Hide hunting

Hunting from a hide or blind, where you wait camouflaged for game to come within shooting range.

Hide hunting means hunting from a permanent or temporary blind. The principle is simple: you conceal yourself where game is expected to appear, and wait.

The method is used for everything from goose hunting in fields to fox hunting over bait in winter. The common element is that the hide must break up the hunter's silhouette and that you must sit still.

For goose and duck hunting, layout blinds, net frames with grass or straw, or pits dug in the ground are used. The blind is placed in the middle of a formation of decoy geese or decoy ducks.

For fox hunting, the blind is set up overlooking a bait site. Bait can be slaughter waste, fish, or commercial fox bait. The hunt typically takes place in darkness using a lamp or thermal scope where permitted.

Duck hunting from a blind along waterways or lakes is a calm and atmospheric form of hunting. The blind is placed at the edge of a lake or in the reeds, with decoy ducks on the water in front.

The most important thing is to stay still. Game adapts to the blind over time but reacts to movement. Sit quietly, have everything you need within reach, and be ready when the opportunity comes.