Knuckle Head

Sometimes bad weather produces the best days in sightings. Although my ISO was set at 400 for lighting purposes this cold and rainy/foggy morning, I was blessed with seeing this massive 16 point buck! Just look at those massive beams! I call this guy "Knuckle Head" for obvious reasons. I am hoping my luck holds in the coming weeks as the rut comes into full swing.

Handsome Buck

Hello All! I'm sooo glad to be blogging again! It's been a long time coming and frustrating at times, but finally, I found something blogworthy! On a special note: I was laid off this past February, and with that, my desire to photo wildlife was shelved. I felt I needed to step up my game for my portrait photography business and get my life in order. I worked for a newspaper for 19 years, thinking I would retire from there, but as most know, print media is dying. 19 years ago, the internet did not exist. People got their news from TV and newspapers. Who knew that my choice in careers 19 years ago would fizzle out? Not me! We all get most of our news from the web at places like Google, Yahoo and Bing. We surf for everything we need. We resource the internet before we actually buy anything. I always google a review just to make sure I get the best price and quality for my dollar. I surely can't live without the internet, so I carry a small part in my own career's demise. I own that. It is what it is, good and bad... So enough about that, lets get on with the post!

The rut is coming, the rut is coming! I'm sooo excited! My favorite time of year is here! Here's a look at the first big buck I have photo'd this season. He was awesome! He was bedded in the tall grasses and was very difficult to see. I passed him by, distracted by a few does a few yards away. A friend of mine pointed him out with my second pass through. He laid there for quite awhile before deciding to move away, but when he did, it was all worth it! He gave quite a show, standing broadside checking me out, as he finally wandered away looking for better deeper cover to hide in.  What a great buck to lead off the rut!

Good Ole Boys

A couple of bucks take a break from chasing the ladies.

Yawwwwwnnn!!!!!

Window of Opportunity

Not the best, closest photos I always try to get, but a sense of the scenery these bucks call their stomping grounds (literally) makes composition for photographers pretty tricky. I found windows, albeit small, to photo these testosterone filled bucks with plenty more to come in future posts. The rut is in high gear right now for us in the Land of Lincoln, as the lip-curling & chasing are all the rage. These beasts with their massive necks that are swollen to maximum capacity are what I am here for. I love this time of year!

More Bang for my Buck!

The title means just that...I need more...bucks, that is...The rut as I know it has not yet peaked, and the sightings are few and far between, which is frustrating, because when you pay your dues and spend lots of time in the field, let alone the high prices for gas, you expect a certain amount of payback. I do have a few here, but not what I expect at this time of the year. The area I frequent which has the biggest percentage of up close sightings has yet to produce any great portraits. In years past, I could find random bucks roadside on any given day during these weeks. Not true thus far...I'm only hoping the next few days will meet my expectations and divulge a bonanza of bucks! Stay tuned...

So here are some random offerings I have saved over the weeks:



This guy got up from his mid-day nap, not ready to get his picture taken. He laid with a doe close by, but was quite disturbed with me.






This guy was sensing some love in the air, and found it, but she was not receptive...







This giant 10 pointer has such a symmetrical basket, don't you think?







This little guy has some growing to do, but as all bucks around this area thrive into big beefcakes, he definately has some potential...







This guy was pretty far out, but couldn't hide his massive rack, as the tall tines were a beacon.