Deer Hunting with Canon? The basics?

Hey gang!

First I am a wedding photog - I live in an area with lots of whitetail deer. I typically hunt whitetails with my bow--- I am thinking this year of hunting them with my Canon.

I have questions on your approach for this. I would hunt them during hunting season -- I have a large amount of property and have it to myself -- so I would be hunting out of tree stands and they would be at close quarters (bow range). Would it simply be like bow hunting that I have one shot at them and have to get it right the one time--- my worry is that the shutter noise would scare the daylights out of them and that would be it--- no real chance for a "second shot" -- like bow hunting.

Has anyone made the transition for hunting whitetails with the camera - in their hunting area?

I know the best option would be to have a long lens where I could get them at a distance -- but this is not the best option for me to capture the best (largest racks).

I'm actually doing the same thing this year. I can no longer hunt due to back problems and my kids miss going out in the woods with me. So this year I'm planning on going out and shooting them with my D40. I think the kids will still have just as much fun as they had before except now they won't be helping me track and drag the deer out of the woods and getting it on the top of the car.

I'll be doing it on public hunting land since I lost my access to the private land due to new owners so it should be interesting to say the least with all the people out there.

Best option is use a long lens and a teleconverter if you want to keep a good working distance.

I would opt for a 300L and a teleconverter. Or could think about the Canon 100-400L. Richmond Park here in the UK, the deer allow you to get pretty close, enough to get away with a 70-200 and end up with a full portrait.

audit-- oxford, I am in the Davison area--- I am in Oxford frequently--- i have family there. Lots of good hunting there.

elysium-- I was thinking about a 300 and using my 1.4 but the problem is typically the most action is in dusk --to very dark times. I have a lot of woods and the deer stay under the cover of the woods until dark. The deer know you want to eat them out here.

In that case, the only thing I can think of will be the 400 2.8L IS or the Sigma 120-300 2.8.

You will be looking at some high end lenses since you will need as much light as possible. Would be interested to read other peoples opinions on this actually. I shot wildlife for the first time a little while ago and I finally understand the importance of longer lenses.

Although I did not bow hunt, my in-laws hae a similar situation and we do photograph them. (However, we also put out corn in the adjacent field)

In bow hunting range, yes, the shutter will spook them, so get the shot the first time.

Here are my thoughts. I hunted with both a bow and rifle from the age of 12. I have been out many many seasons, and have found that one of the worst times to see deer is during deer season. The reason is simple:the deer are scared to death. This applies mostly during the rifle season, but they tend to be a little bit spooked even during bow season. I live in Missouri where hunting is HUGE, especially rifle hunting, so this might not necessarily be the case.

When to look for deer really depends on what you are looking for. If you want to see bucks at their most dominant, then try going during deer season since, in Missouri any way it is during what is known as the "rut." The rut, is a deers mating season, and bucks bulk up at this time. Plus, if you are really lucky, you might get to see some fighting which is really neat to watch. This mating season is usually sometime in November and can vary a little bit from year to year.

If you are looking for deer in groups, then late summer and early fall is the best. You get to see the young fawns with their mothers acting naturally since they are not scared of getting shot all of the time. They will still have spots and are very cute. There is also the advantage of seeing the bucks racks in velvet during August, which is really neat I think.

In the Spring, the fawns are born and this can be fun. Fawns do not omit any smell up to a certain age, so predators can not find them. This plays into a photogs hands perfectly if they are in the right place at the right time. You can walk right up to a young fawn and they will stay put, making for some great poses. The mothers will run away initially, but they will come back if you are quiet and pay attention. Expect to get snorted at and stomped at while doing this. Does also like to do the snort and stomp routing to scare you into moving if you are trying to stay still and hide from them. Just a few thoughts from me.

hortonsl62 wrote in post #6196678
Although I did not bow hunt, my in-laws hae a similar situation and we do photograph them. (However, we also put out corn in the adjacent field)

In bow hunting range, yes, the shutter will spook them, so get the shot the first time.

With the bow you typically have one shot to get the deer you want to harvest. But there are tons of others that you get to see and it would be nice to photograph them. I am going to have to see how I can shoot them from a little further away and try to muffle the sound of the shutter some how. I might have to use my Panasonic Lumix to begin with because there is no shutter noise.
I built a tripod-- well took the top end from a tripod and purchased a bow hanger thing--- combined them and I could put a remote on that camera and set that up away from me on another trail system--- and get their photo and maybe scare them towards me........humm.

I know it sounds daft but think about muffling your camera body with a pillow (if on a budget)?

I plan to do the same this year. I have already turned all of the sounds off in my S5 IS. Another thing that will be good is to turn off the AF-assist beam, which would spook them before you got the focus. I will probably even put a little piece of tape over the little light showing that it is on.

All of those things are found in the menu. After you make the changes and turn them off, you can stand in front of a mirror and take a few shots of yourself, to see if there is anything visible from the front.

I may even cut a hole through a bit of camo material, so only the lens shows from the front. Think about how you hold the camera. holding the camera with the lens toward the sky may reflect the sky as you bring it down on a deer, where bringing it up wouldn't .

I already have the automatic shut down set to off. Otherwise, you may be sitting there ready to shoot, as soon as it steps out from behind something, it will shut down and retract the lens. Not an issue on dslr's. Good batteries are good for about half a day, for me when it is left on.

Carry extra batteries.

Every so often, take a shot or two to see if you need to compensate for the exposure.

I often shoot in continuous mode, if there is enough light, and the critters are actively doing things.

Under the function mode, you can set the focus to center weight, or spot. In thick brush, it may have a hard time finding focus on something soft and fuzzy in the background when there is a nice crisp twig closer in between you and the subject.

Without knowing what camera and lens you are using, I or nobody else can tell you a whole lot more without writing a book for you about general stuff.

Also how well do you know your camera?

I hope this rambling helps, and good luck.

Good stuff guys.
40driggs--- I am 40 and have been bow hunting since age 12--- I understand deer behavior and patterns well. I have a large collection of wallhangers. For me in my area the largest wallhangers only viewable for a few days during the rut. This would be the optimal time to catch them-- and maybe even with some daylight for the camera.

Keith- I think you are right. I pretty much one or two of the current and past camera bodies. Lenses are also not an issue. I was thinking about using a 1D -- but the shutter is a bit loud. The 5D has a much softer shutter sound in my opinion but is not weather sealed -- might have to use a pelican case to come up with a housing. I could use a trail cam but want more control and better quality.

For what it is worth-- they just as of a few days ago put a ban on baiting deer. So now you can't legally put any bait out and put the cameras around the "bait pile".

Can I come hunt on your land, you can take pics of me then too! I won't even charge! LOL

BrinNutz wrote in post #6196876
Can I come hunt on your land, you can take pics of me then too! I won't even charge! LOL

Brian - are you nutz!

Not at all!!

I'm Wilson btw..hehe

stathunter wrote in post #6196659
audit-- oxford, I am in the Davison area--- I am in Oxford frequently--- i have family there. Lots of good hunting there.

The hunting out here is good on PRIVATE land only really or with your car/truck since the deer just love hanging out in the middle of the road or on the edge until your within 50 yards of them doing 55MPH and then they decide they want to cross the road, the public land looks like a pumpkin patch when the sun starts coming up with all the hunters on it. It's not really even safe to hunt on. The private land I was on before was right next to a nature preserve in Lapeer.