Droptine Drama!

I didn't expect much this weekend, as the rut is winding down, but to my surprise, I found plenty of activity, with bucks big and small roaming the area looking for love. A first for me was the highlight, adding a droptine buck to my portfolio. As most enthusiasts know, droptine bucks are rare, and a prize by any standards. I have been photographing bucks for only 8 years now, but the prize has always been a droptine. It finally happened this weekend, and not only did I find one, I found 2! How lucky am I? Here's the first:



I have known about this guy for awhile now, as my friend Rattlin Antler discovered him about 2 months ago. It took me a long while to ever see him, but this weekend finally paid off!
I call this one "Wishbone" for obvious reasons...



The other droptine was actually my true first, as I saw him on Friday. He kept quite a distance, but discovering that dangler was the thrill we all are addicted to...



His buddy and him were chasing a doe, which is the only reason I saw them. They were at a full-on run as I was rounding a corner out of sight. I turned the car around, and found them resting at the treeline. I couldn't even tell they were bucks at that distance, (...but knew they had to be by their behavior) until I used the binoculars and gasped at my 1st droptine!




Tomorrow: Plenty of close-ups of Wishbone! Also to come...More Big Bucks!