Good N Plenty

Good N Plenty, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

A massive 11 pointer spotted this morning. The photo does no justice to the beast he really is!

Click for larger view of velvet.

Velvet Underground

Finding bucks in velvet is tough. They are vulnerable at this stage while their antler is growing. it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone; once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler, which is itself shed after each mating season.



Finding these guys is always luck, and with all of the searching I've been doing, the payoff finally came this morning!



The lighting was just a half hour after sunrise, the fog hung low to the ground, and the suns rays were creeping up, just past this guy. The saturation was a bit harsh, but I like it!

I'm Still Here!

I know, it's been awhile, 2 weeks, give or take, since I have posted. I've been really busy with the yard, and I haven't seen much lately. But I do have a few to share that has happened over the past couple of weeks:

A doe changing it's winter coat from shabby to chick!



A milkweed flowerball full of creatures!



Blue Grosbeak. Extremely rare! A lifer!



A Northern Mockingbird. Extremely elusive around these parts, so snapping a picture was a thrill!

Making Faces

Making Faces, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

This late season fawn made quite the impression on me with all of the cute faces it made while foraging through the snow. It was just a few yards from me and stayed there long after the photo shoot was over.



Shutter timing is everything, and with alot of luck, capturing the tongue for the "cute" shot was what I was after.



Getting close-ups of this deers long eyelashes was the focus here, along with a nice catchlight in the eye.



Click on this last photo for an extreme close-up of the eyes!

Peekaboo!

Peekaboo!, originally uploaded by peghan01.

A chance sighting of this young buck feeding with a small group of does, I was happy to see he was putting on some weight he surely lost during this seasons rut. I also found the brick in the background to add some color, although I appreciate natural settings much more. An interesting note: No longer does this buck sport the swollen neck filled with the testosterone hormone acquired during the rut season. Very soon, bucks will drop their antlers, no longer needed to fend off other bachelor bucks in pursuit of does in estress.

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!

Closest Encounter with a Buck...Ever!

Continued from yesterdays post...

As you remember yesterday, I framed a nice deer couple and then I moved on...

What I found next was pretty cool. I passed a doe next to some barbed wire fencing, didn't see a buck with her, and drove on. As I thought about it, I figured that maybe I would back up, take some portrait shots since the lighting was great, and go from there. I then reversed slowly for a few hundred yards, and to my surprise...



Look who popped up...



He might not be the biggest, but who cares!



He was such a prettyboy, and wasn't about to leave his girlfriend, but after about 10 minutes, she was done with me interrupting their cuddle session and she bolted off, and of course, he followed.



I posted this next shot to show the fencing and the strategic positions this buck would get in to hide. He reminded me of Charlie Brown playing hide and seek.



Even though I couldn't get a clean shot, I couldn't ask for more. They bedded less than 10 yards from the road I was on, and if I didn't pass her up, I would have never seen him.

The shots seen here are minimal crops, for composition only. As a matter of fact, I had a doubler on my 300mm, and took it off mid-shoot, as he was just too close.

The Happy Couple

It's been hit or miss lately, and trying not to give up hope on a not-so-productive rut season, I ventured out very early on both weekend days. Saturday didn't warrant anything worth shooting, and foggy conditions didn't help matters, but sunday was a completely different story. I first encountered this new and handsome couple.




Aren't they cute?







They pose beautiful together...








She's just a tad bit shy...








And one last one of just the stud.



More to post about tomorrow, as the sightings didn't end here...

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.

Shooting in the Golden Hour After Sunrise

Mother Nature granted my wish when I said I needed to photo this 19 point non-typical buck closer. I was lucky to see him at all. Actually, I passed him by and at the last second, as I rubbernecked backward, I caught a glimpse of the rack, still not knowing it was Ole Jabberwhocky with the messy and beautiful rack. I can tell you, I was sure glad I took a second look! I had to shoot out of my passenger side window, with the lens resting on the glass, and me aiming and sighting at arms length. Not an easy task. The lighting was gorgeous, and as I focused in, he moved out of the shadows into the brilliant sunlight! (It's worth a look to click for the larger image!)






O.K. Mother Nature, can I bother you for just one more time and wish for a portrait? Thanks in advance for your kindness!

Sum-a-dis-n-sum-a-dat!

I am soooo bored! I can't find anything to photograph, as I am sure most of you feel the same. It's that time of year where everything is hiding among the overgrown everything.

Anyway, here are a few things that are at least something that triggered my shutter.



I happened to catch mom nurturing her young one. My lens was a bit too close, but who's complaining?








A curious Doe backlit in the evening sun.









Infestation!








A painted Prairie








The squirrel who keeps stealing the heads off of my sunflowers and eating them on top of my selfmade Owlbox. The quality of the box has been compromised by the squirrel over the years, and has never contained an owl. I wonder why, as I mumble grumble at that freekin squirrel...

Old Friend

This 10 pointer has plenty of years on him, and I know this because I see him every year. He still looks quite healthy, and his rack is still very impressive, but I always recognize him because of the spread. He has a very wide rack extending a considerable distance past his ears, and is very proportional on both sides which catches my eye every time. But it is his eyes that really get me, because there are a few of bucks that might match his description, but this one has very recognizable eyes and snout. He must be very smart to be this old, as I would date him being at least 9 years old, as when I first saw him 6 years ago, he was a young buck at about 3 years at the earliest, as he had a mature rack, but he could have been older. Good luck this year old fella!

Heavy Breather

Two deer were about to cross the road as I drove around a curve. They take off into the woods and then one of the deer decided to head in another direction. This deer here didn't know if she should follow, but as I was approaching, it decided to stay in the woods. She stopped to catch her breath captured here in these photos.

16 Pointer?

It is common practice at this time of year to go looking for bucks in velvet. I don't see them very often, especially the big ones, but every once in a while, you get very lucky and find a beefcake. This one here is the biggest I've seen this year!



He grazed for quite some time...



...before getting too irritated with my presence.



I tried to count the tines while shooting, but you can never quite get them all. I felt that he was definately a 12, but possibly a 14 pointer.



Upon further inspection, I see that he has a few more bumps, and since he is still in velvet, he is still growing at a pace of about an inch a day, so I can say with confidence that he is definately a 16 pointer when all is said and done, and it wouldn't surprise me if he grew a few more stickers at his brow. The bumps are there...Who knows?






(Here's an extreme close up for your inspection...What do you think?)



I hope I see him when the velvet has shed in a month or so...18 would be incredible!