Pennsylvaina Elk Rut 2011

I have just returned home from shooting the Pennsylvania Elk rut.  With cards downloaded and back-ups ran I have just begun to relax and review the results of this week's efforts.

The first bull encounter was with a young bull on high ground.  From high points like this the Allegheny Mountains can make for some exceptional backgrounds and I lost no time positioning myself to take advantage of the hazy blue ridges in the early morning light. 

The time on the elk range this year was time well spent.  Meeting up with old friends, making new ones and shooting with some of Pennsylvania's most dedicated elk photographers made the excursion particularly enjoyable. 

The rut wasn't as frantic as I have seen during some other visits but elk numbers were quite good and some very good bulls were located.  The weather was frustrating to say the least for when the sun shone temperatures soared and the elk headed for deep shade; the rest of the time it rained.......and rained.......and rained.  

Interspersed between the showers and downpours were those magical moments; those moments that make getting soaked to the bone, those moments that make trudging up and down hillsides loaded down with photographic gear all worthwhile, those moments when the elk, the background, the light comes together........Click.

Bobwhite & More

Back when I was a youngun running around the reverting farmland in our area, encountering Bobwhites was very common.  A covey of bobwhites flushing at my feet while I pushed through briers trying to jump a rabbit would startle me to where seldom could I get off a well aimed shot.  Fifteen to twenty minutes later the bobwhites would begin calling as they regrouped.

That was then.  It has been many years since I seen my last bobwhite in our area.  It has also been many years since the Pennsylvania Game Commission closed bobwhite hunting here as well but the population has never recovered.  So you can imagine my surprise when while watching field hoping for a nice buck to appear when I noticed something moving in the grass nearby and identified it as a bobwhite.

I have no way of knowing where it came from but I would expect that escaped from a captive flock or was released.   However it came to be there doesn't matter.  Its appearance gave me a lifer photo. 

No bucks showed up during the outing but the bobwhite and this pair of fawns more than made up for any disappointment I may have felt otherwise.

Bugling in the Twilight

Photo-2010

My 2010 photo excursion during the Pennsylvania elk rut was plagued by drab gray skies and frequent showers.  While the elk action and encounters were meeting my expectations the weather was making exceptional photographs few and far between.  It was during the last moments of my last day, during the evening twilight that the sky took on a spectacular glow.  It was during this brief time that I was able to capture the best images of the entire trip including the image of this same bull that graces the header of Country Captures taken a few minutes later.

If there was one thing this encounter taught me it was "It ain't over 'till its over"!  Don't leave a good subject until it is absolutely too dark to shoot.  You never know what will happen in the next five minutes.

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Bugling Time in Pennsylvania

Photo-2010

Reports filtering in from Pennsylvania's elk range tell that the elk rut is in full swing

For those accustomed to the ways of the whitetail deer the experience of the elk rut is nothing short of incredible.  Whereas the whitetail bucks dash about, sometimes sparring, on rare occasion fighting and all the while keeping vocalization to a bare minimum the elk on the other hand are extremely vocal, frequently observed sparring and serious fights are not uncommon.  Wrap up all of these traits of the elk rut together with an easily accessible and human acclimated herd in the vicinity of Benezette Pennsylvania and you have a winning combination for an outdoor experience like no other.

Bits of Color

Late summer's Bits of Color foretell the feast of hues about to unfold

Autumn

Drawing to a Close

Chilly nights and cool days signal the ending of yet another summer.  The grape vines are heavily laden with fruit as the leaves begin to turn brown.

 Wild flowers still bloom but not with the profusion of a few weeks ago

Hummingbird visits to the feeders have dropped dramatically indicating that their autumn migration has begun.

Autumn holds much promise; promise of natural beauty far exceeding anything the other seasons can offer, but her beauty is fleeting as the cold gray days of winter rush in upon her heels.  It is with some regret that I bid summer good-by but at the same time anticipate the coming autumn splendor with eagerness.

Getting Ready to Rumble

Highlighted in the early morning sun a magnificent whitetail buck pauses to survey his surroundings

And moments later wages a mock battle with a bush

As the days become cooler and the hours of daylight shorten the bucks feel the irresistible urges of the coming rut

Appearing satisfied in winning the battle with the bush he poses before continuing on his way in search of more herbaceous foes to conquer; preparing for the real battles to yet to come.

I'm certain that this is the same buck posted by my friend and fellow wildlife photographer Brad Myers nearly a month ago.  To see the difference the month made in the buck's appearance click HERE to pop over and take a look.

Cruise-in

 Shooting a car show Sunday was a considerable change of pace for one who has spent years honing their photographic skills on wildlife.  Exposure and post processing presented challenges considerable different from what I am familiar with.  A huge flag was used as the backdrop for the outdoor studio; made even more appropriate with the event being held on the tenth anniversary of 9-11.

The flag was hung from a crane with the bottom corners held in place with weights.  One problem we encountered was when the gentle afternoon breeze blew the 500lb corner weights around as if they weighed nothing.  To eliminate the problem we attached a truck to the flag's center and tied off the weights to stationary objects.

Over fifty cars and bikes were entered into the event

Flags and Harley's go together like mom and apple pie; Photoshop's tools were just what I needed to make this biker's image complete. 

SNP: Revisiting an old Friend

Once again early morning found Willard and I en route to Shenandoah National Park in search of Whitetail Bucks.  Visiting last in mid August we were eager to get back to see what the bucks looked like without their velvet.

Locating a group of four bucks in the woods before photographic light we thought the morning was off to a good start as we waited for the day to brighten.  Any thoughts of success were dashed when the bucks became nervous and suddenly burst into flight.  The cause of their alarm became apparent a moment later when movement in a large oak tree caught my attention.  A medium sized black bear hopped from branch to branch and suddenly dropped to the ground fleeing along the same path the bucks had traveled.

Shortly after sunrise we located a beautiful buck with a wide spreading rack and was busy photographing him when I spotted an even larger buck in the distance.  After assuring myself that I had gotten some nice images of the nearby buck I hurried to catch up to the big boy as he busied himself thrashing low hanging branches.

The buck worked along the woods line sparring with shrubs and saplings seeming to enjoy tearing up the vegetation with his new antlers.

Throughout the encounter I continued to feel as if I should know this buck but wasn't able to place him until I was reviewing the images on the computer.

My first encounter was during the 2007 rut when I spent a good part of the morning with him as he stood guard over a doe.  This photo of him was my very first published whitetail photo and have since always referred to him as Calendar Boy.

Meeting Calendar Boy again after the rut of 2008 I was disappointed to see his shattered rack. Disappointed that I was unable to capture a good image of his '08 rack, but at the same time glad that it was only his antler that was damaged.

Willard caught up with him for a fantastic photo session during the 2009 rut but I never caught sight of him that year and during the autumn of 2010 we both came up dry.  So it was a great pleasure to meet up with him again this morning.

How you might ask do I know for sure that this is the same buck?  Aside from coloration, body build and antler conformation this buck has a very unique mark that upon close observation makes him unmistakable.  Check out the dark mark below the rear corner of his right eye and then review the above images.

Being able to follow an animal throughout the years is special part of big game photography.  In hunting country seldom can this be accomplished but with the total protection that the National Parks afford their creatures the close observer can be rewarded with the thrill of watching particular animals mature and grow old.  For the wildlife photographer documenting the aging process is perhaps the ultimate big game thrill.

911

Photo - Flight 93 Temporary Memorial

A decade has passed since that fateful morning when life in America changed.

Let us never forget the people who gave their all.

"Let's Roll"