Camouflage / Photography Hide

[Asif Khan]

Hello All, Compared to other countries, here in China birds are more scared of humans - mainly i guess due to hunting etc. It is sometimes impossible to shoot even using a 600mm with converters. I tried to look for bird hides but couldnt find any in China or Singapore.

A general question for all:

a) If at all you use hides, which hides do you use and can they be bought online with worldwide shipment ?

b) Has anyone tried making a photography hide on own, any suggestions would help or maybe i would need to design one for myself later :) !

Also, any tips/tricks on Camo would help. What do folks generally dress while shooting (a) shore birds and (b) bush birds

Thanks much..

Cheers

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I have a camo throw-over blind that works quite well with ducks and some other skittish birds. You can see two models here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/ca....aspx?catid=16

Some people build blinds, especially for good perches on lakes for kingfishers, etc. If that is something you would like to do, you could make a simple wooden frame and use some fabric in a neutral color.

[Myer Bornstein]

I was looking at an other forum here and came across this link http://diyphotocheapodepot.blogspot.com/ has info on making your own blinds etc cheaply

Myer

[Danny J Brown]

When shooting in most of the U.S away from the beaches and the parks, birds are extremely skittish, as they are everywhere else. I wear full camo almost all the time when shooting to avoid using a blind. When I feel I need a blind, I use the Trekker T-100 because it is cheap, light and takes about one minute to set up. But the main reason I love it is because it is shaped like a tripod (wider at the bottom) so your tripod legs will have somewhere to go. I carry a little portable camo chair, also available at Cabelas when using the T-100. See attached link for the blind.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...set=ISO-8859-1

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

I only use the same Camo that I use for hunting plus long learned fieldcraft but I wonder how your authorities in China would view someone wearing what is basically a sniper suit.

[Dave Hassell]

Hello Asif,
Camouflaged photography hides can be bought from www.wildlifewatchingsupplies.co.uk/ in the United Kingdom. They are excellent and are superior to the hunting hides which can be bought from www.Cabelas.com who are in the USA.
Regards,
Dave Hassell

[Phil Liew]

Asif,

I have bought hunting blinds from Cabelas for my use here in Malaysia and the what you want is a light weight pop up blind. It suffices for my needs even in a heavy downpour.
On a recent birding trip to Thailand, the Thais were observed to be very much in favour of using blinds and they have their local ones costing around the price of USD100 for a single man blind built for bird photography with the velcro and zippered openings.
I shall try to get you the contact and you can deal directly with them. Can you PM me your e-mail address?
Rgds
Phil

[Asif Khan]

I have a camo throw-over blind that works quite well with ducks and some other skittish birds. You can see two models here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/ca....aspx?catid=16

Some people build blinds, especially for good perches on lakes for kingfishers, etc. If that is something you would like to do, you could make a simple wooden frame and use some fabric in a neutral color.

Thank you Axel for your feedback. I did look for throw-overs earlier and they are good when mobile. Am looking for a structured hide where i can put my backpack, gear and a small chair and shoot for some long time from one place...thanks again..Cheers

[Asif Khan]

Thank you Axel, Myer, Danny, Chris, Dave and Phil. Appreciate you taking time for responding. I will decide soon by going through your suggestions and will make a decision. Will keep you all posted on what i end up with. Cheers

[Asif Khan]

I only use the same Camo that I use for hunting plus long learned fieldcraft but I wonder how your authorities in China would view someone wearing what is basically a sniper suit.

Indeed, thats a tricky one in China..wearing a camo and in forests with a tele lens...one can risk being shot ..especially on border areas ! Should be safe in inner areas, but will certainly draw a lot of attention.

[john j. henderson]

Indeed, thats a tricky one in China..wearing a camo and in forests with a tele lens...one can risk being shot ..especially on border areas ! Should be safe in inner areas, but will certainly draw a lot of attention.

We have same problem in Russia; please be careful. I only wear Camo in park where I have authorization to photograph, never in open forest outside parks.

[Jim Johnson]

Asif,
I began using the chair blind from Ameristep last year. The chair and blind are all one piece and easy to carry. Here is the link. http://ameristep.com/blinds/chairblinds.html.

Jim

[john j. henderson]

Here is a review of the Ameristep Chair Blind by fellow photographer Jason Hahn http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/ind...ep-chair-blind
; note, Jason says it is not good for short folks. It appears it has been redesigned a bit since Jason's review. I have ordered one and will let you know how it works for a short person. I am 62 inches (tall, not round :))

[ChasMcRae]

I have a spring loaded Ameristep dome blind built for Archery hunters. I love it(black interior, variable size holes adjusted with velcro panels) HOWEVER now I can not get it back to the small spring loaded size(my age,hand strength,etc ).?
I am now thinking about a similar Ameristep dome blind with similar features but is of hub style and think I can repack it better. It is more $ than the spring loaded models so if you can collapse a spring loaded one back to original small size then recommend it, but try one first.
I use a throw blind but do not prefer them if I can do something else.
Chas.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I use the Ameristep pop-up blinds (Outhouse and Doghouse blinds) and love em. Very light, and when folded they are easily transported in the field. Not sure if they ship worldwide, but you could always check sites like eBay if there are some available that route. For sitting I just use a lightweight folding three-legged stool that I throw in the blind's carry-bag when moving around.

As for clothing I don't wear camo but I do dress in neutral natural colours such as greens, browns, tans, greys. I avoid whites and reds.

[Declan Troy]

A blind or throw-over is often useful for breaking up outlines or concealing movement of the photographer but don't be too confident that they or camo clothing are obscuring your location. You may be inconspicuous to other people but birds have a very different perceptual world seeing a much broader range of wavelenghts especially into the ultraviolet range. What looks camo or neutral to a person can appear quite garish when the UV is considered. I assume the birds see me whatever I wear.

[Ed Cordes]

A blind or throw-over is often useful for breaking up outlines or concealing movement of the photographer but don't be too confident that they or camo clothing are obscuring your location. You may be inconspicuous to other people but birds have a very different perceptual world seeing a much broader range of wavelenghts especially into the ultraviolet range. What looks camo or neutral to a person can appear quite garish when the UV is considered. I assume the birds see me whatever I wear.

Yup! Declan you are absolutely correct! The birds can see you move an eyelash and smell you coming and waiting. They have a wonderful telepathy system of communicating your presence to all other birds within the range of your telephoto lens. The wonderful avian species make a game of playing "lets taunt the photographer" by being close and visible until you get your gear set up. Then they skitter just out of range to have a party watching you wait and wait.

I use an inexpensive hunting blind, but always feel it is not as effective as I would like to think it is.

[Mike Fuhr]

I have purchased a blind and camo netting very inexpensively at www.Sportsmansguide.com. They often have very good deals on this kind of stuff.

[Robert Hardy]

Asif,
I began using the chair blind from Ameristep last year. The chair and blind are all one piece and easy to carry. Here is the link. http://ameristep.com/blinds/chairblinds.html.

Jim

I use one of these and find it really good it has a nice seat and enough room for a bag to.
Rob.