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By Ralph Curtis
I was getting excited
as I watched the huge 13 point buck edge it's way close to my ground blind. My
adrenaline was high after watching three smaller bucks walk by within twenty
yards of my setup. Being "on
stand" since 3:00 in the afternoon was taking it's toll on my
patience and my butt, but now it was all worthwhile as I watched the
trophy buck get closer and closer. Just as the buck dropped his
head to nibble on some alfalfa, I pulled the trigger....on the camera,
that is!
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This late summer buck was one
of four that walked past within "camera" range.
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Photographing deer thru out the year can make you a better deer hunter
and open doors to more hunting opportunities. By observing deer
all year long and trying to position yourself for the optimum "shot",
deer photography is the ultimate practice session for when it really
counts come fall.
Opening doors to future deer hunting opportunities.
When scouting for big bucks during the summer months, permission to
access land for photography is usually pretty simple, once that big buck
is located. MOST farmers and landowners don't mind someone sitting
on the edge of their fields with a camera, as long as permission is asked
prior.
This is a prime opportunity to get to know the farmer, and the farmer, in return,
to get to know you! After a few visits during the summer, and the farmer/landowner
gains your trust, obtaining permission to hunt in the fall comes much easier,
and is sometimes only possible thru these "trust-gaining" visits. Numerous
times, I have been given permission to hunt, after getting to know the landowner
on a first name basis thru photography visits thru out the year. It may
not happen the first year, but usually thru time, permission is granted where
otherwise it would have been a slim chance.
In Buffalo County, Wisconsin, where I do a lot of my bow hunting, competition
for hunting spots is in a class all it's own. If you aren't privileged
enough to own property, or don't have the financial resources to obtain a lease
on this high-quality big buck acreage, your chances of just walking up to a
farm's front door and asking ever-so-politely for permission to hunt are worse
than the Powerball lotto! I can confidently say that I could bow hunt
at least 3 - 4 properties in Buffalo County, all because of photography trips
and getting to know the landowners personally thru out the years. Gun
season is a different story, as gun seasons are usually reserved for family
members or hunting leases. But the fact remains, that previously unattainable
hunting land is now possible because of my hobby of deer photography.
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A row of flies finds a protected
area of this doe's face where the flinching ears and shake of the
head have minimal effect.
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Observing deer is always fun and educational.
Photographing deer thru out the seasons gives the hunter new insights on
deer behavior that can lead to a more successful deer season. For
instance, thru numerous hours in the field, a person begins to know when
a deer will raise it's head from feeding . When feeding undisturbed,
deer tend to have a certain rhythm as they gorge themselves.
The persistent observer/photographer of deer will get a better understanding
of when a deer becomes nervous and unsure of a possible present danger. The
reactions a buck makes differ dramatically depending on what sense triggered
the alert to the deer. Knowing such deer reactions thru photography has
helped me react to the same circumstances when a big buck is alerted with a
bow in my hand.
Sitting on the edge of a food source on a summer evening is an enjoyable
time outdoors, whether a picture of that trophy buck is taken or not. You
will observe the most comical deer behavior along with the most pitiful. A
game of tag between fawns is always enjoyable to watch (but hard to photograph!),
a kick boxing match between deer competing for the same soy beans,
or a doe kicking the crap out of a buck that, in two months, will have
well hardened, polished antlers are all episodes that make deer photography
enjoyable and yet frustrating. I get almost as worked up missing
that prime photo of two bucks kick boxing as I do when I blow a chance
at a buck in the fall. (O.K. that might be pushing it, but you get the
point!)
Along with the enjoyable deer moments, there are also the times you
almost feel sorry for the deer. The way the bugs in the summer attack
the deer, it is hard to imagine how they manage. Once the deer hit the
field edge, it seems they are always on the move to escape the persistent
insects. I have seen bachelor groups of bucks run from one side of a
field to the other just to feed for a few seconds, when they are forced
to take off again to avoid the bugs. I have seen young deer with, what
appeared to be a nervous twitch constantly twitching annoying bugs off
them while blowing the bugs from their nostrils. The insects along
with the heat of summer, makes for just another obstacle in the life
of the whitetail.
Equipment can vary
One doesn't need to invest tons of money into fancy photography equipment
to "shoot" deer all year round.
Just like hunting, a person can spent a lot of money on real fancy high
tech bows and arrows, or they can use an old bow handed down from past
generations, but both systems will kill deer. Photography is the same
way, in that you must remember that you are out there for your own personal
enjoyment and education, and that not all pictures you take are for the
cover of Deer an Deer Hunting Magazine or National Geographic!
I use a "nice" digital 35mm set up utilizing a 200-400mm lens
that is a good lens for deer, but by no means professional quality. Its
is the best I could afford, but is effective for giving me the quality
of photographs I enjoy.
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Shot at thirty yards, the 400mm
lens was just right to capture this beautiful buck in early June.
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Like any other hobby, deer photography has it's extremes. A person can
go full bore and opt for a professional 35mm setup with a very high quality
(and very expensive!) 2.8 aperture lens at about $10,000 for lens and
camera body, or use any of the point-and-shoot digital cameras that can
cost as less as $200. There are some very nice cameras available
in this point-and-shoot category. One camera that comes to mind is the
Panasonic Luminux that has roughly the same focal length (zoom in power)
as my lens of 400mm for a reasonable $500. This camera has a very nice
high end Carl Zeiss lens and takes a nice photo, even under low light
situations.
You can also purchase coupling tubes which attaches your point-and-shoot
camera to a spotting scope, giving you a mega-telephoto lens that will
allow you to "shoot" that sticker point on a bucks antler at
100 yards! This is a fairly new form of photography called "digiscoping" which
can be researched on the internet if you're interested in going this
route. This would be a viable solution if you wish to just drive the
country roads scouting for bucks and don't want to put up with the heat
and bugs of summer or cold of winter.
Like I said, the camera equipment chosen, is of little significance
when it comes to getting the personal satisfaction of scouting, observing,
learning about deer, and obtaining permission for possible future hunting
hot-spots. Some equipment I use is far more important than the
camera itself, such as good 3D camouflage, a scent suit, a sturdy tripod
( a must for clear sharp pictures) and a blind.
My favorite blinds are made of natural materials like a couple of corn
stalks or some logs setup on the edge of a summer food source. I have a
self made "blind" that I attach to my telephoto lens and holds
a screen of 3D camo material in front of me and my camera. It works well
to disguise my camera and my face, even though I wear a headnet most of
the time as well. Manufactured hunting blinds can be used as well,
but I usually use them where I know they won't get stolen and where I can
erect them a few days prior to me being there to use them.
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Comments
Nice job Ralph!
Posted by: Dan on September 2, 2005 05:57 PM
The pics you take with your present equipment are awesome, what would they be like if you could drop $10,000 on some top end stuff? I really keyed in on the photography lead as a way of introducing yourself to the farmers. Man, I've been shot down so many times in BC by landowners that I think you're onto something with gaining permission to photograph first then building the relationship for a possibility of hunting in the future. Thanks for the info and keep snappin the awesome pics.
Posted by: Lee G on September 2, 2005 10:14 PM
who needs permission when you can trespass?
Posted by: happy-feet on November 2, 2005 08:29 PM
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