Friday, November 20, 2009

Poses of the Rut


This series of images were selected from a rutting encounter that lasted one hour. The location was the meadow at Big Meadows, SNP. As is normally the case here the animals were accustomed to sharing the terrain with hikers, photographers, and tourist etc. and was unconcerned by our presence.




When first sighted the buck was standing near his doe. Looking alert, he was keeping a sharp lookout for challenging bucks. During the rut, once the actual breeding has begun, whitetail bucks are often observed exhibiting this behavior. Notice the position of the doe’s tail; a sure sign that she is in estrus and ready for mating.




After standing for some time the doe bolted off across the meadow with the buck in hot pursuit. Panning and firing as the buck passed near my position I didn’t get this image as sharp as I had hoped but it does do a creditable job capturing the fast paced action.





Catching up with his doe, the buck slowed to a walk. The short burst of exertion had him breathing heavily and the backlighting illuminated his breath as he expelled it into the cold mountain air.






As the morning wore on drawing towards noon the doe lay down amongst some bushes with her protective suitor doing likewise nearby. With the likelihood of more rutting action from this couple quite low , Willard & I shot a few images of the bedded buck before moving on to look for more active subjects.




Thursday, November 19, 2009

Skywatch: Rutting Sky



At the outset of a recent Shenandoah National Park visit a good whitetail buck situated himself perfectly against the early morning sky.

I have been focusing upon the whitetail rut for the past three weeks. Soon it will pass but the images and memories of another great season will live on.

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thoughts on Photographing Whitetails

Photographing whitetails well is never easy and most of the time it’s downright difficult. Whitetails like any wildlife are uncooperative at best and in hunting country they are downright elusive. It’s no secret that most great deer photographs are taken either in parks where the deer are not hunted or are of domestically reared animals in fenced enclosures.

For those who do not have access or the desire to photograph penned deer (myself included) the national parks offer a great option. With the protection the parks afford, animals can grow to reach their full potential. The deer become accustomed to non-threatening human encounters and become so acclimated that they will act naturally while in close proximity to the photographer. These deer will frequently allow the photographer to move about to obtain the best lighting and background angles.

With all of the advantages these deer offer, getting the great shot is seldom easy. Great poses often last for only a moment so it pays to keep alert with the camera solidly anchored on the tripod and the exposure & ISO set when in close proximity to your subject. What was just a so so scene a moment ago can change in a heartbeat, and only for a heartbeat. Miss that shot and you will have a memory, a memory of the shot that could have been.

I carry some of my very best shots around in my mind, the shots I missed!



Monday, November 16, 2009

Injured Loon

Taking a break from the Whitetail Rut I decided to spend some time on the lake Saturday afternoon. Late in the afternoon I noticed a solitary loon swimming in circles, diving, and rising up to shake off repeatedly. Attempting to bring the boat within camera range the loon dived before I could get close enough for a good portrait but not before I was able to capture a few images.



Reviewing the images on the computer I became acutely aware of why this loon was acting so strangely, note the damage to its lower jaw in this heavily cropped image.

The cause of the image remains a mystery to me and I do hope the loon can have a full recovery.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Outdoor Blogger Summit


Did the title catch your attention?

Politicians frequently use the term “Summit” for their meetings after which we see no results. Could it be the term is a cover for the “boys” getting together for a good time at the taxpayers expense?

This time it’s no cover, it truly was a “Summit” as I met up with my brother Willard of “Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer” and Brad Myers of “Brad Myers Photo Blog” for a morning photo shoot on the summit of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the Big Meadows visitor center in beautiful Shenandoah National Park.

There were plenty of Whitetails available but most were busy feeding in anticipation of the arrival of tropical storm Ida. Rutting activity was nearly nonexistent which greatly limited the visibility of the large whitetail bucks that SNP is famous for.



A highlight of the morning was photographing this uniquely marked piebald buck. Feeding in an herbaceous opening, the little buck allowed Brad, Andy, & I plenty of opportunity to photograph him extensively.




Friday, November 13, 2009

All Bucks are Interesting.......


Even the Little Ones
ISO-250, 1/160th sec., F5.6, 400mm


Heading out for the afternoon’s rut photography I stopped to look at a few deer pasturing near the road on a fall grain field. Thinking I may want to snap a shot I stepped out of the truck.

The small herd spooked and I snapped this image of the small buck and his doe friend as they rushed away. With no time to make camera adjustment I took what I could get, panning with the deer as they ran.

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Living the Rut

The Whitetail Rut, the most magical time of the year for the whitetail enthusiast, is the very best time to observe and hunt for the adult whitetail bucks. For the past week I have lived and breathed the rut. Taking a week away from work I have been in the field every day since last Thursday and what a great week it has been.

When planning vacation it is impossible to pinpoint the exact dates when the rut will hit its peak as it varies some from year to year but this year I hit it spot on. During the week I have spent two mornings in Shenandoah National Park and the remainder of the time in Pennsylvania. To date this has been the most productive rut I have ever shot. Even with a good collection of images to show for my efforts; I will be out there again in the morning hoping for a bigger buck or better lighting or a better background or any combination of the above.

While shooting with Willard today this fine eight-point was the star attraction. Here he poses in a reverting meadow, pausing for a moment before resuming his frantic chasing of does.



Lip-curling is always one of my favorite buck poses but the best I could get of this fellow was a partial.


Fights between bucks are becoming more violent as the intensity of the rut increases. Note the blood on the right G2 point, evidence of a fight earlier in the day.



Wednesday, November 11, 2009

SNP: Enjoying the View

Appearing much like a tourist, a small whitetail buck enjoys the view of the Shenandoah Valley from atop a high mountain scenic overlook.

While slowly driving along Skyline Drive on the lookout for large bucks Andy noticed a couple of young bucks at one of the many overlooks.

Normally I would have passed by these little guys without a second thought but with the picturesque valley below I wheeled into the parking lot hoping to capture a shot with the bucks as a foreground element. Racking the 100-400mm lens to its shortest length, setting the aperture to F9 to gain increased depth of field I began shooting. When this buck came to attention looking out over the vast expanse of the valley below I knew I had captured “The Shot” and was content to fold up the tripod and move on.


Tuesday, November 10, 2009

SNP: Tuesday Morning

Once again the alarm jolted me from sleep at an ungodly early hour reminding me that it was time to get moving if I were to make it to Shenandoah National Park in time for the whitetail activity. Twenty minutes later Andy pulled in the driveway and by 2:30am we were headed south. With fifty odd miles of secondary roads to traverse before reaching I-81 it was necessary to keep our speed in check because of the increased deer activity this time of year. Motoring out of Pennsylvania, across Maryland, West Virginia and on into Virginia our headlights frequently illuminated whitetail deer feeding along the roadside.

Expecting to find the SNP Whitetails rutting we were somewhat disappointed with the mornings activity as the deer were mostly feeding and for the most part only small bucks were able to be seen.




Soon after photographic light arrived we spotted this young buck feeding beneath an evergreen in the lower end of Big Meadows. When I saw the buck positioned here I knew exactly how I wanted to make the shot. During one of my visits last year I had noticed the potential of this tree silhouetted against the morning sky. That time no deer were present under it boughs, today there was!

Now if only we can get Andy to post some of his shots from the morning :)

Note: This image was made while the sun was still beneath the horizon with the exposure set for the sky. 135mm focal length, f5.6, 1/3200 sec, ISO200.

Monday, November 09, 2009

Whitetail Fight

The Whitetail rut is in full swing now and bucks are easier than ever to see as they search for willing does. I photographed the following series this morning of a pair of young bucks engaged in a contest of strength and skill.










Upon reviewing my images I found that the fight had lasted ten minutes during which I had shot over 160 images. The incident ended with the larger buck slowly following the smaller as he relinquished the field.


Sunday, November 08, 2009

SNP Friday: Second Buck Encounter

A short time after leaving the nice 8pt. posted yesterday Willard & I were driving down Skyline Drive south of the meadow when a large doe leapt into a small opening along the road side. Running with the classic whitetail doe “a buck is chasing me” gait I pulled off the road and we readied the photography gear.


Soon a piebald spike hurried into the opening and then abruptly turned and stopped in the shade along the tree line.

A moment later the cause of all the commotion arrived on the scene in all of his antlered glory, one of the largest bucks I have ever encountered.


The big guy decided to cross the road quite near our position giving the opportunity for a close-up shot before plunging into the thickets on the other side.



Saturday, November 07, 2009

SNP: Rutting Whitetails


Arriving at Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park, in the predawn darkness Willard and I were greeted with gusty winds and subfreezing temperatures; perfect conditions for the Whitetail rut. Our expectation for the morning's shoot ran high but not high enough to keep the chill away as we readied the photography gear.


Our first encounter was with this fine eight point buck at the lower end of the meadow. With the buck on the skyline I overexposed this shot 1.3 stops to capture detail.


While photographing the nice 8pt buck that had moved into the woods following the previous shot, this smaller buck approached from behind. Apparently he had just given an evergreen a good thrashing as he was still carrying a branch lodged in his antlers.

While photographing him I could not help but chuckle to myself wondering if he had added the evergreen bough to his head gear to increase his sex appeal or if he were wearing it as camouflage to hide from the big bucks.

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Thursday, November 05, 2009

Thoughts on the Pennsylvania Elk Hunt

Bull #36, AKA Fred or Fred Jr. resting during the recent breeding season


Many wanted to hang his head on their wall when he was in his prime even though he had absolutely no fear of humans and was the main tourist attraction at the time.

Not hunted for over seventy years the elk hunt began anew in 2001. In the late 1990’s the then executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission pulled out all of the stops in his attempt to establish the modern day elk hunt. I recall a statement he once made that if we didn’t establish a season soon that it may become impossible to ever have a hunt. This was done at a time when elk tourism was building rapidly and I concluded from the statement that if the commission did not act quickly that those who consider the elk a state treasure to be preserved and viewed would prevail.

In regards to my previous post one commenter mentioned “follow the money” so bear with me for a moment while we do just that.

Information gleaned from the current elk management plan sites two studies relating to elk tourism, Page 20 under the subtitle Viewing the plan states;

"Pennsylvania’s elk herd is the eastern most free-ranging herd in the United States. The herd attracts thousands of wildlife watchers each year. During 1987 an estimated 7,200 recreational visitor days (RVD) and $11.85 per day per viewer were spent by the public viewing elk in Pennsylvania (Shafer and Wang 1989). The economic value of the viewing experience; i.e. the amount the public was willing to pay, was estimated at $147,096 (Shafer and Wang 1989). The number of visitors traveling to Pennsylvania’s elk range has increased dramatically since 1987. It is not uncommon to see 1000 vehicles per weekend day on Winslow Hill, during the fall rutting season. Winslow Hill is the PGC elk viewing area because of the increased likelihood of seeing elk compared with the rest of the Elk Management Area. In 1997, Penn State University reported 76,000 visitor days with approximately $17.11 spent per day ($1.3 million total) (Strauss 1999). This figure has likely increased since the study was conducted. The influx of tourists within the Elk Management Area has benefited the local economy through lodging and meal expenditures, and the purchase of fuel, groceries, and sporting goods. "

Their can be no doubt that the number of tourist visiting the elk range has increased since the latest study over a decade ago and that the economic impact is much greater now. Speaking from personal experience it is difficult to get by today on less than $100 per day when one considers meals, fuel, and minimal lodging.

Now let us consider the hunt. The elk licenses are awarded by drawing to applicants who have paid a $10 non- refundable application fee. Currently the number of applicants average around 20,000 ($200,000) annually. Successful applicants then must purchase a license which cost $25 for residents and $250 for non-residents. This year 59 licenses were awarded by drawing. I do not know the breakdown between resident and non-resident.

Some hunters retain a local guide which ups their cost considerable. Hunters also require meals and lodging for the duration of the hunt which can last up to six days.

Lets do the number and error on the high side.
Expenditures per hunter
$25 license
$2000 guide
$1000 lodging
$300 meals
$500 misc.

$3825 Total per hunter X 59 = $225,675 + $200,000 application fees = $425,675

Compare that rosy hunt economic total to the tourist generated value from 12 years ago of $1.3 million.




There is no doubt that the elk management is not a choice between ecotourism and hunting but rather a reasonable balance between the two. Pennsylvania is currently attempting to have its cake and eat it to by killing the same mature bulls that are being promoted to draw tourist dollars to the area.

Increasing the size of the no-hunt zone and surrounding the no-hunt zone with a very sizable population control zone (cow hunt only) would do much to allay many of the current concerns.

For those of you who may not know where I stand on hunting, allow me to state my position. I have hunted since I was old enough to tag along behind my grandfather. That has been over four decades now and I continue to participate in consumptive hunting although to a much lesser degree since my interest has turned to hunting with the camera.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Red-bellied Woodpecker

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker clings to a dead tree



Taking a break from feeding the woodpecker surveys his surroundings


Tonight I am suffering from blogger’s block and cannot think of anything interesting to write about the woodpeckers or this encounter.


Instead my mind keeps wandering to the Pennsylvania Elk Range where early (unconfirmed) reports from the hunt being held there indicate that the dominate 8X9 who entertained and thrilled countless people at the Gilbert Viewing area during the rut was killed on Monday.

Why these bulls that frequent the tourist area must be subjected to the annual hunt totally escapes me. No warier than a barnyard cow, there can be no sport or challenge what so ever in the hunt; only the thrill of watching a magnificent animal crash to the ground. Other bulls will replace him that I know, but just knowing that his life has violently ended for no good reason leaves me saddened.



Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Muskrat Lodge


Muskrat lodges are uncommon in my area; this is the first one I have ever encountered locally. The muskrat populations here normally utilize stream bank holes so I was pleasantly surprised when I located this lodge during a recent outing.

The muskrats utilized an overturned stump to firmly anchor their structure, the roots of which can be seen protruding from the lodge.

This scene was photographed from a few inches above water level under a heavy cloud cover with light rain falling. The moisture helped to saturate the colors present in the scene as well as did the circular polarizer used to minimize the glare on the water.