Arizona Wildlife Digital Photography Group

Arizona Wildlife Digital Photography Group

Hunting with a camera is just as fun as much fun as hunting with a bow or rifle. Moving yourself close enough to shoot with a camera or a weapon requires a great deal of planning, scouting, baiting and knowing exactly what an animal's travel patterns will be during the day.

The exciting, heart pounding fun of hunting is getting close enough to harvest a big game animal with a gun or a camera. The problem is killing an animal with a weapon is that, while the excitement of that moment will be etched on your soul forever, the fact is no one but you will see the beauty of planning a perfect hunting trip and getting the perfect shot. The cool thing about hunting with a camera is that those moments still come when a beast crunches up behind you in the forest, but you can capture the moment in order to share it many other people who will never understand the beauty of setting foot in the great outdoors.

There are 7 seasons when photographers and hunters should be thinking about the woods:

• March - antler sheds will tell where big game goes during the winter
  
• April - fruit trees blooms will tell you where fruit will be dropping in the fall
  
• May-June - birthing areas where animals learn who they are and where they like to be
  
• September - ruting areas where you learn what they mean by survival of the fittest
  
• October - oak trees, aspens and other trees fall colors show you where the food is
  
• November - when you thank God for getting a chance to enjoy the energy that lives in the forest
  
• January - tell-tale trails that show where animals like to wander in the woods