[Banded Drake]

Hello to all ,

I walked about 2 miles yesterday to take a few shots of one of my hunting grounds . And found nothing to take a picture of ? i couldnt figure out what was going on with me. Then at the end of the trail i was on , i hear a sound that is all to sweet to my ears . The sound of ducks ( mallards , pintails , and wood ducks ) . So of course i get all excited . I walk a few more steps and the sound is much louder . I got spotted by the birds ( who are all very scarred by any thing ) , they all jump up and fly . Yea i was ready with the camera and looked through the veiwfinder and " snapped " a few shots as they flew away. But was very discoureged ( sp ) . My 300 mm just will not reach out there far enough. :o . There was about 25 ducks or so , and missed the shot that i really wanted . So i got the idea to sit and wait , so i sat there and sat there only to see them too far to reach . Then behind me i see hundreds more ( ducks ) flying around . I sat on the other side for about 1 hour and still nothig close enough . I shot a few frames just in hopes but i know that the results just wont be there .

All of this to say what can i do ? i have a limited budget , still trying to get my DSLR, and there is no way i can afford a monster lens. Will a 2x converter help? how about a telephoto lens? or am i just stuck with what i have , and need to save for a " monster " lens ? The shots of the waterfowl are really the ones that i want for myself and my hunting partner .

If it was duck season i could set my gear out and call them in close , but its not season ( and i didnt hunt at all last season ) and it is illeagle to call them and " decoy " them right now.


Thanks for reading .......... Shawn

[shuttertalk]

I appreciate your frustration Shawn... you sound like you have a lot of patience! Were you in a shelter or something?

Hey if you go digital, your 300mm will become 450mm! I suppose a teleconverter will help too.

[Polly]

If it was duck season i could set my gear out and call them in close , but its not season ( and i didnt hunt at all last season ) and it is illeagle to call them and " decoy " them right now.

Thanks for reading .......... Shawn

Would it be legal if you were to build yourself a small hide nearer the birds - and settle in there to wait for them to come closer without the use of decoys - possible by leaving some food. If you could build a small hide as near as possible, they'd probably get used to the hide and ignore it. If you can't legally build a hide, how about camouflage clothing and scrim net so the birds can't see you some asily - then maybe they'd come closer more readily.

Pol

[Banded Drake]

I was sitting under some " buck brush " that is pretty good shelter to hide from them. There was a few more problems

1 the sun was in my face, they could see the glare off my face ( they do not like that at all ).

2 i wasnt wearing any camouflage , i was in wearing black , but still not good enough.

the " hides " , we call them blinds , could have been built durring season but not now , and you arent allowed to feed them to get them close. If they are at a park or something that would work but not wild ducks . They are very picky about the laws here on them. I think that i am going to go back and see if i can get closer to them , and being more prepaired to get to them. To be honest i didnt think that i would even get a chance to get close . But i am going to be prepaired this time.

you sound like you have a lot of patience!

patience is my middle name ,


I have 1 more day of Vacation left , so i think that i am going to go back out there in the morning. Then go back to the railroad to take more pictures of it to see if i can get it right. LOL


Thanks....... Shawn

[Polly]

I was sitting under some " buck brush " that is pretty good shelter to hide from them. There was a few more problems

1 the sun was in my face, they could see the glare off my face ( they do not like that at all ).

2 i wasnt wearing any camouflage , i was in wearing black , but still not good enough.

I have 1 more day of Vacation left , so i think that i am going to go back out there in the morning. Then go back to the railroad to take more pictures of it to see if i can get it right. LOL

Thanks....... Shawn

I've sometimes used a 'sniper's veil' (aka scrim scarf) to cover my face - sometimes used it to cover the camera and lens too, after prefocusing and shooting with a cable release from further back.... not that I've ever gotten any decent shots y'understand - but it's fun trying! Here's a link showing the one I have - maybe you have something similar available over there? It's small enough to shove into a pocket, or wear as a scarf - very useful and inexpensive.

The other possibility, regarding lenses. How about looking out for a secondhand Tamron 500mm mirror lens? My husband has one and it's actually quite good. His Tamron is better than the Vivitar equivalent - the Vivitar seems to produce more prominent 'donuts' in the background than his Tamron. I think NN has one actually.

OK - the mirror lens isn't as good as a monster-bazooka refractive lens, but it's smallish, definitely lightweight, able to produce some very acceptable shots and there's a possibility of finding one secondhand for a good, affordable price. It might do the job for you for the moment.

Have an enjoyable trek out there tomorrow. Here's hoping you get lucky.

Pol