The Get-a-Way

With rifle deer season only a day away, this buck appears well practiced in his survival skills.  Judging from his size he has lived through a number of deer seasons.  Beginning Monday morning his skill set will once again be tested.

Pretty as a Picture

For a Whitetail enthusiast such as myself, the rut is a like Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled into one.  Bucks are the main attraction however hunting the rut with cameras is much different than with weapons.  One of the most glaring differences is there are no bag limits for photographers and another is that rack size, while important, is not nearly as important to a successful shot as is lighting, background, and pose.  Since we seldom experience accumulating snow prior during the rut in my area capturing this nice buck, posing nicely, on the fresh fallen snow was special!

Its Been a Long Time

Today, with sleet and snow softly falling, I was spending time working on photos and occasionally surfing the web.  It was when I visited this blog that I realized that nearly eleven months had passed since my last post.  Much of what I said in the closing lines of the last post concerning my disillusionment with social media still stands and has made me more reluctant than ever to share my opinions on issues of the day. 

Here in south-central Pennsylvania the white-tailed deer run is in full swing.  Bucks, that for months were seldom spotted, are now pursuing does with wild abandonment.  I spotted a high six point buck tending a doe this morning as the winter storm was just beginning. 

A couple of days early I caught this little six posing nicely.

This buck, again from this morning, was watching a doe standing nearby.  As they so often do, he stood motionless for many minutes until she suddenly bounded off.  He was right on her heels as they rushed out of sight.

And during those times when no whitetail activity is occurring, photos ops still abound.  I suppose that this squirrel couldn't find room in the knot-hole for himself and his tail but it certainly made for a unique pose.