Page 27 - 2018 MAY/JUNE Outdoor Oklahoma

Mistakes to Avoid BETTER TURKEY,

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation receives WATERFOWL PHOTOS
several photos of elated hunters and anglers proudly displaying
• Avoid shooting at a downward angle. Photos taken on the
their trophies on their social media pages. But many of these
same level as the hunter and birds look better.
photos are sometimes just bloody images that are unpleasant
• Have the hunter spread the tail fan and open the wings
to view, or they reflect unsafe or illegal practices.
while holding the turkey from behind. Ensure the beard is
Before snapping a picture of a harvested animal, take a showing in front.
few moments to wipe away any blood. If the animal’s tongue
• Vary the shot by having the hunter hold the bird over his
is hanging from its mouth, put it back in the mouth or, if nec- shoulder and look back while walking away.
essary, remove it from the mouth with a knife or sheers. As
• Don’t include vehicles in your photos.
hunters and anglers, we know harvesting an animal comes
• When holding waterfowl, position the birds and the cam-
with a certain amount of unappealing sights. However, not era to make the most of any colorful markings on the birds.
everyone who sees your photo is a hunter or angler, so it’s
• Hunters holding waterfowl should try to spread them out
always best to keep everyone’s sensibilities in mind. horizontally to avoid the “clump of birds” look.
Also, don’t forget basic safety rules and hunting regula-
tions, which demonstrate that you know what you’re doing.
Key things to keep in mind when taking a harvest photo: USACE/fLiCkr CC-By2
• Make sure any firearms or other methods of take are point-
ed in a safe direction away from people in the photo.
• When still in the field, make sure the hunter is wearing
hunter orange if required during that particular season.
• Wear a life jacket while fishing from a boat.
Share Your Photo Stories

Uploading photos onto social media sites is a great way to
share your memorable moments with friends and family. And
we would welcome you to share your memories with us, too! This example shows how backlighting without using a flash can cast much
of the subject into darkness. The background (including the passerby) and
• Facebook.com/wildlifedepartment the vehicle are distracting to the viewer. One of the hunters wears sun-
• Twitter @okwildlifedept glasses, while the turkey on the ground is somewhat of a mystery.
• Instagram @outdoorok

BETTER FISH PHOTOS USACE/fLiCkr CC-By2

• Hold fish properly. Lifting larger fish by their lower jaw is
fine if you are going to keep the fish. But if you are going
to release it, be sure to support the fish’s body with one
hand underneath between the belly and the tail, as well as
holding the mouth.
• Try to wet your hands before handling any fish to be re-
leased. If you end up taking a photo later of a keeper, make
sure the fish is wet, not dry.
• Act quickly to minimize the fish’s time out of the water.
• Hold the fish slightly in front of your body, but not too far so This example could have been improved by having the youths hold the
ducks out to the side just a little. The photographer also should have moved
that the fish looks much larger than it really is! closer to the subjects so they filled more of the image. However, the use of
a flash helped brighten the faces and fill in details against the light gray sky.

MAY/JUNE 2018 25