Whitetail Scrape

Whitetail hunting literature is chock full of information about buck scrapes. I captured this series of photographs of a mature buck while he was engrossed in making a new scrape.


Once he chose the site of the scrape he began horning the overhanging branches, chewing on a branch and rubbing his face on it.

Once he was satisfied with his work on the overhanging branch he went about pawing in the fallen leaves, clearing a bare circle of earth.

After urinating in the scrape the big guy moved on, obviously well satisfied with his new signpost.

An encounter like this is a special moment, a small peek into the normal life of a beautiful wild creature.

Pennsylvania Elk, More Protection Required!

Recently a group of bloggers concerned about the issues surrounding the Pennsylvania Elk Herd has began a new blog dedicated solely to discussing these issues. All political movements begin small. That is where we are and with your help we can grow to where our voices of reason are heard.

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Wild Eyes, a study in DOF

Long telephotos are notorious for their shallow depth of field (DOF). When shooting close-up wildlife shots with long glass, seldom can the entire subject fit within the narrow range. It is imperative for the animals eye, if visible, to be tack sharp. With this in mind I regularly attempt to spot focus on the eye. If this isn’t the composition I desire I then recompose the shot while holding the shutter button down halfway.


In this instance a cooperative young whitetail buck inquisitively watched as I photographed him. Using the 400mm lens at F7.1 the DOF was too shallow to keep both the eyes and nose sharp when using his eyes as the focus point.

Remembering that one third of the DOF is ahead of the focus point and two thirds behind, I refocused the shot on the bridge of his nose, about half way between his eyes and nose. It’s only a small change but small alterations make the difference between a good shot and an outstanding image.

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.

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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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!

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.

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.

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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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.