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| Poison Ivy: Canon 5D MKIII-500mmF4 |
It is looking more and more like autumn
in southcentral Pennsylvania. The foliage becomes more colorful with
each passing day, and the whitetail deer are also more active as the
pre-rut picks up tempo. Some of the yearling bucks have not dispersed
yet and are still traveling with the family groups which they grew up
in.
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| Young Buck Scents For Danger: Canon 5D MK III -500mmF4 ISO 3200 -1/125sec. f4 |
Others have dispersed from the family
groups and are now exploring new territory and
looking for receptive does to mate with.
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| Buck Performs Lip Curl: Canon 5D MK III -500mmF4 ISO 1600- 1/320sec. f4 |
In our area many bucks disperse during their first
autumn with antlers, but others do not disperse until the following
May--assuming that they survive the hunting seasons. I can recall one
buck that was shot by poachers when he was two years of age. He
survived the wound, but did not disperse and did not travel far during
the rut because of the effects of the wound. He did not leave his home range until he was three years of
age.
Originally published at
Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.
