7 Best Wildlife Photography Hides: Portable & Permanent

Hides & camouflage to get amazing pictures of birds and animals

A wildlife photography hide is a truly brilliant way to get closer to nature and snap stunning pics. The shooters who own a portable hide have the freedom to set it up in any place with good visibility. Besides, in some popular shooting spots permanent hides are already constructed. This article describes the pros and cons of portable blinds and tells about places with ready-to-use ones.

Manufacturers use different types of material and techniques to produce wildlife-watching hides, which are also available in a range of styles. Such an array of options allows you to find the required model without trouble. Nowadays, the market offers both portable hides and camo outfits for shooting without being noticed by animals. An average price of a blind is $83. To choose the right pop up shooting hide, it is important to make sure that the chosen model suits you, the wildlife, and the environment.

Material: 150 denier polyester | Capacity: 2 persons | Floor space: 60”x60” | Weight: 11 lbs. | Center height: 66”

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced wildlife photographer, Rhino Blinds R75-RTE would be a perfect shelter for your wildlife shooting. This hide is easy to install and take down. A sturdy rod and hub system securely supports the walls. Besides, it is delivered with the replacement parts to fix a construction if an accident happens.

You can choose from four patterns according to the environment. Branches, oak leaves, and camouflage are among them. This hide is easy to fold into a carry bag for trouble-free transportation. 

Material: Durashell Plus | Capacity: 2 persons | Floor space: 60”x60” | Weight: ‎13.5 lbs | Center height: 66”

Ameristep Care Taker is a compact photography blind designed to provide shelter for two shooters. Although this is a budget-friendly model, its quality is on a fairly good level. The setup is a cinch, no matter whether you are going to establish yourself in a valley or among the hills.

Thanks to a small footprint, you can even shoot in heavily wooded places where the blind will be absolutely invisible. In addition, only five minutes are required to deploy and pack it up.

Material: 150 denier polyester | Capacity: 3 persons | Floor space: 58" x 58" | Weight: 13.8 Pounds | Center height: 66”

Rhino Blinds R150 is another great wildlife photography hide with seats for 2-3 shooters. It has a footprint of 58 x 58 inches and is 66 inches tall. The blind is constructed with 150D waterproof polyester.

This hide comes with a large front window on two panels, as well as three smaller windows on the backside. It boasts an adjustable 180-degree window system with silent hook and loop closures to provide photographers with plenty of shooting opportunities. You can shoot through the mesh from the top without being noticed by animals.

Material: Durashell Plus | Capacity: 2 persons | Floor space: 60”x60” | Weight: ‎12 Pounds | Center height: 66”

The spring steel system is what makes Doghouse one of the best wildlife photography hides. Thanks to it, the ground blind can be established in seconds. Small weight and compact design are other serious advantages. It comes with a handy case fitted with straps so you can use it like a backpack to carry your blind around with ease.

As the hide features a small footprint, you can put it up practically in any spot. It can nicely blend into the scenery becoming invisible under tree branches and amongst the foliage.

Material: Durashell Plus | Capacity: 1 person | Floor space: 60”x60” | Weight: 13.23 Pounds | Center height: 60”

Tent Chair is a medium-sized fabric chair covered with the Durashell fabric shell. The seat integrates into the whole construction with metal tubing. Besides, you can put it up and take it down without producing any noise.

The convenient location of the front and side windows provide you with excellent visibility when shooting safari photography. The blind is delivered with stakes, but as experience shows, most photographers do not use them. Thanks to your sitting weight Tent Chair will remain stable even in strong wind.

Material: 150D polyester oxford fabric | Size: Up to 66x5ft / 20*1.5m | Waterproof: + | Print: 3D leaf-like foliage

Made of 150D polyester oxford fabric, this net features a lifelike 3D leaf pattern, which makes it barely visible against a backdrop of fallen leaves. It is great that this sun-resistant material does not shine or glare.

Not only that, the net features built-in cords so you can hang it for safe storage. The edges of the net are strengthened with tape, so it won’t tear when being used and startle animals.

Material: polyester | Size: height up to 5.9-6.3 ft | Waterproof: - | Print: Woodland Forest

Made of breathable polyester, this camo suit features multiple artificial leaves that provide excellent concealment in trees in low lighting conditions.

It features adjustable elastic bands on limbs to fit all sizes. They also make the suit easy to wear.

You can use a variety of popular permanent hides scattered around the world to produce stunning wildlife photography capturing animals in their natural habitat. Here are some of such blinds:

Zimanga hides. Location: Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. When to visit: May to October. Zimanga attracts shooters with an abundance of bird species, the number of which exceeds 400. This is an excellent shooting place for both photographers and game hunters in South Africa that offers an array of wonderful hides. These are the Umgodi Overnight Hide, Zimanga Lagoon Hide, two reflection pool hides, the new Vulture Hide, and a range of mobile and compact hides for watching carmine bee-eaters.

Kasanka hides. Location: Northern Zambia. When to visit: Yearlong. The majority of shooters head to this spectacular park to snap fruit bats that migrate here in November and December. During this time more than 10 million bats find their temporary shelter in Kasanka.

Cuckoo hide. Location: Kirkcudbright, Scotland. When to visit: April-May. Here photographers can shoot a cuckoo that is rarely noticed. This bird migrates to Scotland in late April to breed.

Sparrowhawk hide. Location: Kirkcudbright, Scotland. When to visit: Yearlong. This is an ideal shooting spot for watching and photographing sparrowhawks.

Kaingo’s Hippo Hide. Location: Kaingo, Zambia. The hippo wildlife photography hide is located right on the bank of the river. Tall green grass conceals its residents from extraneous views. This hide appeals to photographers with convenient seats as well as well-designed camera props.

Terrapin Hide. Location: North West Province, South Africa. When to visit: May to October. Situated in Madikwe Game reserve, Terrapin Hide is an ecological zone that nestles between the Kalahari and the Highveld biospheres. This is a place for various species like wild dogs, lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and smaller animals such as terrapins. Resting in the middle of a permanent waterhole, the site is easy to access through a tunnel at any time of the day.

If nature photography is your passion and you prefer shooting animals from a portable hide, you need to check many aspects to purchase the right model. Usually, these are weight, ease of setup, and dimensions. Some extra features like rain protection are a real bonus. Though if you are not ready to carry 5kg of extra weight on your back, think of purchasing a camo suit.

Besides, you can find a camo for your camera for nature photography. With this hide, it is easy to conceal your shooting gear making it blend in with the environment. So you'll never have to worry that a big lens will reveal your position.

Whether you are going to shoot in snowy mountains, dessert, or wood, look through a range of options to find the pattern that matches the environment.

Buy camo scrim netting to ensure that you are perfectly concealed or camera covers that feature nature patterns. For instance, a camouflage camera can hide both a photographer and shooting equipment.

Camping stool is a real torment for your back that will likely hurt during the long hours of shooting in a crooked position. Instead, bring a comfortable camping chair with you that features a backrest. To choose a perfect seat, consider the type of terrain you are going to shoot on. If your shooting spot is muddy, make sure to take some square pieces of wood with you to prevent your chair from sinking.

Shooting in cold weather only protected by a blind is a real torture. So in this case, you should take care of warm clothes. Besides, it would be a wonderful idea to purchase cardboard to prevent your feet from overcooling. Another option that will allow you to stop getting cold so quickly is to wrap your feet in a blanket. This is a life-safer in especially freezing conditions. As experience shows, ordinary shoes turn into ice blocks after several hours.

Note that the best wildlife photography hides are made of waterproof material. Moreover, we recommend using a tarpaulin when photographing on wet ground.