AMAZES me how many people go out "to find birds" where clothes that might as well be a cannon going off, warning every critter for miles around that a HUMAN is present.

Hey.. wait.. neon pink is out? But it just makes my eyes "Pop!". Sigh.

 

[sm4him]

I wouldn't worry about the "dangers" of coyotes too terribly much in all honesty. There has been ONE adult death in all of north america from coyotes. Your are more likely to win the lotto twice than be attacked by them, literally.

I wasn't aware of that, and I'm basically a big scaredy-cat, so I try not to get too close to anything with fangs.
However, I presume that the OP would be shooting some other things as well, that MIGHT be more aggressive, so I stand by my comment to be careful about getting too close.

 

[TheNevadanStig]

[/QUOTE]
I wasn't aware of that, and I'm basically a big scaredy-cat, so I try not to get too close to anything with fangs.
However, I presume that the OP would be shooting some other things as well, that MIGHT be more aggressive, so I stand by my comment to be careful about getting too close.[/QUOTE]

Don't get me wrong, I am not supporting going out there and harassing predators by any means. You do something stupid around a dangerous animal, and you can get hurt. Always use caution in any area around wild animals. I was just stating that the dangers aren't high enough that one has to avoid areas with coyotes or avoid trying to take photos of them, or be deathly afraid of them. There's a fine line I guess between being dumb and knowing the limits. There is a reason I don't go out there unarmed as well

 

[robbins.photo]

I wasn't aware of that, and I'm basically a big scaredy-cat, so I try not to get too close to anything with fangs.

Well the divorce solved that problem for me.. lol

However, I presume that the OP would be shooting some other things as well, that MIGHT be more aggressive, so I stand by my comment to be careful about getting too close.

Funny thing is it's always the stuff you'd never expect that ends up getting you the worst. Case in point, was down at the river one day looking for something to shoot - it was still cold and muddy out at the time so I decided to wear some boots, only thing I could find was an old pair of steel toed work boots in the back of the closet, so I threw those on.

Well I'm down at this spot where a good sized creek intersects the river and I happen to catch sight of a cottonmouth. Ok, granted not likely he's packing enough of a punch to be lethal but it sure would hurt like the dickens and be darn inconvienient if I got bit, not really wanting to hike the 2 miles back to the car with my leg swollen up tighter than dick's hatband.

So I'm very cautiously stepping to avoid the cottonmouth when I discover that the rock I had just stepped on wasn't actually a rock, but the granddaddy of all snapping turtles. Apparently he's got some sort of a thing about large rednecks using him as a stepping stone, so he does what snapping turtles do, he snaps. Latches onto one of of the steel toed boots and his bite is strong enough to not only dent the steel but to penetrate it I'd say roughly about half way into the steel plate itself. Had my toes pinched in there a bit but my guess is if I hadn't had that steel toed boot on I'd probably have been missing one if not more of those toes as a result.

Well now I'm stuck pretty good, I can't get the boot off, the turtle is not letting go for love nor money, and he weighs a ton and a half. Ended up dragging him probably close to half a mile before he finally let go.

 

[sm4him]

I wasn't aware of that, and I'm basically a big scaredy-cat, so I try not to get too close to anything with fangs.

Well the divorce solved that problem for me.. lol

However, I presume that the OP would be shooting some other things as well, that MIGHT be more aggressive, so I stand by my comment to be careful about getting too close.

Funny thing is it's always the stuff you'd never expect that ends up getting you the worst. Case in point, was down at the river one day looking for something to shoot - it was still cold and muddy out at the time so I decided to wear some boots, only thing I could find was an old pair of steel toed work boots in the back of the closet, so I threw those on.

Well I'm down at this spot where a good sized creek intersects the river and I happen to catch sight of a cottonmouth. Ok, granted not likely he's packing enough of a punch to be lethal but it sure would hurt like the dickens and be darn inconvienient if I got bit, not really wanting to hike the 2 miles back to the car with my leg swollen up tighter than dick's hatband.

So I'm very cautiously stepping to avoid the cottonmouth when I discover that the rock I had just stepped on wasn't actually a rock, but the granddaddy of all snapping turtles. Apparently he's got some sort of a thing about large rednecks using him as a stepping stone, so he does what snapping turtles do, he snaps. Latches onto one of of the steel toed boots and his bite is strong enough to not only dent the steel but to penetrate it I'd say roughly about half way into the steel plate itself. Had my toes pinched in there a bit but my guess is if I hadn't had that steel toed boot on I'd probably have been missing one if not more of those toes as a result.

Well now I'm stuck pretty good, I can't get the boot off, the turtle is not letting go for love nor money, and he weighs a ton and a half. Ended up dragging him probably close to half a mile before he finally let go.

No, what I mean is, "Gosh, I'm so glad to hear that you had those steel-toe boots on and weren't seriously hurt." But since you WEREN'T seriously hurt, what I *really* mean is:

That is a GREAT story!

 

[CdTSnap]

Try chasing some lions round the zoo?

 

[robbins.photo]

I wasn't aware of that, and I'm basically a big scaredy-cat, so I try not to get too close to anything with fangs.

Well the divorce solved that problem for me.. lol

However, I presume that the OP would be shooting some other things as well, that MIGHT be more aggressive, so I stand by my comment to be careful about getting too close.

Funny thing is it's always the stuff you'd never expect that ends up getting you the worst. Case in point, was down at the river one day looking for something to shoot - it was still cold and muddy out at the time so I decided to wear some boots, only thing I could find was an old pair of steel toed work boots in the back of the closet, so I threw those on.

Well I'm down at this spot where a good sized creek intersects the river and I happen to catch sight of a cottonmouth. Ok, granted not likely he's packing enough of a punch to be lethal but it sure would hurt like the dickens and be darn inconvienient if I got bit, not really wanting to hike the 2 miles back to the car with my leg swollen up tighter than dick's hatband.

So I'm very cautiously stepping to avoid the cottonmouth when I discover that the rock I had just stepped on wasn't actually a rock, but the granddaddy of all snapping turtles. Apparently he's got some sort of a thing about large rednecks using him as a stepping stone, so he does what snapping turtles do, he snaps. Latches onto one of of the steel toed boots and his bite is strong enough to not only dent the steel but to penetrate it I'd say roughly about half way into the steel plate itself. Had my toes pinched in there a bit but my guess is if I hadn't had that steel toed boot on I'd probably have been missing one if not more of those toes as a result.

Well now I'm stuck pretty good, I can't get the boot off, the turtle is not letting go for love nor money, and he weighs a ton and a half. Ended up dragging him probably close to half a mile before he finally let go.

No, what I mean is, "Gosh, I'm so glad to hear that you had those steel-toe boots on and weren't seriously hurt." But since you WEREN'T seriously hurt, what I *really* mean is:

That is a GREAT story!

It was pretty comical at the time. I've got this prehistoric monster latched onto my boot with a death grip giving me a look that would burn through steel.

So first thought is if I drag him to the river and submerge the foot maybe he'll let go, then I remember reading somewhere that your average turtle can actually hold it's breath underwater for something like two hours so I scratched that of the list of possible solutions.

But all in all it was just dumb luck I wore the steel toed boots that day, it was the first time I'd worn them in years. Needless to say I ordered a replacement pair and I don't go to the river without them anymore.. lol.

Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk

 

[SCraig]

Most species of wildlife have a certain highly-evolved sense. Some can see the smallest thing, some can smell the smallest odor, some can hear the minutest sound. If, for example, you are seeking deer I would avoid bathing with perfumed soaps and forego perfume, cologne, or even some brands of deodorant. It may not seem like much to you but a deer can smell it a mile off and won't get anywhere near.

Learn the traits and abilities of what you seek to photograph. You have to blend into their world because if you don't you will never see them.

 

[table1349]

Dog food dumped on the ground in a good area to photograph works well as bait to draw them to the area. Coyotes are generally not aggressive to humans unless, and this can be the catch, they are rabid.
Good info on coyotes. Coyotes and People: What to Know If You See or Encounter a Coyote : The Humane Society of the United States

 

[TheNevadanStig]

Out of all the animals I've chased around the desert, the only thing that has been aggressive and has actually attacked me has been a Canada Goose. Been attacked by those things twice now. They have surprisingly sharp little claws on those feet, much like cat scratches.