While the deer proved elusive when Matt Batten was trying to film them, on the day of principal photography two weeks later there were many deer and large stags constantly roaming near the set, watching from a distance and bellowing their calls during filming, much to the cast and crew's amusement.
The plaster (band-aid) seen on the hunter's finger as he reloads his rifle is real. Byron J Brochmann cut himself while helping set up the crew's camp on the morning of principal photography.
The hunting permit visible in the pocket was designed by writer/director Matt Batten as he used to be a graphic designer. It is based on the official hunting permit of Pennsylvania State, USA. The code on the card has the letters MC which stand for Mr Chicken, the production company. The issue date on the card is 24 Sept 2015 (10:36am) which is exactly the date and time that principal filming began. Batten estimated that time when he designed the card and then intentionally delayed the start of filming on the day until 10:36am.
The sniper rifle was in a poor state having been heavily used, so camouflage cloth was wrapped around the stock, butt and scope to hide defects. The camouflage cloth is actually strips torn from a scarf that belonged to writer/director Matt Batten's wife, Kate.
Nicholas McBride, Heath Ivey-Law and Cai O'Leary were all shortlisted for the role of the hunter before it went to Byron J Brochmann.