Running & Rutting

With the mating season peaking the normally reclusive whitetail bucks are very active and can be seen nearly any hour of night or day.  While I enjoy photographing whitetails any time of year there is no time like the rut to photograph and observe whitetail bucks.  Here a buck faces off with a smaller opponent.  Please note, this buck is not exhibiting aggression towards me but rather towards a buck just outside of the camera's field of view, note also that this shot as are most of my whitetail shot was made with a long telephoto lens; in this case I used a 600mm.  

The rut involves a lot of running and no doe is satisfied with a suitor until after she has led him and others on some long high-speed chases.

This fellow looks like he just kicked in the after-burner as he tries to catch up with a fleeing doe.

 

And finally when the time is right the chase stops.

 

When next June rolls around a new crop of  little spotted fawns, the results of this season's frantic activity, will arrive as a new generation continues the whitetails cycle of life.