Love is in the Air!

Spying this non-typical 19 point buck for the third time in 3 different days, I suspected on this morning, he was up to something. He was followed by 2 other big bucks, which can only mean 1 thing...A girl! As I watched, the 19 pointer chased off the other competitors, vying for the chance to find true love, who happened to be just a few yards away. He stayed very close, not letting her get too far. He watched as she fed on grasses. Her tail was at half-mast, which is a sure sign of estress. She could be ready for breeding...



Just when the strapping buck got just alittle too close, the doe took off...



They raced and zig-zagged trying to out-manuever eachother...



He started to gain speed on her...



She knew she couldn't outrun him...



So she aimed for the shortest trees...



She could easily run under the branches...



But he made ducking under those branches look easy as he stretched and ducked...



As he was passing her by, she put on the brakes and dove for cover over a hill...



She successfully got away this time, although he followed her over the hill, out of breathe. I don't know what might have happened over that hill, but he came back and gave me another shot...



Good luck next time, handsome fella!

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!

Crazy Non-Typical 19 Point Buck

How on earth I ever spotted a bachelor group of 3 huge bucks hidden behind a stand of trees I will never know, but there they were. The photos are heavily cropped, as these guys were waaaay out there! What I didn't know was that one of them was a very strange sight indeed. He first entered a path headed in my direction, and what I didn't see at first was the 3 branches coming out into all kinds of crazy directions. How freekin cool is he?



After gasping at his abnormal beauty, I tried to count the tines, which was impossible.



He joined 2 other beefy fellas. I was hoping for a scuffle, but it seemed they were all friends, at least for now...



I tried to snap every slight headturn I could, so that I could go home and count those tines.



And with all of the various angles, I came up with a solid 19. I am hoping I get the chance for a closer encounter for obvious reasons. I need to know that there aren't more hiding somewhere.



The strange thought going through my head with this guy was...Do the ladies think he is sexy?