excellent recommendations. I bought the ‘heat-a-seat’ , so cheap, and I’ve already used it several times. Used it with a 7lb 500 f4 and a Z9. excellent alternative to fiddling with your tripod in tricky situations.
Good tips, Scott, all of them. One piece you might want to try is sock-foot chest waders. Thin, lightweight and totally waterproof and fairly maneuverable. You put your own footwear of choice on over the sock-foot of the waders. I have waded streams while fishing in the cold winter and I wore insulated undergarments, including insulated foot booties, inside the waders. All I needed to do was wear a larger size of sneakers to go over the sock-foot.////// When I was hunting furry game in the woods I always kept one of those camo seat heaters attached to the back of my belt. I mostly spent my time seated on the ground and leaned back against a tree. Not only did it pad my skinny butt, but it protected it from the cold hard ground. Greatly added to my comfort in the woods. Thanks for some good tips here, Scott. The ducks and Canada geese are starting to pair up now and DIF shoots are going to become more frequent as the female mallards start leading the mallards on a chase before selecting a mate.
I’m an avid fisherman and photographer. There is definitely an overlap in equipment. Try Orvis and Eddie Bauer fleece lined pants when trying to stay warm out in the field.
Love these practical accessories, Scott! I really appreciate your thoughtful and respectful approach to wildlife photography. Do you have much experience with a ground pod? What are your reasons for recommending the Heat-A-Seat instead of a ground pod?
I used the stake blind for years until it wore out. I have not been able to find a replacement until now with your link. Thanks. I will get a new one and also the yoga mat is a great one I will be buying. Considering the bibs too.
Very useful, thx. My picks as a beginner, the Stake Blind and the hot seat. But i wonder if a regular blind fully covered is worth it instead of the stick blind...
Great info, thanks. Careful with the waders.........know the area, know were you're stepping. A fairly recent tragedy occurred where a college student went duck hunting, while wading, I think to set out decoys, not sure.........he stepped into a whole or large depression and found himself chest high in water. His bibs started to overflow, he sunk and was weighted down under water, he couldn't extract himself from the waders in time. Every time i see or hear about waders I think of this.......be mindful. This could conceivably happen to anyone using waders.
Link to the pillow took me to the bibs; maybe you could edit that? Great video btw. You got me into photographing ducks and I am hooked; even though I need to travel an hour to get to a decent location. Thanks for all you do!
LMAO wait for my owl accessories video, now that I am owl guy. BTW got hands on that speedshooter (friend let me borrow) and tested it, Ill send you a message later after more use.
Great information Scott. I still need to find a good location that I can actually get close enough to the water to begin with. We've got the wildlife refuges, but close access just isn't really possible. Definitely need to do some exploring. I really like the idea of the stake blind and might have to look into something like that one of these days.
I assume you prefer the mini tripod to a ground pod? I'm curious why? (I always assumed the ground pod offers the same benefits but can also slide around easily where as the tripod has to be lifted to move around)
Ground pods work and I used to use them, however the mini tripod does the same thing and is more versatile can lift and mount a phone to it and I like how it collapses. Ground pod is a solid option though, more just preference. The advantage of the ground pod is if you need to slide around. Usually more for shorebirds than ducks.
Great and practical advice Scott as usual. Thanks ! Can the mini-tripod serve as a replacement for a ground-pod ? I have the tomahawk GT-2, which I currently usually use with my RRS BH-55 ballhead over an RRS tripod or on top a mono-pod on its own. Honestly tho, sometimes the panning is a bit abrupt and I end up over/undershooting with the RRS. Is there another ballhead u would recommend ? and that would it work also with the Sirui mini ? I'm happy to consider other alternatives, while I want to try to maximize what I already have. Thanks
I'm surprised that ball head isn't as smooth for panning. I really like your set up, super versatile! I use a Robus 50mm ballhead but I dont use it a ton. I'm lucky to have some other gear and set ups that I use that avoid this problem. I love my Tomahawk
@@WildlifeInspired well to be more precise, it’s only the initial rotation that is jerky. Otherwise it’s quite smooth. I guess it bothers me when doing video usually. Less so for stills. I also tend to experience it more when I’m in a relatively not so comfortable position. Like when the camera is low but I’m sitting a bit higher working with the screen instead of viewfinder. Not sure what to do about it. I’ve had the ballhead since 2018 now, and it’s really fantastic but I never lubricated it. Any idea if that is something I should try ? Or a product to do so? Btw, the GT-2 was based on ur video’s recommendation! Thanks for that!
Scott great advice! Is there an advantage of using a mini tripod vs the Ground Pond. I have seen people use the Ground Pond at the beach to slide to different locations. On the tripod side, which one of the Leophoto tripods would you recommend?
Ground pods work and I used to use them, however the mini tripod does the same thing and is more versatile. The advantage of the ground pod is if you need to slide around. Usually more for shorebirds than ducks.
great video Scot ,been using the hot seat and the throw for a long time .ihave the stake blind but haven't used it ,do you like it better than the throw
It’s not likely I will ever use any of these and lay in mud like Duade or Scott. Also not going to hide and not getting money shots like them either. That said I made my ground pod with a used frying pan.
Ground pods work and I used to use them, however the mini tripod does the same thing and is more versatile. The advantage of the ground pod is if you need to slide around. Usually more for shorebirds than ducks.
