Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer

PA Governor's Conservation Elk Tag: A Brief History

2012-01-23T13:37:00.000-05:00

Pennsylvania has one special elk license, which is issued each year in addition to the normal allocation of tags. Some refer to this as a "Governor's Conservation Tag", while others refer to it as a "Special Conservation Tag" or some combination of these phrasings.

Special Conservation Tags Are For Bulls Only

A brief synopsis of how this special license came to be may be found in Pennsylvania Game Commission News Release #017-09, which states as follows:

"In 2001, a recommendation to provide one special elk license for wildlife conservation organizations to auction was originally included in the Game Commission Elk Hunt Advisory Committee Report as one of the concepts for promoting elk hunting. However, the recommendation was set aside at that time because it was determined that legislative authority was necessary to do so.

Rep. Marc J. Gergely (D-Allegheny) introduced House Bill 747 to grant the Game Commission authority to provide one antlered elk license to a wildlife conservation organization to auction. Of the auction proceeds, up to 20 percent may be retained by the wildlife conservation organization and the rest turned over to the Game Commission for elk management. Signed into law on Oct. 9, Act 101 of 2008 (previously House Bill 747) was unanimously approved by the House and Senate."
(Source PGC News Release #017-09)

Act 101 of 2008 states, "the auction will be open to residents and non-residents of the Commonwealth".

The first conservation tag was awarded to the National Wild Turkey Federation and sold for $28,000 at its' national convention in Nashville, Tennessee, in February of 2009. The successful bidder was Jim Nyce, of Green Lane, Montgomery County, who took a 6x6 bull on Oct. 14, in Benezette Township, Elk County. The decision to award the tag to the NWTF caused a great deal of controversy at the time as many thought that The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation would be a more appropriate organization to auction an elk tag and many were disappointed as they expected the tag to sell for much more.

The tag was awarded to the RMEF in 2010, which auctioned the tag off for $35,000 to another Pennsylvania resident Bob Ehle of Orefield. Ehle harvested a 5x6 on Oct. 7, in Shippen Township, in Cameron County.(source PGC News Release 120-10) This prompted prominent outdoor writer Bob Frye of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review to write an article, "Pennsylvania elk herd among nations finest, but for how long?", which is well worth reading. Mr Frye reports that the Boone and Crockett Club ranked Pennsylvania in the top 10 trophy bull producing states of the decade, but goes on to ask,can it sustain that ” and keep hunters' interest high” when the herd numbers fewer than 700 animals?" This article in turn was featured in an October 05, 2010 post on Field and Stream Blogs, "Pennsylvania Hunters Pay Big Money for Chance at Trophy Elk" By Chad Love, which links to Mr. Frye's article and is followed by reader comments, which encompass a range of reactions, which we will explore in the near future.

In 2011, Michael McGinnis of Lyndhurst, Virginia became the first non-resident to obtain the conservation tag. According to PGC Release #126-11 November 08, 2011, "Roe(PGC Executive Director Carl Roe) also noted that Michael McGinnis, of Lyndhurst, Virginia, who was the successful bidder for the Elk Conservation Tag, harvested an antlered elk. McGinnis harvested a 7x9 on Oct. 19, in Jay Township, in Elk County. McGinnis purchased the Conservation Elk Tag during the Safari Club International’s national conference in early 2011, and was able to hunt from Sept. 1-Nov. 5. Under the state law that created the Elk Conservation Tag, of the $29,000 that McGinnis bid for the tag, $23,200 will go to the Game Commission’s Game Fund and $5,800 will be retained by Safari Club International.

In 2012 the tag will be auctioned by the Wild Sheep Foundation at their upcoming Expo in Hunt Valley, Maryland in February. ACT 2008-101 has a sunset provision and the Governor's Conservation Tag will expire on July 1, 2013 unless renewed. Watch for a future post explaining some of the pros and cons of this concept.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Paul Staniszewski Featured Friday On VisitPA Facebook Page

2012-01-14T12:20:00.000-05:00

Paul Staniszewski, who is a frequent contributor to this blog e-mailed me to let us know that VisitPA has a facebook presence and that they featured one of his elk photographs on "Fab Friday Fan Foto" The photo is also posted below with Paul's permission.

Those who have a facebook account are encouraged to see the post on the VisitPA facebook page. Be sure to follow the links for information on The Elk Country Visitor Center.

Winter is an excellent time to visit Elk Country, especially when there is snow cover,as it can make for exciting photo opportunities. I especially like to film elk in the falling snow as it is easy to capture the falling snow flakes on video, and the snow creates a wild, dramatic backdrop against which to photograph wildlife.
Snow does not show up as well in still as in video in many cases, such as in the photo below of a young bull on the weekend before the 2011 elk season.

Bull Elk During Snowstorm

There was a moderate snow coming down, and while the flakes do show up in the still photograph, they are much more noticeable in video taken at the same time.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Early Winter Wildlife: A Slow Period

2012-01-11T19:40:00.003-05:00

This is an especially difficult time to get satisfying wildlife photographs and video as many of the bucks were killed in the past season, and the survivors are very cagey. The lack of snowfall is another big minus. Yes I do like the mild temperatures and dread the thought of dealing with snow, but it does open the door for great photo opportunities.

With that being said I was able to capture a portrait of a beautiful young button buck with the 500mm lens on a crisp, sunny morning.

Button Buck Poses In Early Morning Sun

Turkeys are also seen at times, but they are usually walking or feeding their way across the meadows and seldom give good poses or do anything interesting, except when they fight among themselves. But this morning I saw a turkey fly into the meadow in front of me, so I got the camera in position in the hopes and more followed, giving me several photo opportunities with the Canon 7D and 500mm lens. Here are two of the best shots.

Eastern Wild Turkey In Flight

Turkey Prepares To Land

I did get a few frames of the birds landing, but none were sharp enough to use. The birds were at fairly long range so the photos are heavily cropped, I would have liked to have been closer, but these are the first sharp photos I have taken of turkeys in flight so I am happy with the results overall.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.
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Looking Back

2012-01-05T20:25:00.000-05:00

This blog was originally developed as a venue to present my wildlife photography and videos to the public, with a special emphasis on Pennsylvania's elk herd. The first post was made on October 1, 2007. It was titled "The Shedding Of The Velvet" and featured four photos of whitetail bucks. Since that time, a variety of wildlife species have been covered, but I would assume that elk and deer have been the most discussed species by far.

Elk Have Been A Major Focus Of Blog Since The Beginning

The launching of the blog also coincided with the beginning of serious post-production work on "The Truth About Pennsylvania's Elk Herd", which was released in September of 2008. "The Truth" is a 2 hour 42 minute film that deals briefly with the overall history of Pennsylvania Elk, goes into an in depth history of the herd from 1995 until 2008, covers the life cycle of the elk with a special emphasis on the rut, and concludes with a look at elk management issues.

The film differs from most mainstream press coverage of Pennsylvania elk and from other films on the subject in that it takes at critical look at Pennsylvania's elk management policy. The concept for the film actually began years ago when I was an employee of the PGC Food And Cover Corps, and Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer. At that time Billie Cromwell was a Food And Cover Corps foreman and as such was my supervisor. On his own time, Billie shot video footage of the elk herd, which he then turned over to PGC videographer, Hal Korber, who incorporated a great deal of it in The Pennsylvania Game Commission video, "Pennsylvania Elk: Reclaiming The Alleghenies". Billie had been going to elk country since the 1980s and had been around the elk a lot. He was an avid hunter and shooter, but soon recognized that the elk herd was something special and as such he was the first one who exposed me to the view that the elk were "best utilized as a viewable resource" I must add that this was and is a commonly held view among many who are part of the "elk culture" on Winslow Hill. Most of these people are, or were, avid hunters who recognize the need to control the elk population at some point, but based on the PGC's past track record, and some of the statements we were hearing and reading, it was easy to be alarmed at what direction an elk hunt might take.

Billie Cromwell With Canon L2 Filming Near Saddle, Sept. 1998: video still capture Canon L2 by W.Hill

Fulton County Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer, Andy Carbaugh was gracious enough to take me to Elk County on President's Day in 1995, and I returned for a day trip that August and then spent 4-5 days during the last week of September that year recording the rut. This marked the beginning of years of collecting video footage of the elk herd and my experiences with the elk served to convince me that Billie was right in his thoughts about the elk herd. Along with this came the desire to make a film, which would not only enable me to share many of the unique experiences I captured, but to present a different point of view to the public than that which was officially promoted.

This became possible when I retired from the agency in 2007 and was free to express my personal viewpoints in both writing and film. Billie and well known elk photographer, Ron "Buckwheat" Saffer, both gave me tremendous aid in preparing the script for the film, contributing video footage and still photographs, and providing support and inspiration along the way.

At a meeting shortly before "The Truth About Pennsylvania's Elk Herd" was released, Billie and others were reminiscing about the making of the PGC video and Billie remarked that had he known how that "Reclaiming the Alleghenies" would be used to advance the agenda for an elk hunt, and even tourism to the extent that it was, that he would not have participated in the project. He was especially bitter that his name was mentioned only once in the closing credits of the film and he believed that some did not even want it listed there. It was not listed anywhere on the jacket of the video, although the name of every other person involved to a major extent was listed, along with credit for what they did, and Billie was involved to a major extent as a significant portion of the rut footage was filmed by him.

A major concern that began when talk of a hunt first surfaced and continues to this day is that restraint would go out the window once the hunt started, with larger and larger license allocations and an undue focus on shooting the large acclimated bulls.

The point of all of this is that the blog has always been issue driven to a certain extent. During the past year I have moved it more in that direction and hope to continue to pursue this course. I do plan to continue writing about the natural history of wildlife, and photography/video equipment and techniques also.

In addition I wish to thank everyone who purchased the film, or supported the blog. I have met many of you in elk country as a result and truly appreciate your support.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

What Is Wanton Waste?: A Disturbing Case Study

2011-12-21T12:09:00.004-05:00

Likely The Buck Involved In First Day Of Season Incident: Still Capture From Video Taken At Long Range-Canon Xl-H1

I came to the conclusion many years ago that not all things that are legal are ethical and just recently I had this point forcibly brought home to me. On the last Saturday of rifle deer season a hunter shot a buck on state game lands near my home. I noticed that he left carrying only a backpack with the deer's head with antlers attached, strapped to the backpack. It didn't seem likely he could be carrying the entire deer, so I checked the area out after he left and found a deer carcass that had been there for sometime. It had been hidden under the leaves, but the wind, rain and varmints had caused the deer to be partially exposed so that I could easily see it. This deer had the head removed and the tenderloins or "backstraps". The remainder of the deer was left to rot, or for the varmints to eat.

Buck Killed Earlier In Season-Most Likely The One On The First Day

This brought to mind that I saw another hunter standing over a dead buck in this same spot on the first day of rifle deer season. In fact he was using same stand to hunt from as the hunter on this past Saturday, but it definitely was not the same individual. This hunter attached a tag to the animal and left, dragging the animal behind him, headed toward the area where I found the carcass on Saturday, which makes it seem likely that he dragged the animal to this spot, which was just out of sight of me, removed the head and tenderloins, and then buried the remainder under the leaves.

It seemed certain that the other deer was hidden nearby, so it was time to call for professional help. At this point I called a PGC Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer, who made arrangements to go with me to the area next morning. On Sunday morning, the DWCO, a neighboring landowner, and I went to the area and in no time found the deer that was shot on Saturday. This animal was also hidden under a pile of leaves and was only a short distance from the other. It too had only the head and tenderloins removed. The bottom line was that we had two deer that had been killed and buried under the leaves, with only the head and backstraps removed from each.


Head Removed From Buck Killed On Last Saturday Of Season

Backstraps Removed From Buck Killed On Last Saturday Of season

The Deputy gathered pertinent evidence before leaving the area and he and I felt confident that this was a "good" case. Leaving most of the animal to rot had to be wrong, or was it? The first doubts arose when I researched this and found quite a bit of discussion on blogs and forums on the internet about this subject.

A Particularly good discussion can be found at the Fair Chase Hunting Blog, and a continuation of this discussion can be found by clicking here, Wanton Waste And Going Above And Beyond Fair Chase .

Another excellent discussion can be found on the Hunting PA Forums . Particularly relevant are comments by Retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Bureau Of Wildlife Protection Enforcement Division Chief , John Shutter (John S forum user name). In a comment dated Nov.2, 2011, Shutter States, "Neither State or Federal law forces game to be utilized, I don't know how that would be possible, both simply require the game to be retrieved if reasonably possible and removed from the field. After that, it is a matter of conscience and common sense."

Here is the pertinent section of the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code, which reads as follows:

Sec. 2305. Retrieval and disposition of killed or wounded game or wildlife.
(a) General rule.--It is unlawful for any person who kills or wounds any game or wildlife while engaged in any activities permitted by this title to refuse or neglect to make a reasonable effort to retrieve, retain or lawfully dispose of such game or wildlife.

They key to the entire situation is "lawfully dispose". It was the opinion of Fulton County District Wildlife Conservation Officer, Kevin Mountz, and Southcentral Regional Law Enforcement Supervisor, Roland Trombetto, that removing only the antlers and backstraps is "lawfully disposing" of a deer killed on state game lands, as long as the animal is killed in season, with a legal weapon, and the hunter has a valid tag, which he uses on that animal. According to Mountz, at that point he owns the animal and can dispose of it as he pleases. There is no section or portion of a section requiring a person to utilize any portion of an animal which they legally harvested. It would possible to charge them with littering if they removed the carcass from one spot and dumped it in another, but in this case it was left in the same general area where it was killed. (I would assume but do not know for a fact, that a private landowner could bring charges for leaving wildlife parts on their property, but according to Mountz and Trombetto, "we do not arrest people for leaving deer parts on state game lands"-with the caveat that it must be where the animal is killed and not transported to another spot and dumped). Legally speaking, at the end of the day all that mattered was that the buck was tagged.

I had not ran into this in my many years as a Deputy for the PGC, and always assumed that it was illegal to waste an animal in such a manner. In fact most who shoot deer out of season, or shoot more than the law allows, use the argument " I needed the meat" as justification for their actions, or someone might say in reference to an illegal deer shooting, "well, it's OK as long as they use the meat", but in this case we have persons who most likely legally killed two deer, but did not want the meat. This interpretation of the law led me to ponder what the ramifications would be if one had a valid antlerless deer tag and did the same thing. What, if any, portion of the deer is the hunter required to retain?

On reading Section 2305 and hearing the explanation from my former superior officers, I could see no point in pursuing the matter further, which at this juncture would be establishing that the animals were tagged, and I have no doubt that they were, so the matter was dropped, but it is one that will leave a bad aftertaste for years to come.

A major problem is the message that this sends to the public. The law needs to be re-written or at least additional regulations promulgated under Title 58 to cover this type of situation. In a time when the sport of hunting is under increasing attack from all quarters, this type of behavior only serves to reinforce negative views of the sport. How can one justify shooting an animal for the antlers on its' head and a few pounds of choice meat, while the vast majority of the animal is left to rot and how can a state conservation agency condone this type of activity? It appears that the state of Alaska does not and Pennsylvania should follow suit! Here is the pertinent section of the Alaska Law:

Title 5 Fish and Game
Part 3 Game
Chapter 92 Statewide Provisions
(a) Subject to additional requirements in 5 AAC 84 - 5 AAC 85, a person taking game shall salvage the following parts for human use:

Article 20 Definitions (17) "edible meat" means, in the case of a big game animal, except a black bear, the meat of the ribs, neck, brisket, front quarters as far as the distal joint of the radius-ulna (knee), hindquarters as far as the distal joint of the tibia-fibula (hock), and the meat along the backbone between the front and hindquarters; in the case of a black bear, the meat of the front quarters and hindquarters and meat along the backbone (backstrap); in the case of wild fowl, the meat of the breast; however, "edible meat" of big game or wild fowl does not include meat of the head, meat that has been damaged and made inedible by the method of taking, bones, sinew, incidental meat reasonably lost as a result of boning or a close trimming of the bones, or viscera;

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Pennsylvania Flintlock Deer Season Approaches

2011-12-16T10:56:00.001-05:00

Rifle deer season closed this past Saturday giving the deer a short break from hunting pressure. Archery season began on October 1st and continued until mid-November so the deer have faced two solid months of hunting pressure. As a result, the survivors are quite skittish--especially the bucks. The rut still continues at a very low level and will do so for quite some time yet, as a few does come in heat late. Few get to observe this as the surviving bucks are nearly impossible to see.

Whitetail Buck Chasing Doe

Flintlock and late archery season begins on December 26th and continues through January 16th in our area. It is in for a longer period in certain areas so consult the 2011-12 Hunting And Trapping Digest for further details before hunting. Both antlered and antlerless deer are legal game for those that have not yet filled their tags, but only one buck may be taken per license year so those that have already taken a buck in archery or rifle season may not hunt for bucks in this season.

Hunters May Kill Only One Pennsylvania Buck Per License Year

Most Deer Killed In Late Flintlock/Archery Season Will Be Antlerless

Hunters should obey all game laws and regulations and conduct themselves in an ethical manner, remembering that everything that is legal is not necessarily ethical. But how can that be you might ask? I intend to address this issue and more in the near future.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Another Winslow Hill Favorite Killed In 2011 Hunt

2011-12-13T19:55:00.000-05:00

Wildlife Artist and photographer David Anderson alerted members of the elk watching/photography community some time ago about the death of another favorite bull. This was an impressive 7x8 bull that thrilled thousands of tourists during the rut on Winslow Hill. Many if not most of the bulls leave Winslow Hill after the rut and this bull was not killed on Winslow Hill, but in nearby Jay Township, Elk County. Anderson had been working on a painting of this particular animal.

7x8 Rests With Harem Near Large Number Of Tourists Along Dewey Road

I concentrated on filming the rut this year, and my still photography suffered greatly as I was usually running a video camera during my best elk encounters. As a result, most of the photographs I am posting today are still captures from the Canon XL-H1 video camera. The following is one of the most dramatic frame captures I was able to find from the HD video.

7x8 Pauses To Pant On Winslow Hill

Saturday evening, September 24th found The Saddle filled with elk and elk watchers. I was on a favorite pond bank with the XL-H1, recording the activity. Two large bulls came from the woods and passed by where I was standing. Both were exceptional, but one had a broken beam. The other was the 7x8. The following photo was taken at that time and shows how the bull looked from a side view.


7x8 Passes By Pond Bank

The bulls continued past the pond and into a clover strip along the road through the saddle, where they joined a large herd of cows and smaller bulls.

7x8 With Harem Near Elk Watchers

This elk was not among the wildest that I have seen, but neither was he the most acclimated to humans. Depending on the circumstances he seemed to have a 40-75 yard tolerance range. I never actually saw him bolt from humans, but did see him move slowly away when persons got inside his comfort zone.

With the loss of this bull and another one known as "Ear Hook", the two largest bulls commonly seen on Winslow Hill this fall are gone.

Anderson notes that he intends to complete the painting after the Holidays.

Originally Posted At Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Time For PGC To Reach Out

2011-12-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Mature Doe Looks For Danger

At this point the Pennsylvania rifle deer season is one-half over. Both antlered and antlerless deer are legal game in our area, but except for opening day and Saturday, there seems to be little hunting--at least away from the state game lands. This was not the case in the old days, when opening day sounded almost like a battle and hunting pressure was heavy at least through Wednesday of the first week, and picked up again on Saturdays.

Doe season was traditionally held on the Monday and Tuesday immediately following buck season and at times was extended if bad weather caused a low doe kill. Eventually the PGC settled on a three day doe season which ran from Monday through Wednesday and a flintlock season for both buck and doe was implemented, which ran for two or three weeks after Christmas.

The three day doe season continued until buck and doe season were combined under Dr. Gary Alt's deer management plan, which also included antler restrictions. an early black powder antlerless deer season and an early rifle doe season open only to Jr. and Sr. Hunters. (Note that there are a growing number of wildlife management units where both weeks of rifle season are not concurrent buck and doe, be sure to check regulations before hunting).

The first day of doe season was often a blood bath under the old system as everyone that had a doe tag had to try and fill it in the two or three day season. With a multitude of seasons to choose from the modern hunter has much less incentive to hunt on a particular day. Many have grown discouraged with deer hunting because of a scarcity of deer either real or perceived, lack of a suitable place to hunt, or a host of other factors including a lessening of the desire to hunt with increasing age. These factors combined with fewer youth taking up hunting has led to an impending crisis.

Hunter Tags Fawn Killed In Concurrent Season

It is now hard to believe that in my early years with the PGC, some thought that hunting pressure would increase to the point that one would have to select which type of weapon they wanted to hunt with in a given year and hunt only in that particular season, or that perhaps buck tags would have to be restricted in availability in some manner. Few worried about subjects like hunter recruitment and retention, but today these are important topics to conservation agencies throughout the nation and none seem to be able to come up with suitable answers to these problems--perhaps because ultimately there are none that will work.

In the meantime, the PGC and most if not all conservation agencies, consistently fails to address the needs and desires of growing numbers of wildlife watchers, and photographers, or include them in the management of our wildlife. Instead of ignoring or reacting to this growing, potential constituency with hostility, it is time to reach out to the non-consumptive user and find ways to incorporate them into the funding base and the decision making process.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

More Whitetail Rut Photos-The Lip-Curl

2011-11-25T11:02:00.001-05:00

It is quite common to see whitetail bucks lip-curling throughout the autumn months. This behavior is associated with breeding activity and is most often seen during the peak of the rut. It is commonly believed that the lip-curl is utilized to determine if a doe is in estrus.

8 Point Buck Determines If Doe Is In Estrus

At one time I would have thought that the buck in the photo above was either an extra-large 1 1/2 yr. old buck or a small 2 1/2 yr old, but based on my extensive experience with Pennsylvania whitetails, I would not be surprised if this buck is 3 1/2 or more years old, although 2 1/2 years is more likely.

In the next photo a buck with a deformed left antler is captured doing the lip-curl also. This buck is likely in the same age range. The most likely cause of the deformed antler is that the antler was injured while in velvet, or that the pedicle was broken loose from the skull in a fight during the previous autumn. This is one of the most vocal bucks I have encountered. He frequently makes large resounding bleats while pursuing does. Even with my severely damaged hearing, it is possible to hear him plainly at well over 100 yards away.

Buck With Damaged Antler

Lip-curling is not confined to bucks with antlers. Even the 6 month old button bucks get in on the action too.

Young Bucks Lip-Curl Too!

The rut is quickly winding down, and the beginning of the Pennsylvania rifle deer season on Monday will bring much of the activity to a halt, but even if there were no season in the offing, activity would decline very quickly in the next few weeks.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

PA Whitetail Rut Peaks As Rifle Season Slated To Begin Next Monday

2011-11-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

If one is seriously interested in the whitetail deer, there is something distinctly unique about this week here in Pennsylvania For hunters there is the anticipation of the coming season, which is coupled with preparations for the hunt such as sighting-in rifles and scouting.

Interest In Whitetail Bucks Is High In Late November

For the serious whitetail photographer and student of whitetail behavior this is a time of mixed feelings as rutting activity is often exceptional--especially during the early part of Thanksgiving week, but the downside is that it is all about to end with the onset of rifle deer season next week. In fact activity patterns will change somewhat earlier with the great increase in human activity in deer country as hunting camps fill up over the week end, and hunters pursue small game and scout for deer. All of this activity serves to put somewhat of a damper on the proceedings and I can never recall seeing intense rutting activity on the Saturday or Sunday before season.

As most of the does are bred by now, it is common to find several bucks pursuing one hot doe. The inexperienced who is scouting for a spot to hunt whitetails, often sees such a situation such as this and makes the mistaken assumption that this is where the bucks are usually found, and so decides to spend the first day of season in this spot. Of course it may be a good spot and they may harvest a buck, but it is very likely that most of the bucks will be somewhere else. They were only there that day because a hot doe was there.

Buck In Hot Pursuit Of Doe

At this time my thoughts always wander back to my years as a Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. In my younger days we worked what we referred to as "the marathon". This mostly involved working night patrol and looking for jack-lighters as locating deer by artificial light at night and shooting them illegally was one of the more serious and most common offenses in our area. The marathon often began on the Friday night before Thanksgiving week and continued until the Sunday night before season. This usually involved going to work shortly after dark and staying out until the early morning hours.

Bucks Attract Much Attention, Both Legal And Illegal

Sometimes one was still working long after dawn the next morning, if they encountered a serious offense that took hours to investigate and bring to closure. But it was more likely that one was in bed by 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m., and then it was back out at dawn for some small game hunting, or as my priorities changed--wildlife photography. Mid-day was spent sleeping and then the process was repeated all over again on the following night. As we grew older this schedule was curtailed somewhat, but even in our last year of working, it was a grueling time. At one time there was little likelihood that one would make it through this period without encountering a serious offense and often there were several to deal with.

Today, the law enforcement is a thing of the past, but I am still out there most days, documenting the whitetail behavior and keeping a close eye on the welfare of the local whitetail herd. It is always a special thrill to catch a whitetail in the perfect pose--even though the subject may not be a large buck.


Whitetail Buck Performs Lip-curl

I probably spend more time afield in one week than most do in a year, but I have not hunted deer or any other species since about 1998 preferring to photograph and study the wildlife instead. If you choose to hunt this year, I do hope that you will hunt in a legal and ethical manner. Be sure to read the Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest , which comes with your hunting license and has a listing of hunting seasons and a summary of the game laws. Be aware that in some areas the first five days of season are for antlered deer only, while in other areas it is still a concurrent buck and doe season.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Whitetail Rut Peaks In PA and SNP

2011-11-15T11:27:00.000-05:00

In our area of Pennsylvania, the whitetail rut traditionally peaks around November 12th, and this year is no exception. This time frame also seems to apply to the whitetails in Shenandoah National Park as well. Once the Pennsylvania elk rut and elk season is over, I devote most of my time to observing and documenting the local whitetail herd, as well as making frequent trips to SNP.

Shenandoah 9 Point

Many ask why one goes to SNP when they are a lot of deer in Pennsylvania--at least in spots (a subject of never ending and often bitter controversy). The long and short of it is that there are few if any areas in Pennsylvania, that are accessible to the public, where one can view and photograph whitetails in a setting where the deer are not concerned about human presence, or where the bucks live to reach full maturity. At one time Gettysburg Battlefield was one such spot and I have heard that Valley Forge has or had a similar situation, but a dramatic herd reduction production program was applied to the Gettysburg deer and there was talk of implementing one at Valley Forge as well--not sure if this has happened yet or not.

Bucks appear with increasing frequency as October drifts into early November. I have noticed that in Pennsylvania, many are animals that have spent the summer elsewhere, and they appear to check on the local doe herd once the rut begins. A few remain for the duration of the rut, but most only appear for a day or so and then move on.


Whitetail Buck Checks Herd For Doe In Estrus

Mature Doe: The Object Of The Buck's Attention

In SNP there are several bucks that stay near the meadow at Big Meadows, most if not all of the year. One may photograph these animals from the time the antlers start to grow in the spring, through the summer months, and on throughout the rut, although at times some abruptly vanish when they stray on nearby private land where hunting is permitted, or are killed by poachers who sometimes boldly enter the park to kill wildlife.

Mature Shenandoah Buck Chasing Doe

The SNP bucks posted today are ones that seem to spend most of their life around the Big Meadows complex. The one above is a wide eight-point, which has been photographed by most who travel to SNP. This fall was one of the best in recent memory at the park, but I happened to be in the wrong place in the wrong time to capture a few of the biggest bucks. Also I concentrated on video as usual and so much of my best material is captured on that.

The Canon 100-400mm L IS lens is now my favorite DSLR video lens for wildlife at mid to moderately long ranges when light conditions permit its' use, and the 70-200mm F 2.8 is the lens of choice in early morning and late evening. For stills the 300mm F2.8 is now my favorite, with the 70-200mm F 2.8 being a close second. I can nail spot-on focus much better with either of these lenses than with the 500mm F4. The 100-400mm focuses extremely well, but I like the larger apertures of the other lenses and the resulting better control of depth of field and ability to shoot in lower light. The 500mm F4 is going back to Canon after the fall photography is over to have the focusing system checked out. I hope this solves the problem, but I am not overly optimistic.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard HIll.

Pennsylvania Elk Season 2011-Part 3 Results, End Of 1st Week

2011-11-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Elk Near Gilbert Viewing Area, Winslow Hill Hunt Zone 2 First Morning Of Season

By the end of the first week of Pennsylvania elk season on November 5th, 2011, 19 bull elk had been killed along with 34 antlerless--this from an allocation of 18 antlered tags and 38 antlerless, leaving only 4 antlerless tags to be filled during the extended elk season, which began on Monday and ends at close of shooting hours on Saturday November 12th. This season is open only to persons with unfilled tags and in the area of the state which is outside of the official Elk Management Area. It is designed to direct pressure at the elk that have spread into areas where the PGC does not want the animals.

You might ask, how can there be 19 bulls legally killed when there is only an 18 bull tag allocation. The extra bull is the Governors Conservation Tag, which is auctioned off each year to the highest bidder. We plan to discuss this in more detail in the near future (there are some details in PGC news release below).

The results of the hunt tends to reinforce the position that most Pennsylvania elk are not "as wild as any", as many try to claim. Historically, the success rate on bulls has been very high--usually in the 90%--100% range and this year was no exception. This is not to deny that there may be a lot of hard work involved in the logistics of a hunt, both during preparation, and dealing with the harvested animal, but in many cases there is no difficult "hunting story" to tell, although there may be some hunts that are challenging, especially in the more remote areas.

Bull Elk No Hunt Zone Gilbert Viewing Area -A Survivor Of Monday's Harvest In The Saddle

Below is the official PGC news release, which may be found by visiting the PGC website. To view the official document: Click Here.

November 08, 2011
Release #126-11 (Source The Pennsylvania Game Commission)

HUNTERS HARVEST 53 ELK IN 2011
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that 53 of the 57 licensed elk hunters were successful during the 2011 elk seasons. Of that total, 19 were antlered elk and 34 were antlerless elk.

"Elk are one of North America’s premier big game animals," Roe said. "Pennsylvania is privileged to offer this unique hunting opportunity, a product of successful wildlife management that supports Pennsylvania’s rich hunting heritage. It’s an unparalleled experience for hunters, without all the travel and expense of a one- or two-week guided elk hunt out West."

The heaviest antlered elk was taken by William G. Zee, of Doylestown, Bucks County. He took a 930-pound (estimated live weight), 9x8 on Nov. 1, in Goshen Township, Clearfield County. It’s unofficial Boone & Crockett green score was 426 and five-eighths inches. If this score holds up after the required 60-day drying time, it would be ranked second on Pennsylvania’s Big Game Records for non-typical elk.

Other high-scoring antlered elk (all estimated live weights) were: Jesse M. Heiple, of Somerset, Somerset County, took a 772-pound, 8x7 on Nov. 1, in Jay Township, Elk County, which green-scored at 399 and three-eighths inches; Ken Kastely, of Carroll, Ohio, took a 780-pound, 9x9 on Nov. 1, in Covington Township, Clearfield County, which green-scored at 386 and five-eighths inches; and Calvin E. Wallace, of Kylertown, Clearfield County, took a 711-pound, 6x7 on Oct. 31, in Jay Township, Elk County.

The heaviest antlerless elk was taken by Garry L. Foreman, of Hershey, Dauphin County, who harvested a 601-pound (estimated live weight) antlerless elk on Nov. 5, in Jay Township, Elk County.

Those hunters rounding out the top five heaviest (all estimated live weights) antlerless elk harvested were: Daniel W. Saulter, of Coudersport, Potter County, who took a 594-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 3, in Jay Township, Elk County; Gregory Collins, of Clearfield, Clearfield County, who took a 579-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 2, in Goshen Township, Clearfield County; David Grata, of Johnstown, Cambria County, who took a 546-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 1, in Goshen Township, Clearfield County; and Joshua Brubaker, of Edinboro, Erie County, who took a 517-pound antlerless elk on Oct. 31, in Benezette Township, Elk County.

Agency biologists extracted samples needed for chronic wasting disease testing. Results are expected in early 2012.

Roe also noted that Michael McGinnis, of Lyndhurst, Virginia, who was the successful bidder for the Elk Conservation Tag, harvested an antlered elk. McGinnis harvested a 7x9 on Oct. 19, in Jay Township, in Elk County. McGinnis purchased the Conservation Elk Tag during the Safari Club International’s national conference in early 2011, and was able to hunt from Sept. 1-Nov. 5.

Under the state law that created the Elk Conservation Tag, of the $29,000 that McGinnis bid for the tag, $23,200 will go to the Game Commission’s Game Fund and $5,800 will be retained by Safari Club International.

Pennsylvania Elk Season 2011-Part 2 Results as Of Noon Thursday

2011-11-04T21:06:00.000-04:00

Bull Harvested In Saddle Monday Morning

As promised we will soon get to the elk season statistics as of noon on Thursday, but first a bit of information about the bull harvested in the saddle on Monday. He was captured as a calf in Bear Hollow, fitted with numbered ear tags, and released. He was 41/2 years this fall.

The check station was very quiet when I stopped by slightly before noon on Thursday while headed back home. This was in marked contrast to the day before when several bulls were brought in to the checked.between 10:00 a.m. and noon.

Elk Check Station

At noon Thursday there were 3 bull tags and 16 cow tags that had not yet been filled out of a total allocation of 56. The following is a breakdown of some of the more pertinent statistics:

	Allocation		Harvested
Hunt Zone	Bulls	Cows	Bulls	Cows
1	Open	Open
2	4	12	2	10
3	1	2	1	1
4	1	1	1	1
5	Closed	Closed
6	Closed	Closed
7	4	6	1	2
8	4	6	0	4
9	2	9	2	4
10	2	2	2	0
11-Open Zone			6
Total	18	38	15	22

Explanation: Hunt Zone 1 has no specified allocation, but is part of the open zone. The open Zone is also called Zone 11 and is a portion of the Elk Management Area as defined on page 88 of the 2011-12 Hunting and Trapping Digest issued with hunting licenses by the PGC. The closed area is the portion of the Elk Management Area also described on the same page where elk hunting is not permitted this year. I do not think the bull killed by the holder of The Governor's Conservation Tag is included on this chart. If not 3 bulls were shot in Zone 2, but this bull was recovered in Zone 10.

It is my understanding that hunters are required to hunt in the Hunt Zone for which they are drawn, with the exception that they may choose to hunt in the open zone instead if they so desire. It is interesting to note that 6 bulls were harvested in the open zone, which has to mean that the hunters were originally given another hunt zone but chose not to hunt there. Surprisingly Zone 2 had yielded only 1/2 of its' bull allocation, while Zone 8 had none killed. and Zone 7 had 1 of its' 4 tags unfilled. It would be interesting to know what zones the hunters who harvested bulls in the Open Zone were originally chosen for, but I did not think to check and see if this information was available at the time.

Based on statistics from past years, I would venture to predict that it is likely that most if not all of the bull tags will be filled, but it is very likely that some of the cow tags will not. According to Page 86 of the Digest there is an extended season from November 7-12, where those with unfilled tags may hunt for a bull or cow depending on the type of license issued to them, but only in areas outside of the Elk Management Area, which are areas where the PGC does not want an elk herd to become established.

Now for a few more statistics. The bulls fitted with numbered collars are listed by bull number and number of points, others by points only. NT means non-typical, while T means typical.

Largest Bulls

Bull 89 (8x9) -, Zone 9 Clearfield County: NT- Gross 440, Final 426 5/8

8x7- Zone 9 Clearfield County: NT Gross 405 6/8, Final 399 3/8

Bull 3B (8x7) Zone 7: T Gross 409, Final 333 5/8.

9x9-Zone 11 (Open Zone) Gross 409 1/8, Final 386 5/8.

The above information about the largest bulls is taken from my hastily scribbled notes and I hope that it is accurate. I am not sure if the 9x9 listed last is typical or non-typical.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Pennsylvania Elk Season 2011-Part 1

2011-11-04T12:56:00.000-04:00

I was in Pennsylvania Elk Country from last Friday afternoon until noon on Thursday, observing and recording events leading up to elk season, and of course the first 3 1/2 days of season. I spent much of my time at the major viewing area on Dewey Road, which is also the only viewing area on Winslow Hill where elk are frequently harvested within plain view of the general public. This was a hot-bed of elk activity, with a large herd usually visible on the far hillside, which many know as "The Saddle". I never paused to count the elk, but heard others talk about seeing 100 animals in the area, which seems to be a good ball park figure.

I saw several bulls on the hill throughout the period, most of which were distinctively 2nd or 3rd tier bulls. I did film a very respectable bull on Friday evening, but did not see him again. There were two or more 6x6 bulls that looked much alike, making it hard to differentiate between them. Saturday brought snow and excellent encounters with these animals. One of the bulls was to figure largely in the events of Monday morning.

6x6 In Snow-Likely The Bull Harvested On The First Day

Many of the elk in the saddle, including several bulls, moved into the no hunt zone after feeding on Sunday morning, but in late evening they started working back toward the saddle and for a time elk viewing and photography was excellent along Dewey Road, but it seemed likely that by dawn most of this herd would rejoin the animals that had remained in The Saddle.

6x6 At Gilbert Viewing Area On Sunday Evening

My brother, Coy Hill of Country Captures arrived early Monday morning and 6:00 a.m. found us at the parking area at the end of Dewey Road. A few vehicles were already parked in the lot and soon more arrived, with some towing horse trailers. For a time the parking lot was a bustling bee hive of activity. Elk County WCO Doty McDowell arrived before dawn and paused to discuss the situation. With 12 cow tags and 4 bull tags being issued for Zone 2, there was the potential for severe problems at this spot, but I was hopeful that a worse case scenario would not occur, as I had only seen guides from two different outfitters during the weekend, but this did not rule out that several tag holders operating on their own could appear.

I am sure that most readers have already read Coy's accounting of the first day's happenings, but if not go to Country Captures to read the details.

At this point I will continue with the assumption that you have read his posting and will comment a bit on the situation.

The fears of a massacre proved to be unfounded for a number of reasons, one being that as best as I can tell only two outfitters were in the saddle and there were no independent tag holders. The outfitter that harvested the bull also had a client with a cow license. Both animals were killed in the same time frame, with the first shot fired at the bull being the signal for the client with the cow tag to fire. Each clients was escorted by an individual guide, who appeared to maintain tight control over the situation and ensured that all went smoothly.

The person that harvested the cow later in the morning was guided by a different outfitter who also appeared to operate in a very circumspect and discrete manner, and it must be emphasized that the two groups of outfitters respected each others' operations and did not interact in a competitive manner

At no time during the weekend did I approach anyone with an elk tag or a guide and bring up the subject of hunting the elk on Winslow Hill, or even discuss elk hunting in general, but two guides did initiate discussion on the subject with me. Each had a somewhat different outlook on the situation. (I must emphasize that everyone I encountered that guided or was associated with the guides/outfitters was courteous and respectful).

One guide was especially concerned about the prospects for a "massacre" on Winslow Hill and felt that the tame elk on Winslow Hill should not be hunted--at least on the hillside that is in plain view of the Gilbert viewing area and Winslow Hill Road. It is my understanding that this guide did have Zone 2 tag holders, but placed them in other areas of Zone 2 and not near the viewing areas.

A guide who did participate in Monday,s happenings in The Saddle had a somewhat different take on the situation. He stated up-front that he mostly agreed with what I have written and said about the situation in that area, but that if he didn't guide there someone else would, and since they had clients with Zone 2 tags and the saddle was in the hunt zone, then he would guide them there. He also made the point that even though we could disagree on details that we could still get along. I wholeheartedly agree with this, and his party and I encountered each other several times throughout elk season, and maintained a cordial relationship.

I must emphasize again that the problem is not in most cases with the hunters and guides, or the PGC employees, but with the policy that permits this to occur. There is no use to rehash the entire issue at this point. If you are a newcomer to the blog, read through the archives or view "The Truth About Pennsylvania's Elk Herd" and read and watch with an open mind. Do not jump to the knee-jerk reaction of a few that this is anti-hunting propaganda. It has been plainly stated quite often that we are discussing ideas that can result in a win-win situation for both the consumptive and non-consumptive user.

Elk Season Results for Monday through mid-day Thursday to be posted soon.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

2011 Pennsylvania Elk Season Nears

2011-10-28T06:20:00.000-04:00

Foggy Morning Bull

As I write this, in only three more mornings the 2011 Pennsylvania elk season will be upon us. With the Winslow Hill sub-herd being larger than ever, we are entering season with ten bulls and twenty cows slated to be taken from Elk Hunt Zones 2,8, 10. I concentrate on the figures from these zones as it seems likely that a high percentage of the elk seen on Winslow Hill come from these areas--especially the bulls (cows are more likely to remain in their home range, while bulls will range further-especially during the rut.. The allocation was not increased in Zone 10 this year, but it was doubled for bulls in Zones 2, and 8. The cow allocation for Zone 2 was doubled for 2011, while it remains the same for Zones 8, and 10.

Bull Pauses From Chasing Cows

Most will agree that there were a lot of elk on Winslow Hill during the rut, and many of them were impressive bulls, although upon close inspection it turns out that most of these ranged from 6x6s to 7x8s. I personally did not see one of the massive, branch antlered bulls such as the bull from the late 1990s and early 2000s known as "Old One Eye", or "One Eyed Frank", or "Fred" the famous town bull at his peak. That being said, a classically beautiful 7x8 that was seen each day during my two weeks in elk country, is very good indeed. An experienced guide estimated that he is in the 400 class and predicted that he will be killed this year.

"One Eye" 1999: Video still capture- Canon L2 Hi-8 Camcorder

Many of the bulls should have left the hill by now and returned to the areas where they normally live, which for a great many of them this is the Gray Hill and Spring Run areas. Two of the largest bulls taken last year were shot in Spring Run--a 7x7 that is currently the state record typical bull, and the Crazy Legs, Jr. bull, which is why I focus on these Hunt Zones in expressing concerns about the allocations. Perhaps the best chance for a bull's survival is if he spends the season inside someone's safety zone, or on posted property where the owner will not allow access for elk hunting.

At first glance, the ten bull allocation for these areas may not seem excessive when one considers the number of bulls seen overall, but the problem is that attention will be focused on the largest and the removal of ten large bulls from this area could severely impact the quality of bull sighted in the years to come. In actual practice it is likely that not all hunters will hold out for a big bull. To some a 5x5 in their sights is simply too much to pass up--especially after hunting for a day or so, but it does seem likely that most of the bull tags will be filled, as the success rate on Pennsylvania bulls usually runs in the 90%-100% range.

But so much for speculation, the allocations for this year are written in stone, the hunters have their permits and are ready to go, and the elk that will be hunted are there. In a few short days the drama will unfold and whatever will be,will be.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Late October Whitetails

2011-10-26T06:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday my brother Coy of Country Captures and I traveled to Shenandoah National Park for a morning of wildlife photography, with our primary objective being to photograph whitetail bucks, although we welcomed any photographic opportunity that might present itself.

It was cold and clear atop the mountain with a brutal wind and with these conditions it seemed likely that the whitetail rut was booming. We saw a few medium-size bucks in the meadow and laid out a plan to photograph the most likely subjects. Surprisingly the bucks had little to no interest in the does and spent most of the time feeding, but we were lucky enough to capture some outstanding interaction between two of the bucks. I concentrated on taking video as usual and today the tool of choice was the Rebel T3i with the 70-200mm F 2.8 L. The best of the action was captured on video, but I did pause at one point and take a few still frames. For better photos of this encounter visit Coy at Country Captures.

Whitetail Bucks Interact

It is also possible to capture stills from the video recording in an editing program after the fact, but since HD video has only 2 mega-pixels of resolution the photos suffer in comparison to ones taken in still mode where the entire resolution of the sensor is utilized. That being said, photos captured in this way still work reasonably well for publishing on the internet, and other uses where one doesn't need a large size, razor sharp image.

Still Capture From T3i Video

All the while I was carrying the Canon 7D with 300mm F2.8 over my shoulder and at one point switched cameras and took several frames with this rig, but by this time the exciting interaction was over.

Whitetail Buck Browses At Shenandoah National Park

The bucks did not linger long in the meadow and by late morning we were headed back toward Thornton Gap and home. On the way we encountered the largest buck of the trip. We first saw him feeding by the roadside, but he soon crossed into the woods, which gave an excellent background The late morning light was harsh making for difficult photographic conditions.. This buck was interested in the does, and performed some classic rutting activity by lowering his head and chasing them and then pausing to perform the lip-curl.

Whitetail Buck Performs Lip-Curl

We were back in Pennsylvania by mid-afternoon and that evening I encountered the largest Pennsylvania buck of the autumn to date. While not exceptional, this is a very decent buck for our area. Since the distance was 150 yards or more, I was using the T3i with the 100-400mm lens with the 3X crop factor engaged to record the animal to video. The following photograph is a still capture from that video.

Pennsylvania Eight-Point

This buck was actively looking for a receptive doe, but none were to be found and he eventually moved on, bringing a fitting conclusion to an excellent day afield.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Pennsylvania Elk Rut : Paul Staniszewski's Elk Viewing Guide

2011-10-23T11:25:00.000-04:00

Mature Bull Guards Harem From Challengers

I photographed this fine bull on the first evening of my trip to Pennsylvania elk country to photograph and film the 2011 rut. I carried three telephoto lenses that evening--the 28-135mm, 70-200mm f2.8, and the 300mm f2.8. The 70-200mm would have worked fine to photograph the entire bull, but the area where he was standing did not make the best setting for an elk portrait. I used the 300mm f2.8 to isolate him against the nearby woods, and further improved the composition by cropping the image in photo shop.

It seems that interest in serious elk photography is increasing each year and Paul Staniszewski has written a "Guide to Photographing Elk in Pennsylvania", which you may access my visiting his website, or by clicking the link in the sidebar of this blog.. The guide features an overview of elk photograph, along with tips on photographic equipment and techniques, the best times to look for elk, and location of the public elk viewing areas. Be sure to browse Paul's website and stop by the Elk Country Visitors Center to check out his selection of floral note-cards and wildlife photographs, which are for sale in the gift shop.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

The First Whitetail Bucks Of Autumn Appear

2011-10-19T21:59:00.001-04:00

I am not used to going for long periods without seeing whitetail bucks near my Pennsylvania home, but that is what has happened since late August. At one point in the summer I did find a bachelor group of bucks and saw them on several occasions, but I only saw one decent buck in the area where I spend most of my time and he vanished on the night of August 23. I had been seeing this buck each day in both morning and evening. I also found a dead fawn on the following day. While recently killed it had been eaten enough by vultures that I could not tell if a bullet wound was the cause of death, but the combination of this and the disappearance of the buck strongly indicated poaching.

Usually I see bucks on a regular basis throughout the summer and by early September a few strange ones appear. A few settle in and make the area their home range, but most visit only a time or two or else return at widely spaced intervals. This did not happen this year and it was not until Saturday morning that I had the opportunity to photograph a buck and he was very small.

First Buck Of The Autumn

I usually consider that the pre-rut begins after the velvet is shed in late August and early September, with the full-blown rut beginning in late October or early November. Whatever the case this young buck had a swollen neck and an aggressive attitude and wasted no time in chasing does about the meadow.

The next day brought the sighting of a much larger buck, but I concentrated on taking video and did not succeed in capturing him with the still camera until he returned two mornings later.

6 Point Buck Does Lip-Curl

This buck was very interested in the does also and at times chased them around the meadow. I was able to capture him doing the lip-curl, which is one of my favorite poses of them when I am documenting rutting behavior.

On the morning between the sighting of the small three point and the second sighting of the six-point, a much larger buck appeared briefly and he too did the lip-curl. The photo below is actually a still captured in my video editing program from video footage taken with the Canon T3i and the 100-400mm L lens at 400mm with the 3x crop function engaged (a small spike is also in the photo with him). These bucks were at least 175 yards away, so this serves to illustrate what one can do with the T3i and the 3x crop mode. In my opinion this makes it very usable as a long range video camera for wild, wary, whitetails.

Eight Point and Spike At Long Range

Today was cloudy and mild with warmer temperatures and not one buck appeared. Hopefully with the next shot of brisk fall weather more will be seen. Many times, the very largest bucks do not appear until during the peak of the rut and in most cases they are much more shy than the younger animals. None of the bucks pictured here are considered large for even this area of Pennsylvania where bucks are not noted for their antler mass, but I would suspect that a high percentage of the bucks killed are no larger than the eight point pictured and quite a few are much smaller.

Pennsylvania has had antler restrictions for several years and in our area a buck must have three or more points on one antler to be legal. A tine is considered a point if it is at least one inch long from the base to the tip, and the main beam is counted as a point regardless of length. In some areas of the state the animal must have at least four points on one antler.

While some are very upset by antler restrictions, I have noted a marked increase both in antler size and the number of bucks surviving hunting season. Before antler restrictions, it was not common to see bachelor groups of bucks in the summer, but now it is fairly commonplace. To be successful in seeing them; however, one has to be out there at the crack of dawn or as dusk is falling to see them in most cases.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer.

Two October Mornings At Middle Creek

2011-10-14T22:40:00.003-04:00

I traveled to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area near Kleinfeltersville, Pennsylvania on the mornings of October 9th and 10th for some low-key waterfowl photography and filming. As happens so often, I focused on video, and so took very few stills. I like to arrive early and photograph the waterfowl in the lake before sunrise as this period often has some dramatic light.

Waterfowl On Middle Creek Lake: 17-40mm at 40mm

It was not nearly as exciting as in the spring when large flocks of Tundra Swans and Snow Geese are present, but there were a good number of Canada Geese and Black Ducks, and I spotted a pair of Northern Shovelers. Other species sighted, but not photographed with the still cameras included Osprey, Great Blue Heron, and Snowy Egret.

As it grew brighter I noticed a pair of Canada Geese in the pothole across Hopeland Road from Middle Creek Lake and photographed them with the Canon 7D and the 70-200mm f2.8 L lens.

Canada Geese In Light Early Morning Fog

During this time I was shooting a lot of video with the Canon T3i and the 500mm F4 lens. I find myself using this rig instead of the Canon XL-H1 more and more when I am shooting video. While shooting video I had the 7D with 70-200mm slung across one shoulder and I shifted to it to capture a few shots of Canada Geese landing in the pothole.

Canada Geese Prepare To Land

Canada Geese Touching Down

This was not as exciting as photographing the Pennsylvania elk rut, but it was very satisfying in its' own way. One could spend a lot of time here working on flight shots and capturing take-offs and landings with both still and video.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

"Limpy" The Bull That Roars: A Close Look At A Mature Pennsylvania Bull

2011-10-08T17:53:00.001-04:00

7x7 known as "Limpy" Roars

It was one of those perfect evenings on Winslow Hill during the rut of 2009 as several small and medium sized bulls ranged a meadow in pursuit of cows. As the sun dropped low on the western horizon the air was tinged with a pleasant coolness, which hinted of cold frosty nights to come. For a time many other photographers and elk watchers enjoyed the evening, but they left as the sun dropped below the horizon and I found myself alone with the elk. I had almost decided to leave too, but there was a lot of bugling coming from the edge of the woods nearby and I decided to get into a better position to record audio of this spine tingling serenade. As I drifted through the meadow I reflected on what a perfect evening it had been with the exception that I had seen no mature bulls. I had just placed the Canon XL-H1 video camera in position to record the audio when suddenly several bulls came out of the tree line nearby following cows, which passed to my right side and circled to the hillside behind me with the bulls close behind. All the while, the air was rent with screaming bugles. Some of the bulls were raghorns, but others were large, mature bulls and at one point two bulls locked antlers in a violent but brief scuffle. I had been not been aware of the mature bulls as individual animals before this, but all were to loom large in my elk experiences during the next few years.

Mature Bull Bugles While Others Lock Antlers

One of these animals was the bull featured in the first photo above I was to encounter him again at The Gilbert on December 23, 2009, which was a bright, but bitter cold winter day. He and several smaller bulls spent the entire day there with a large herd of cows, basking in the bright sunlight in areas that were protected from the winds.

7x7 At Gilbert: December 23, 2009

I was to see him again during the rut of 2010 when he spent a lot of time lying near the rental house at the Donnie Dudley rental house on Winslow Hill. He walked with a pronounced limp and soon acquired the soubriquet of "Limpy". Eventually he moved to The Saddle area and figured prominently in the encounter, which I and my brother Coy of Country Captures and retired PGC Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer, had with the holder of The Governor's Conservation Elk Tag and his guide on the morning of September 29th. See , An Unpleasant Encounter In Pennsylvania Elk Country, which was originally posted on October 10, 2010.

7x7 Bull "Limpy" September 29th 2010 Before Encounter: Video Still Canon XL-H1 W.Hill

This is one of those bulls that is very impressive indeed, but seems to have grown little if any larger since 2009. He is also noted for his deep, throaty, rumbling bugle, which could be described as a roar. It is one of the most impressive bugles I have heard!

While one should always respect these animals and not infringe on their personal space, this bull is completely acclimated to humans and is very trusting of them. He is living proof that many Pennsylvania elk are not "as wild as any" as is often claimed. Hopefully he will not be killed during the coming season, but if he is, it will be interesting to see how those involved try to spin this into an exciting, challenging, hunting adventure.

7x7 Lying In Woods Near Harem

A seasoned outdoorsman who has photographed elk all over the United States, and hunted them in one of the western states discussed this situation in detail with my brother last week in Elk County. His two major points were that these are some of the largest, most easily seen bulls anywhere in the United States including the national parks and they are also the most accepting of humans and most docile he has seen . When discussing that 10 of the 18 bull tags issued (19 if one considers the Governor's Conservation tag) were for the Hunt Zones that most directly influence the viewing areas on Winslow Hill (Zones 2,8, and 10)-his reaction was WHY?

To be continued along with discussion of more facets of the elk management controversy.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Pennsylvania Elk Rut 2011-Part 1

2011-10-04T14:37:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Pennsylvania's elk country on the afternoon of September 18th, and returned home after the morning's activity on Friday September 30th. Weather conditions were less than ideal, but rutting activity and photo/filming opportunities were outstanding. At one time I preferred bright, sunny weather for photography, but now I like to do a substantial amount of photography and filming in weather which has "character". Video is especially effective when it is raining or snowing as the falling precipitation contributes to the "wild" look of the scene. As usual, there was a lot of fog at times, but this too can result in dramatic photographs as long as it is not so thick as to obscure the subject.

Early Morning Fog Adds Atmosphere To Photos And Video

Distant Herd Bull And Harem

The warm weather was actually the biggest problem as rutting activity decreases during warm periods and there were some evenings that were very disappointing. I recall one in particular where several bulls arrived at the Gilbert viewing area, only to lie down and do little except bugle intermittently until it was too dark for good photographs. I actually do not have many good photographs from this trip as I concentrated on video and neglected to take stills in many cases. I am currently in the process of rough editing and archiving the video from this trip and have almost completed that which was taken with the Canon XL-H1 and I am now about to begin working with footage taken with the T3i. Considering the amount and quality of video taken, this was one of the most outstanding trips to elk country I have ever had.

Another important aspect of the trip is getting to touch base with a lot of people that one only gets to see once or twice a year and it is always good to meet blog readers and those that have seen the elk film. In what is hopefully to be one of many meetings, Richard Coy organized a gathering and picnic at the old Benezette School pavilion on Saturday September 24th for those that discuss the Pennsylvania elk herd on Facebook. He called it "Elk Rut Shoot 2011". After the afternoon picnic, several members of the group went to the popular viewing areas on Dewey Road for an evening of elk photography. I already knew several of the attendees, but it was good to actually meet the others I only knew as online personalities from Facebook or the blog,. . In the past few years I have met many people face to face that I have corresponded with in comments on the blog, e-mails, and Facebook postings and in most if not all cases, I find them to be exactly as one expects them to be. Most that are interested in serious wildlife photography are truly good people and this shows through in their writing and when one meets them.

Pennsylvania Elk Rut Shoot 2011; Old Benezette School

Photographers Meet In Elk Country: Paul Staniszewski, Odie Swartz, Ron Saffer, David Anderson, Randy Quinn

I thank all of those that have purchased "The Truth About Pennsylvania's Elk Herd" and that read the blog. The video, which was released in the fall of 2008 continues to sell well and is still pertinent to most of the issues about elk management and the hunt today. The PGC did eliminate the combined hunt zones, which did address one of the major concerns discussed in the film, but this year they negated that by doubling the number of bull tags issued for Hunt Zones 2 and 8, which are immediately adjacent to the elk viewing areas, but that has been discussed in the past and will hopefully be a subject for future posts.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Peak Of Pennsylvania Elk Rut Nears

2011-09-17T20:05:00.001-04:00

Each year the woods and meadows of Pennsylvania Elk Country resound with the mighty bugle of the bull elk or wapiti as the Indians called him. This is the time that most serious elk enthusiasts journey to Pennsylvania's northwoods to take in the sights and sounds of the rut. The rut actually begins in late August or early September, but the tempo usually picks up considerably by mid-September and peaks around the last week of the month, with activity usually declining rapidly in early October.

With this in mind I am posting a 2minute 57 sec. video clip, which shows the highlights of the 2010 rut, although the video actually starts with two dramatic clips of elk taken during the last few days of October. The next few scenes show clips of the famous character bull "Crazy Legs, Jr." which was killed in elk season last year. Clips of him are interspersed with two different takes of a large collared bull, which was seen frequently at the Gilbert Viewing Area. The number on the collar was damaged too severely to read and I have no idea what number this bull was, but it was one of the largest seen on Winslow Hill. The somewhat smaller collared bull shown is 8A. Also included are several clips of smaller bulls, and a large bull that many referred to as having a drop tine. The video ends with a short, violent clash of antlers between two bulls shortly after dawn on the last morning of the 2010 trip.

This brief fight was taken with the Canon 7D and a 300mm F4 lens. It was still so dark that I had to use ISO 2000 and the video is not good quality--at least on a large screen HDTV, but is included here because it is dramatic. All too often some of the best action occurs either too early or too late for best photo or video quality.

The video is a good sample of what one can see if they put in the time in the elk range. I hope to see you in Pennsylvania Elk Country this fall.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

More August Elk Encounters

2011-09-10T21:47:00.001-04:00

Most who are interested in Pennsylvania's elk herd are now focused on the rut, which begins in late August and really gets underway during September. Activity should gradually intensify, with the last two weeks of September or very early October being the best time to travel to elk country to witness the sights and sounds of the rut. Unfortunately we do not yet have any photographs from this year's rut and are still catching up on photographs from the August trip and the western trip.

Dawn on Wednesday August 17th found me driving up Winslow Hill Road from Benezette. At 6:30 I spied two bulls feeding on vegetation by the side of the road, so I pulled my Ford Escape to the side of the road. I was concentrating on video this morning and had the Canon T3i with 70-200mm f2.8 mounted on the tripod and resting on soft padding in the rear of the vehicle, so I carefully exited the vehicle, got the camera set up, and began filming the animals. A major reason that I am using the DSLRS more and more to film wildlife is that one still has the option to take high resolution still photos without using another camera and when I had enough footage, I took a few still shots of the animals when they paused from feeding to look at me.

Young Bull Pauses From Feeding In Early Morning

The Second Bull Pauses Before Vanishing Into Brush

As it grew later, the bulls vanished into the brush, headed in the direction of a meadow. As I was to find out later, Paul Staniszewski came along about thirty minutes later and found them in the meadow. He got two excellent photographs, which he was good enough to share with us.

Bulls Posing In Meadow

Many make the mistake of snapping a photo of animals and then quickly moving on in search of another, but patience often pays off and Paul stayed in position for awhile in hopes that something interesting would occur, and he was rewarded when they engaged in a sparring match.

Bulls Sparring-Not To Be Confused With Fighting

These are beautiful bulls, but they are not large mature bulls--not even close. I was amazed during the August trip how many people would tell me there were two large bulls just down the road and I should go and photograph them. I am almost certain that this is the two they were talking about and I knew I would get photos of them when the time was right, but at that time I was working a really large bull--at least for August on Winslow Hill after several years of trophy hunting, which has really hurt the resident mature bull population. The bull below is one of the few large resident bulls on Winslow Hill and his chances of surviving to reach his full potential are not great.


A Large Bull With The Potential To Become Exceptional If Allowed To Live

I am told by reliable sources that there are some outstanding bulls in the outlying areas and that some if not many of them should show up on Winslow Hill for the rut. Many bulls do travel extreme distances to visit the traditional breeding grounds on Winslow Hill, but in the past there were several large bulls that lived in the immediate area the entire year. At this point most of them have been shot in hunting season or died of old age (Fred & Bill Jr.) and have not been replaced by younger bulls as they are taken either before, or immediately when they become exceptional.

When visiting elk country be sure to look for Paul Staniszewski's floral note cards and photographs in the Elk Country Visitor Center gift shop. If you have not already purchased my two part documentary film, "The Truth About Pennsylvania's Elk Herd", please stop by Benezette Store and Restaurant and have them show you a portion of the film on the wide screen HDTV in the store and consider purchasing it. The film gives a brief overall history of Pennsylvania elk, but concentrates on the period from 1995 when I first began filming elk until 2008 when the film was completed. It gives a detailed view of the life cycle of the elk, with an emphasis on the rut. It also covers the most famous character bulls of the period such as Fred, Bad Boy, Mean Bill, and Screamer. The film closes by taking a look at elk management issues and the controversy surrounding the hunt. While some things did change for the better since then, the PGC largely negated the positive changes this year by boosting the bull allocations in Zone 2 and Zone 8 this year and again unwarranted hunting pressure is being directed at the bulls that live around the viewing areas.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer Goes West

2011-09-07T13:26:00.003-04:00

Rocky Mountain National Park-The First Destination Of Our Western Trip

The morning of August 27 found my wife and I traveling with our daughter Amy and husband Justin, to BWI-Marshall airport as we embarked on a nine day western trip. The morning was marked by anxiety rather than anticipation of the trip, as hurricane Irene was due to arrive later that morning. After checking our baggage and passing through TSA security we proceeded to the boarding area to find that the airport was closing at 12:00 noon. We were scheduled to leave at 11:45 and it was none too soon. There had been no wind all morning and little to no rain, but as we waited for take-off, angry clouds arrived, the wind began to stir, and a light rain started falling. We had to wait a few minutes for transfer passengers from another flight, but soon they arrived and the flight began. In no time the plane flew into sunny, beautiful weather and we landed in Denver, Colorado to bright sunshine and temperatures in the 80s.

Our first destination was Estes Park, which we used as our base for one evening and three full days of exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. One of the primary attractions of the park is the stunning scenery and it seemed there were beautiful vistas almost anywhere one pointed the camera.


Horseshoe Park From Fall River Road

We only saw a few mule deer, magpies, and crows on Saturday evening, but this changed on Sunday morning when we took scenic Fall Road from Horseshoe Park to The Alpine Visitor Center. This is a one-way, narrow, dirt and gravel road with a lot of switchbacks. We saw a lot of elk as soon as we got to timberline, but all were too far for good photography, although I did get some excellent video as I used the T3i and 500mm lens with the 3x crop mode. This rig enabled one to "really reach out and touch them", especially if one used the 1.4X extender also.

Needless to say, we returned that evening to photograph the rutting activity. By this time we had learned that the weather is very unstable at this elevation, and one can expect a rain squall to suddenly materialize, but when we arrived at timberline this evening there were only a few fluffy white clouds in the sky and elk were everywhere, with a bachelor group of several young bulls lying so close to the road that the 70-200mm f2.8 and the 28-135mm were the best choices for photographing them. I went into action with the 70-200mm on the 7D and the 28-135mm on the T3i. While I mostly used the T3i for video, I took the two photos below with it as the it was already on the tripod and the 28-135mm gave the composition that I wanted, without the hassle of changing lenses.

Seven Bulls In High Mountain West-28-135mm lens at 117mm

Pennsylvania has an excellent elk herd, that is usually fairly easy to photograph, but dare I be somewhat disloyal by saying that while the elk themselves are just as photogenic, that the western scenery in many cases presents a more stunning backdrop against which to photograph them--although I must say that Pennsylvania Elk Country does have a charm of its' own and is very beautiful in its' own way. Perhaps it is partly because that we were brought up thinking of elk as western animals and in a way they look more at home in the western meadows, but we must remember that they are every bit as native to Pennsylvania as to Colorado and it was the uncontrolled hunting and exploitation of the species that caused it to vanish from Pennsylvania's woods (although there is some grounds to believe that a few of the native elk did survive).

Bulls Resting In The Stunning High Mountain West

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

A Pennsylvania Elk Season Story--Eyewitness Recounts Killing Of Well Known Bull

2011-08-26T11:57:00.000-04:00

After a successful morning of elk photography on Wednesday of last week, I found Bob and James Shank, Ron Saffer, and Paul Staniszewski gathered in the parking lot by the ponds on Dewey Road. For a time we had an enjoyable discussion about elk photography and cameras and soon another elk watcher and photographer arrived. I found that he too had experienced a successful morning. Eventually the conversation turned to last year's elk season and he told me that he had personally seen the killing of a well known "character" bull on the first day of the 2010 season.

As he related the story, he arrived in a certain area to find several bulls in a meadow that had houses and camps on every side of it. The bulls were surrounded by a large number of persons who appeared to be assisting in the hunt, but no bull was shot at this point. It seems they were keeping the animals there so that if the bull they wanted did not arrive, the person they were guiding (who had a bull tag) could kill one of these animals. One of these bulls was an extremely impressive animal and another guide who was not part of this hunting party was allegedly complaining about this party keeping the bulls from leaving the meadow so that others could not shoot any of them.

In time the famous character bull came walking from the woods by a camp on the opposite side of a township road from where the bulls were in the meadow, crossed the road, and headed toward the general area where the other bulls were. As he left the township road, he entered an area, which was a mixture of small to mid-sized trees and open grasses. A portion of the hunting party arrived and the shooter was positioned some distance from the road in this meadow.. At this point the witness estimates the bull was about 50 yards from the shooter. It seems he missed the animal completely with the first shot and the bull gave little to no reaction to being shot at. The shooter was then placed a few feet from that position and he fired again--this time hitting the animal in a leg, and again there was little if any reaction to the gunfire and the bullet wound other than to move enough that the shooter had to be repositioned. The third shot was fatal and a famous Pennsylvania bull elk was no more.

On Thursday morning the witness and I traveled to the area and he related the account again to me again as we stood near to where this all occurred. Later in the morning another source confirmed that the bull was killed in that spot and the story as told was consistent with the accepted details of the story that they "the source" was aware of. There were a few small details that they had not heard from others participating in the event so they could not comment on those aspects.

This is known as a good area to see elk, so I left Benezette before dawn on Friday morning so as to be there by photographic light, but I encountered a bachelor group in a roadside meadow as day was breaking so I paused for awhile to film and photograph these animals. This turned out to be one of the best photo opportunities of the trip.

Foggy Morning 6x7-Velvet Hanging In Strips: 500mmF4

Another respectable bull was with this one along with at least two raghorns. This one is a bit smaller, and the points are somewhat difficult to count. Some would call him a 6x7, while others might say 6x5. I am not sure if one of the points on the left antler is long enough to be considered a point, but I suspect it is not. There were also two raghorns with them, but they were not photographed, although they were successfully filmed.

Bulls In Early Morning Fog: 300mm F2.8

I resumed my journey once this encounter ended and although it was growing late in the morning to see elk the fog still lingered, which increased the probability that the elk would stay in the open later than usual. I arrived to find a bull alternating between grazing and feeding on apples--this in the same field where the bull was killed in elk season.

Bull Feeding On Apples: 300mm F2.8

I was filming him when several persons arrived on the scene in a pickup truck and stopped some distance away. Soon I realized that one of them was standing beside me and he remarked that I needed to "put a set of crosshairs on that thing, and put a barrel on it and then squeeze the trigger". With that remark he turned and walked away. The bull went into the edge of the woods but came back out so I mounted the 300mm F2.8 on the tripod and photographed the animal. After awhile he left the tree and headed for a nearby lawn and as he did so a vehicle came down the driveway from the house. It was the person that lived there and he was on his way to work. He pulled up to me and said, "take him along with you", and then told me that it had been a very dry summer and the elk had severely damaged his corn and garden and in fact a small bull was in the garden as we spoke and the one shown here today was on his way to join in.

With that it was time to head back for Benezette and then for home. I did have some more bull encounters on the way, but that is a story for another time as is an analysis of this situation.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

The Velvet Is Shed As Pennsylvania Elk Rut Approaches

2011-08-20T16:02:00.002-04:00

August is a month of change for the Pennsylvania elk herd. The antlers complete their development in July and the velvet dries out and cracks in early to mid-August with many bulls starting the shedding process during the second week of August. I was in Pennsylvania Elk Country from August 15th through the 19th, looking to document this process and found what would prove to be the largest bull of the trip lying in a meadow beside Winslow Hill Road on Monday evening.

9x8 Bull Elk Starting To Shed Velvet

It is difficult to see with the size of the photo on the blog, but count forward three points from the back of the left beam and then look just below the two points that are clustered together and you can see the first bloody, partially bare patch on his antlers. Eventually he got up, dislodged some apples from a nearby tree with his antlers, and rubbed the velvet against the limbs. At this point one could also see some blood and partially bare areas on the other antler as well.

I found him in the same spot at dawn on Tuesday morning and the shedding was much more advanced, but he still had a long way to go.

Bare Spots Are Larger Next Morning With Strips Of Velvet Hanging Loose

I was at this meadow at dawn on Thursday morning , but he was not there so I went on the Hick's Run viewing area where I saw a lot of whitetail deer, but sometime after I left well known elk watcher and photographer Lamie Wheler saw him crossing the meadow and took a series of photos of him as he violently rubbed an autumn olive bush less than twenty yards from the road. This was exactly what I wanted to film with the video camera, but alas I was in the wrong place. Later in the morning I encountered him at the edge of some woodlands and only a few strips of velvet remained.

Shedding Almost Complete On Thursday Morning

I checked the meadow again that evening as dusk was falling and he was moving across it in such a manner that it was obvious that he was not going to linger long enough to take still photographs so I mounted the Canon XL-H1 camcorder and got a a few video clips before he vanished from sight. As best as I could tell the antlers were completely bare by this point. All of the above photos were taken with the Canon 500mmF4 IS. The first two are with the Canon 7D and the third with the T3i.

I hope to post more photographs from the trip over the next few days, but the trip was not only about photography, but elk management issues as well. With the annual drawing for elk licenses being held in September and elk season being held from October 31--November 5th and the extended season from November 7th through the 12th--there is is quite a bit of talk about the events of the past season and the decision to issue 10 of the 18 bull tags for Zone 2, 8, and 10 this year. These are the zones that most directly impact the areas where most visitors look for elk. If one includes the special conservation tag, this means a total of 11 of the bulls that frequent the center of elk related tourism could be killed. With hunter success rate running between approximately 90-100% on bulls this effectively means that there is a high possibility that at least 10 of the bulls that you see on Winslow Hill this September will be dead by mid-November.

As disturbing as this is, it was eclipsed by an eyewitness account of the killing of a bull during the past season. I hope to share at least portions of this story in the next post.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Canon T3i: A Powerful Tool For Long Range Video

2011-08-15T00:24:00.001-04:00

In early2011 Canon introduced a new top of the line entry level DSLR, which is known in most of the world as the 600D, but is called the T3i here in the United States. It features an 18 MP sensor as does the 7D and the 60D. They camera is available as a body only, or in kit form with the 18mm-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II. This post is not intended to be an in-depth review of the camera, but will rather dwell on what factors influenced me to purchase it over other models that at first glance may appear more desirable.

Canon T3i with 18mm-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II Lens, Rode Videomic Pro, Manfrotto 516 Video Head

Lets face it, I am primarily a video shooter with a strong interest in still photography and even call this blog Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer, but when push comes to shove I will turn to the video over the still. Even at this point I think still photography is better suited for blogging as in many cases a video will not play back smoothly or quickly online and readers do not want to take the time to deal with it. Suffice it to say that my still photography has often suffered due to taking second place to video. A prime example is that while I almost always use a tripod to shoot video, I have taken a lot of Pennsylvania elk stills handheld or without some of my best lenses, because I used the tripod for the camcorder and shot the still camera hand-held--often resting it over the top of the camcorder to obtain an extra measure of steadiness. HD camcorders can take still photos, which are usable on the internet, but not suitable for enlargement purposes.

When the Canon 7D became available I had high hopes that it would enable me to take both high quality stills and video and thus alleviate or eliminate the need for two separate systems, but while it did improve things it still did not allow serious wildlife film makers to move away from cameras such as the Canon XL-H1. The Canon XL series uses (or should I say used--as they are now discontinued?) an EF adapter to enable one to attach Canon mount still lenses. Since the video cameras have 1/3' sensors, this makes a given focal length effectively 7.2X more powerful than it is on a 35mm camera. In practical purposes this means that a 500mm lens becomes a 3,600mm 35 equivalent on an XL-H1. One can often crop a photo quite a bit during post processing in still photography, but even high definition video is currently only about 2MP and one must be very restrained at cropping in post production so one either gets acceptable image size by getting close or by using a very powerful lens and these adapters enable one to use the powerful lenses. The downside is that the cameras are/were very expensive with the XL-H1 coming on the market at nearly $10,000 in 2005 and dropping to the $8,000 range until it was replaced by the XL-H1s which sold for about the same price range.

At his point Canon has not yet offered a replacement for the XL cameras and while it is assumed that one is coming it will almost certainly be a different lens mount and the price will likely be very steep. With that in mind, I am always hoping that a more economical way develops to take long rang video footage.

I got the 7D in October of 2009 and have been shooting it and a 40D since then, while still pressing a 30D into service at times, but this spring I was thinking that with my strong video interest that I needed to have both DSLRS to have video capability and this really came to a head one morning in late spring when I was taking stills with the 7D and 300mm 2.8 and the 40D with 70-200mm f2.8. I was checking images on the LCDs to evaluate what I had taken and even though I had been aware of this all along at this point it really came home to me how good it was to have an LCD that was sharp enough to evaluate the sharpness of a photo. At this point I decided that the 40D had to be retired. I had almost decided to order a Canon 60D, which has HD video, an articulating LCD, and manual audio control. The last two features make the 60D superior to the 7D for video. In my research I noted that the 60D also had a "crop mode" which gave an added telephoto effect, but that this feature was in standard definition only. A bit more reading and I found that the new Rebel, the T3i, actually had a 3X crop factor that was HD quality. It is beyond the scope of this post to explain this completely, but bearing in mind that HD video is only 2MP, camera manufacturers reduce the resolution of an 18mp sensor to 2MP when recording video. In short they are able to take a 3x crop from the T3i sensor and get the 2MP needed for HD without actually cropping pixels and destroying fine detail as is the case with using what is usually known as "digital zoom". While Canon says the camera has a 3x-10X digital zoom--the 3X does not degrade quality (in fact some claim it is superior as it does not show some of the artifacts caused by scaling an 18mp image to a 2mp), while the 5X and 10X does as it does begin enlarging pixels beyond 3X.

Now with most of the technical talk behind us, what does this mean in terms of practical application to wildlife filming? Today we will deal with this camera and the 500mm F4 Canon lens with 1.4 extender attached. First the T3i along with the 7D and 60D has an aps-c sensor which has a 1.6 crop factor in Canon cameras compared to 35mm. This alone makes the 500mm the 35mm equivalent of of an 800mm lens. When one adds the 1.4 extender, it becomes the 35mm equivalent of 1,120mm.

Canon T3i with 500mm F4 IS Lens and 1.4x Extender

While some would consider this to be an unwieldy rig, it is actually much easier to control than an XL-H1 with the same lens and I think it is easier to carry than the XL with even smaller lenses such as the 100-400mm Canon L. First lets look at some whitetails feeding at a tremendous distance and at this point we will just look at a photograph of the LCD. The first photo is the 500mm F4 and 1.4 extender without the 3x crop engaged.

Canon T3i with 500mm F4 IS Lens and 1.4x Extender 1,120mm 35mm equivalent

Now lets look at deer at the same distance with the 3X crop engaged--the composition has changed somewhat, but this is still the same distance. (I am not sure of the distance, but it has to be over 400 yards and may be well over it as I did check the distance on some clips that I took of deer that were much closer and they were over 300 yards). At this setting the lens becomes a mind-boggling 3,360 35mm equivalent.

Canon T3i with 500mm F4 IS Lens, 1.4x Extender with 3x crop engaged: 3,360mm 35mm equivalent

Camera In Position: Red Cross Marks Where Deer Are Feeding

At this point you may be asking, why not just get closer? Well, this is not always an option, especially with wild whitetail deer such as these ,which are in hunting country, or in the case of other birds and animals which are very small or shy.. This much power can also be useful around restricted areas where one may not enter. In this particular circumstance, these deer are utilizing a group of backcountry fields that area spread over a large area, yet by standing in one central portion a person can see everything of importance, yet it they try to hide in a particular spot to get closeups with a normal video camera or even a big still rig, it is very hard to find a spot that gives one a good vantage point and then it is likely that the center of activity will be in another spot, As an example I recorded more bucks at this spot in just a few days , than I was able to in an entire summer using ordinary camcorders and got excellent results while doing so.

I hope to continue this discussion at some point and give more tips about long range filming, but for now I will close with two clips taken at slightly over 300 yards distance. The first is of a whitetail buck taken in early morning with the 500mm F4 and 3X crop for an effective focal length of 2,400mm at ISO 400.

The second is of this buck interacting with a smaller yet impressive buck and is taken at about the same distance and at ISO 400 with the 500mm F4 with the 1.4 extender and 3X crop mode for an effective focal length of 3,360mm.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Shenandoah National Park: A Morning To Remember

2011-08-06T11:07:00.000-04:00

On Thursday morning my brother Coy and I traveled to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, in search of whitetail bucks in velvet and any other photogenic wildlife that we might find. Visit Coy at Country Captures for a detailed description of the events of the morning and to see some of his photographs. Shortly after dawn we found a bachelor group of bucks coming into the meadow from the Tanners Ridge area. I started by shooting video from the roadside with a Canon T3i and 70-200mm lens, but soon went into the meadow to get a better angle and alternated between this rig and the Canon 7D with the 300mm F2.8. If I needed a wider shot I put the T3i in manual still mode and used it with the 70-200mm. In the photo below I shot handheld with this rig and image stabilization engaged to get a photo with several bucks together (the 7D and 300mm F2.8 was on the tripod at the time).

Portion Of Bachelor Group Big Meadows

Three of the bucks fed quite near to me and I photographed one extensively with the 7D and 300mm F2.8. This buck should have been a ten-point but the brow tine was broken and one of the points on the left beam did not develop beyond a small bump, so he had five points on one side and only three on the other.

Unusual Antler Configuration

At one point a beautiful nine-point came into range and I pressed the T3i and 70-200mm into service again to get a photograph that included the entire deer. This photo was taken at 200mm and is a vertical crop taken from the center of a horizontal shot as is the photo above. This is not increasing the size of the deer in the composition, but rather removing the unneeded sides of the photo, although both photos do make decent horizontal ones also.

Shenandoah Nine-Point At Big Meadows

As exciting as photographing the bucks was, it was eclipsed by the arrival of a Coyote which came from the west side of the drive and ran up Skyline Drive toward the camp store and then into the meadow. We found it near a large herd of deer, which were very skittish and fearful of it. At first we thought it had killed a fawn, but it turned out that it was feeding on blueberries. After taking video with the T3i and 500mm F4 lens, I attached the 7D and took several stills.

Coyote Pauses From Eating Blueberries

Coyote Looks Hostile, But He Wasn't Hunting Fawns Today

Coyotes and black bears do make significant inroads in fawn populations, but I think this is more likely to occur in late May and June when the fawns are small.

For more Camera Critters photographs, Click Here!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Summer Bucks-It's Not All About The Megapixels

2011-08-02T21:58:00.001-04:00


Whitetail Antlers Are Fully Developed By Early August

The antlers on the mature whitetail bucks are completely grown by early August and many of the larger ones will lose the velvet by the end of the month. Pennsylvania Bull elk lose the velvet even earlier with most of them shedding by mid-month. Because of this, early August is a favorite time to travel to Shenandoah National Park to photograph bucks in velvet at Big Meadows, since it is good to be in Pennsylvania Elk Country a bit later on to document the shedding of the velvet.

I was recently going through my files from 2006 and reworking some of the better photographs. Doing so brought to mind a statement that Jim Borden made in a recent post about the quality of a photograph not being all about megapixels. He was talking about noise in that particular instance, but it still made me think about just how good images from the old Canon 10-D could be when the light was right and everything else came together. It was only 6.3 megapixels and had severe noise problems in low light, but I held on to it for more years than I should have because of the expense of buying video equipment. Both the 20-D and 30-D were much better at handling nose, but I passed them by and didn't upgrade until the 40-D came out in the fall of 2007. The following summer the 40-D malfunctioned at the peak of the fawn photography season, and I bought a refurbished 30-D to fill the gap and I used it and the 40-D about equally until the 7-D came out. The bottom line: however, was that I forgot just how good the 10-D actually was until I started through the 2006 photographs and redone some of them in CS5. I am not quite sure whether it is because earlier versions of Photoshop did not produce as good results as CS5 does or if the main difference is that I understand Photoshop better--it likely is a combination of the two. One cannot crop the images as severely as the higher megapixel cameras without the image falling apart, and perhaps printing large enlargements would show a significant difference, but it was a good camera for it's day and it did not have the focusing issues that the 7-D can have under certain situations.

Here is another Shenandoah buck from the same day. This is not the largest buck I have seen in the park, but he was very impressive. I don't think the photograph is as good as the first one, because of the right side of the face being shadowed.

An Outstanding Shenandoah Buck

Be sure to visit Jim and Joan Borden's blog JJ Wildlife Photography for excellent photographs and writing. Jim is a seasoned, experienced outdoorsman and photographer with an excellent understanding of the technical aspects of photography as well as a deep knowledge of wildlife behavior. A visit to his blog is time well spent.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Capturing The Special Moments

2011-07-23T12:47:00.001-04:00

6x8 In Reverting Meadow

In the last Post, I briefly mentioned that Paul Staniszewski, a frequent contributor to this blog, has a website, "The At of Elk Photography". The site contains information on his Floral Macro Photog and Elk Photography, a map of the Benezette Area, a guide to photographing elk geared toward the new visitor to elk country, and a link to the PA Wilds website. Paul reminds us that the site is under construction and the finished product is a long way off, but he is off to a good start so be sure to visit his site.To do so click Here!

During my recent trip to Pennsylvania Elk Country I only saw one fairly impressive rack bull on Winslow Hill, but I saw him every morning at dawn. He seldom missed stopping by this apple tree before heading into the nearby woodlands to escape the heat of day. There was a good reason why that he stopped by this tree and it is one of those things that the dedicated nature photographer is always looking for. If you just drive up and snap a photo out the window and then drive away, you usually miss the special moments, but one must often work a situation as long as conditions are good, to capture the special moments. In this instance it was fascinating to watch him use the top of his antlers to knock small apples off of the tree so that he could feed on them.

Bull Uses Antlers To Dislodge Apples

Bull Strains To Reach Apples

This 6x8 is not an exceptional, nor yet a mature bull, but he is a good step above a raghorn. Like all bulls on Winslow Hill, this one is trusting of humans. Two large but completely acclimated bulls have been killed near this spot in elk season during recent years. Now the PGC has launched a public relations offensive in Game News with the last two issues, each carrying a story about Pennsylvania Elk hunting, in an attempt to portray this as a challenging, fair chase hunt, which it may be in some cases but especially not in the areas of Zone 2 on or in close proximity to Winslow Hill . With the license allocation increasing in both Zone 2 and Zone 8 by two bulls each, the chances for this animal reaching an exceptional size are slim.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Sinnemahoning Visitor's Facility To Open: by Paul Staniszewski

2011-07-20T09:40:00.002-04:00

A new jewel has been added to the crown of the Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Scenic Drive.The official name is the Sinnemahoning State Park - Visitor Facility and it is located 5 miles from the boat launch located at the George B. Stevenson Dam on a scenic road that parallels the First Fork Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek.

According to Lisa Bainey, Park Manager, the Visitor Facility is completed and they are waiting for furniture to
be delivered by the end of the month and that the official dedication and opening will be sometime in mid-August.

The cost of the facility is $3,782,000.00 and will include a large exhibit/interpretive area, classrooms, visitor services and park administration.The building was placed to take full advantage of views of nearby elk herd feeding plots and other wildlife. Also, the 142 acre Stevenson Dam is known to be the home to a pair of year-round nesting eagles and various waterfowl that can be observed from the boat launch area.. The new Visitors Center is approximately 30 miles from Benezette and represents some of Pennsylvania's most pristine wilderness and is well worth the trip.

Story and photo by Paul Staniszewski. For more information about Paul's photography, elk photography tips, and more, visit Paul's website: The Art Of Elk Photography.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Mid-Summer Elk Calf Photography in Pennsylvania Elk Country

2011-07-18T12:36:00.000-04:00

PGC Food Plots Cloaked In Heat And Haze of Mid-Summer Evening

I spent most of last week photographing and filming wildlife in Pennsylvania Elk Country with a primary focus on calf elk and bulls in velvet. The PGC had completed most if not all of their summer mowing program on SGL 311 on Winslow Hill by the end of the week. With sufficient moisture the grass soon grows enough that it provides excellent forage for wildlife and is more pleasing in appearance, but with the region suffering from a severe drought, many of the food plots that had been mowed had a burned desolate appearance and little wildlife was to be seen in them. Even without rain this should improve to a certain extent in the weeks to come, but a soaking rain would make the meadows explode with life.

There were a lot of cows and calves to be seen, but photographic conditions were extremely difficult as most of the encounters occurred when it was too early or too late for the cameras to work well, or the range was too long or the cover too tall. Most of the elk were attracted to the grain that is planted in the reclaimed areas of The Saddle and in many areas it was too tall to see the calves. I finally found several calves in a good situation early Friday morning.

I had seen them near the ponds on Dewey Road on one other morning and again on Thursday evening, so this seemed like the best chance for success on Friday morning, but first I checked a nearby meadow where I had seen a bull throughout the week and he was there. Paul Staniszewski arrived shortly after I did and we photographed the bull for a short time, but I left for the ponds as soon as possible so as to get there before sunrise. There was a large herd of cows and calves in the meadow around one of the ponds. Initially I filmed the elk with a Canon Rebel T3i and the 500mmF4, but then decided to try for still photographs and mounted the 7D and 500mmF4 on the Gitzo tripod with Wimberley Head and the XL-H1 video camera on the video tripod. It is hard enough to get either good stills or video segments, but just try alternating between the two sometime or even shooting both simultaneously. It is difficult, but regardless of this, I did get some acceptable photographs and video clips.

Calf Nursing On Pond Bank: Note light fog on reeds and grasses to left of elk.

Paul soon arrived and got some photographs, but soon the rays of the sun touched the tree tops, and before long the elk went into the hollow between Dewey Road and the food plot to the south. We were discussing the results of the morning shoot when Paul said, "look there", and two calves came running onto the pond bank directly across from us. I quickly framed one of them and took several photographs.

Calf Standing On Pond Bank

Calf Reverses Direction

At this point I realized the other calf was not in sight and looked to my left, searching for him. Paul was frantically firing away at another spot and I suddenly realized I was missing the best action of all as the other calf was drinking from the pond! I tried to compose the shot, but there was too much grass between me and the calf. Taking a few steps to the side helped somewhat and then the calf lifted its' head and I was able to capture it with a water droplet dripping from its' chin.

Calf After Drinking

The calf did not return to drinking but rather in a few moments rejoined its' companion on the pond bank and together they went into the woods to escape the searing rays of the sun as the rest of the herd had already done.

Originally Posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Excellent Mid-Summer Photo Opportunites In Benezette Area

2011-07-08T11:32:00.000-04:00

With summer well underway, there are plenty of excellent photo opportunities in the Benezette area, with the young calves and the bulls with their velvet covered racks being the main attraction. Antlers growth is rapid and they already were quite large by mid-June, when Paul Staniszewski photographed a fine bull shortly after dawn on Winslow Hill.

By early July they are almost completely developed with most if not all of the points the animal will grow being present and most of the antler mass is developed. From now on growth will mostly be a further increase in mass, and the tines will become sharper. On Tuesday, Paul was on his way to the Elk Country Visitor Center to replenish his stock of elk and flower cards and framed larger format photographs, which are for sale in the gift shop, when he encountered an impressive bull by the roadside on Gray Hill.


Mature Bull On Gray Hill: Photo by Paul Staniszewski-all rights reserved

This is one of the few "character" bulls remaining and is known as Mr. Attitude, by several elk watchers and photographers. This bull has spent a lot of time in downtown Benezette and is totally acclimated to humans. It seems certain that he spends a substantial part of the year , if not all of it in the No Hunt Zone, Hunt Zones 2, and 8, and possibly Hunt Zone 10. With four bull tags issued for hunt zone 2 , 4 for zone 8, and two for Zone 10, this means that most likely TEN bulls will be shot in the areas immediately surrounding the center of elk tourism on Winslow Hill, since the success rate on bulls seems to range from 90%--100% and one can be certain that it will be the largest bulls that will be shot if they are seen.

Bearing this in mind, tourists and photographers should enjoy seeing this animal while they can, as it is not likely he will live to see another year unless he is lucky enough to stay in the No Hunt Zone or be on property where elk hunting is not allowed, during the elk season.

I thank Paul for sharing these photographs. When visiting the area, be sure to check out his merchandise, along with that of many other artisans at the Elk Country Visitor Center.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Deer Sightings Increase With Dry Weather

2011-07-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

Whitetail Deer Feeding In Early Morning

Early morning, a light fog blankets the lower areas, as the faint glow of the yet to appear sun, tinges the atmosphere. In the cool of the morning, the grasses are wet with the morning dew, but in a few short hours, the relentless rays of the summer sun will absorb the moisture and most deer will leave the open areas shortly before the rays of the sun hit them. Only a bit over a week ago deer, especially the bucks, were more difficult to see. But then one day it stopped raining incessantly and the sun shone with a brutal power. Within a short time there was a different feel in the air and the grasses in the more exposed areas withered. To an experienced summer whitetail person, this meant that deer sightings were likely to increase.

Bucks are more likely to appear--either solitary animals or bachelor groups of two or more. Earlier small streams provided a plentiful water supply in the mountains, while lush green foliage and plant growth offered excellent forage during the wet weather, but with the onset of dry conditions, secluded meadows that are near near to streams now provide better living conditions and this makes the animals more visible. Only some of the yearling bucks actually travel with the extended family groups of does and fawns. Older bucks such as this one have gone out on their own. They may feed near a herd of does, but if one watches closely they will see they that the bucks usually arrive and leave by themselves.

Solitary Buck Leaves Meadow Before Sunrise

While fawns have been seen from time to time since mid-May, this also marks the period that they begin traveling with the does more frequently, or ranging about on their own and browsing on vegetation, and as a result fawn sightings skyrocket. Earlier they spent most of their time hiding in the tall grasses or the forest and nursing from the does. For awhile they will derive nourishment both from feeding from the mother and grazing, but by autumn they will be weaned in most cases.

Whitetail Fawn In Late Evening

At this time of year more than any other, most whitetail photo opportunities occur either extremely early in the morning or late in the evening. In the photo above a fawn did appear while the rays of the evening sun were still hitting the meadow, but often the deer appear after the best photographic light is gone.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

It Isn't Always "The Warden" Land Management In Pennsylvania Elk Country

2011-06-30T15:22:00.001-04:00

It Isn't Always "A Warden": Photo by W.Hill

Most people automatically think of lawn enforcement when they see a truck with Pennsylvania Game Commission Decals and assume that this is "the game warden" whose primary mission as they perceive it is to "catch people". It is also quite common for many to not be able to differentiate between Pennsylvania Game Commission and DCNR personnel and operations. Both misconceptions are very understandable--especially the last one, as in many if not most states one agency oversees outdoor/nature related matters, while here in Pennsylvania three agencies fulfill this mission.

The Fish and Boat Commission enforces laws pertaining to waterways, boating, and fishing, and the taking of reptiles and amphibians., DCNR maintains State Forests and Parks and has both a maintenance and enforcement branch, while the Game Commission is responsible for the maintenance of State Game Lands, and the enforcement of wildlife laws throughout the Commonwealth. To compound the confusion officers from any of these agencies may in most cases enforce laws and regulations pertaining to the other agencies and all of the agencies have maintenance crews that may drive vehicles with door decals. For many years most PGC vehicles were green, as were most DCNR vehicles. This helped differentiate them from Fish and Boat Commission personnel,who usually drove white vehicles, but this distinction has blurred in recent years as it is common to see other colors in the PGC--especially in the land management division--I am not quite sure about the other agencies.

The upshot is that in many cases the person you thought is the "game warden" is not a law enforcement officers at all, or at least law-enforcement is not the primary focus of their duties. They may be a biologist, forester, maintenance worker, or land management officer. The land management officer does in most if not all cases have law-enforcement powers, but the others do not--unless they are deputy wildlife conservation officers. Actually there is officially no such thing as a game warden anymore, Wildlife Conservation Officer is the correct term, but to many they are still "the wardens".

To understand this better, let's start in Harrisburg where PGC operations is divided into several bureaus, each covering a particular group of activities. The names have changed since my days with the PGC, when I performed duties for the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Law Enforcement. Today they are known as the Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management and the Bureau of Wildlife Protection. The state is divided into six regions, with each region having a regional office and chiefs of each of the respective areas of operations who are known as Supervisors. From this point of we will confine our discussion to wildlife habitat management or "land management" as I still think of it. The regional Land Management Supervisor directs a group of Land Management Officers also known as Game Lands Maintenance Group Supervisors. Commonly called Land Management Officers (LMOs). They are responsible for game lands maintenance and habitat development in two or more counties. LMOs supervise Game Lands Maintenance Groups, which are usually comprised of two to three crews of Game Lands Maintenance Workers, who in turn are supervised by a Game Lands Maintenance Supervisor, also commonly known as a Labor Foreman.

Game Commission maintenance crews are called "The Food and Cover Corps", a name which is not commonly known to many outside the agency. It is these people that you see mowing and planting the food plots on Winslow Hill. John Dzemyan is Land Management Officer for portions of Elk and McKean Counties and oversees the PGC lands on Winslow Hill, while Land Management officer Colleen Shannon is assigned to portions of Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, and McKean Counties, much of which is prime elk habitat.

Land Management Officer John Dzemyan Addresses Wild About Elk Workshop 2010: photo by W.Hill

In the last few years, quite a bit of planting has been done in conjunction with the reclamation work that has transformed Winslow Hill. To the best of my knowledge this was not done by the PGC, but any future work that is done will likely be performed by the Food and Cover Corps. The summer mowing is done by them, as is the yearly planting of the food plot at the main Gilbert viewing area, the plot by the cabin on the hill. and the food plot at the Dent's Run Viewing Area.


Game Lands Maintenance Worker, PGC Food and Cover Corp, prepares plot at Gilbert for planting: photo W.Hill

PGC Food Plot To Right Of Cabin on Winslow Hill: Photo by W.Hill

As a result of the reclamation work and food plots maintained by the PGC, there are now more good grasses on the hill than at any time in recent memory. This attracts elk from other areas and helps keep the animals there. While a certain amount would be there even through no work were done, animals naturally search out the best food available. But after a few years, the most attractive grasses such as, clovers, and trefoil die out in the meadows and they lose much of their appeal to elk. At that point a certain amount of elk would likely disperse from Winslow Hill if they could find better food in another area. As a result, the PGC conducts an aggressive planting and mowing program to maintain the quality of wildlife habitat on Game Commission lands, while DCNR workers perform the same function on State Forest Lands.

Game Lands Maintenance Worker, Roger Beck, Mows SGL 311 near Winslow Hill Parking Lot: Photo by W.Hill

Many may ask why that areas should be mowed and in many cases the PGC does not mow an entire plot, but does leaves strips of grasses standing.. The problem is that if no maintenance is done, the opening eventually reverts to forest, which results in the loss of grassy, open habitat that elk and other species need for ideal living conditions. From the standpoint of wildlife photography, had the area in the photo below not been mowed, only the top of the cow's back would have been visible, while the mowing benefits the welfare of the elk, by removing the mature, coarse grass stem and stimulating the growth of the low lying base of the plant offering improved grazing.

Mowing May Enhance Photographic Opportunities: Photo by W.Hill

LMO Dzemyan gave a very informative presentation on land management in the elk range at the Wild about Elk Workshop that I attended in 2010. In the future I hope to periodically delve into this a bit more by covering more of the material that he dealt with that day and also take us into the current Management Plan For Elk In Pennsylvania. I hope to use photos I have taken to illustrate some of the management principles, that LMO Dzemyan discussed, and the plan sets forth, to give readers a better understanding of the overall strategy and methods which the PGC implements to maintain habitat in the elk range.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Pennsylvania Elk Photography: Fast Lenses Needed?

2011-06-24T13:52:00.001-04:00

6x7 On Winslow Hill: Low Light Requires Fast Lenses

During my recent trip to Pennsylvania Elk Country, I stopped by the Elk Country Visitors Center and purchased "How I Photograph the Pennsylvania Elk" by Bob Shank. The book is only 39 pages long, but it is chock full of good advice and information about a wide range of subjects ranging from where to find the elk, the proper equipment to use, elk viewing etiquette and more.

In chapter 2" Techniques for Making Quality Photographs", and again in "Photo Equipment and Software" in chapter 5, Bob stresses the importance of large f stop lenses, for their ability to capture wildlife in extremely low-lighting conditions such as morning and evening when elk are most active, and for their shallow depth of field at the wider f stops, which isolates the subject from the background. He recommends a f2.8 lens such as the 70-200mm f2.8. This trip served to highlight the importance of such lenses as most of my encounters with bulls were in very low lighting conditions, which required lenses of F4 or larger for best results.

The first photo posted today was taken at 6:15 in the morning at ISO 400mm with the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L lens. I did stop it down to F4 to increase the chances that both the antlers and the tip of the nose would be acceptably sharp. This called for a 1/50 second shutter speed, which required the subject to be standing perfectly still with no movement on the part of the photographer. In this case the rig was mounted on a Gitzo tripod with Wimberley head and the camera was fired by a remote release to lessen the chance of camera movement.

The following photo was taken even earlier that morning at 5:56 am. I was filming this bachelor group of bulls with the Canon 7D and the 70-200mm when at one point I paused, put the camera in still mode and fired a few frames at 1/30 sec. f3.2 ISO 640.

Bachelor Group In Rain

On another morning I found one of these bulls alternating between grazing and browsing before he went into the woods for the day. Again the situation required low shutter speeds and wide f stops.

1/80 Sec. f2.8

1/60 Sec. f3.2

Excellent photos can certainly be taken with slower lenses, but when one is upgrading they should consider the faster f2.8 and f4 models. It is also good to look for a lens that has a consistent f stop throughout the zoom range, but like most good things in life this does not come cheap. At this point my two favorite elk lenses are the Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS lens, and the 300mm F2.8 L IS. No matter how much one may like the prime lenses such as the 300mm F2.8, the 500mm F4, or the 600mm F4, it seems that the 70-200mm receives the most use for elk, as the other lenses are too powerful in many cases. This changes, however; when photographing at the restricted areas such as the Gilbert or the Dents Run Viewing Area, where elk are often at long distance and the power of the long primes is a welcome feature.

Be sure to stop by Elk Country Visitor Center and check out Bob's book, which is for sale in the gift shop there. Also visit his blog, Bob Shank Photography for interesting and informative writing about sports and wildlife photography, and for information about he and Dick McCreight's "Pennsylvania Elk Photography Experience". which features workshops on the natural history of elk, photography equipment, and Adobe Lightroom. To see Bob's book online or to order visit: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1611137

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Pennsyilvania Elk Herd Increases As Calves Are Born

2011-06-19T15:31:00.003-04:00

Most Pennsylvania Elk Calves Are Born In Early To Mid-June

Most Pennsylvania elk calves are born from late May to mid-June, with Carol Mulvihill reporting in her May 28th "Endeavor News" column, that she had her first calf sighting of the year on May 22, but it seems that most are born somewhat later--most likely during the first two weeks of June.

I spent several days in Pennsylvania Elk Country last week, photographing, and filming the young calves and bulls in velvet. The Pennsylvania Game Commission again hosted the "Wild About Elk" workshop, which it has held for the past several years (I attended last year). The workshop is geared toward giving educators and outdoor writers, etc. the tools they need to promote interest in elk and other wildlife among their students, or other target audience as the case might be. I was fortunate enough to encounter PGC Northcentral Regional Biologist, Tony Ross Wednesday morning on Winslow Hill where he was helping to conduct a tour of SGL 311, which is an integral part of the workshop. I first met Tony when he conducted a training session for our Game Lands Management Group, soon after I became a Maintenance Supervisor for the PGC in 2002. I have encountered him a few times since over the years including at last year's workshop, and it was good to have another opportunity to chat about past experiences, elk biology, and photography. Soon Ron "Buckwheat" Saffer, and Paul Staniszewski arrived and joined in the discussion.

Northcentral Regional Biologist, Tony Ross and Ron Saffer Discuss Elk Biology And Habitat

Paul Staniszewski Contributes To Discussion

Mr. Ross remarked on how much Winslow Hill has changed in the past few years due to the reclamation work, and there was general agreement as to the astounding beauty of the view from the area in which we were standing atop "The Saddle" and how the planting of grains and grasses, and strips of nut producing trees for food, and evergreens for winter cover benefits wildlife. None of the open areas in the photo below, existed before 2007, but they are now havens for elk, deer, turkeys, and other game and non-game wildlife species. There is a common misconception that more trees is always better, but many species thrive best in a mixture of woodlands and openings and a mixed habitat such as is shown in the photo below will support more wildlife than a forested monoculture.

Reclaimed Strip Mines Maintained As Food Plots Are Perfect Elk Habitat

Reverting meadows, which feature a mixture of grasses, weeds, and shrubs are also excellent habitat, and are favorite spots for elk to give birth, as the grasses and shrubs provide food for the cows, and excellent cover in which the newborn animals may hide from predators.

Look closely at the photo below and you will note a cow standing in the center of the meadow and back somewhat toward the treeline. The animal was there at dark on Thursday evening before, was still there at dawn on Friday and had not left the spot by 9:00 am. This indicated that she was ready to give birth or had already done so.

Reverting Meadows Make Prime Habitat For Young Calves

I took several photographs of her with the 500mmF4 and when I loaded them in Photoshop after arriving home, I was amazed to see proof positive that birth had occurred. Look closely at the photo below and you can see afterbirth materials dangling from the cow. (click to enlarge)

Afterbirth Is Still Attached To Cow

Stay tuned as we cover more highlights from the trip in the near future.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Excellent Photo Opportunites In Benezette Area

2011-06-13T09:46:00.000-04:00

Paul Staniszewski reports from Pennsylvania Elk Country that he has found a lot of excellent photographic opportunities in the Benezette area during the past few weeks. Most of the elk calves have been born and Paul reports seeing the Pennsylvania Game Commission tag four calves, one at the Elk Country Visitor Center property, one at the Gilbert, and two in the saddle. He was unable to photograph this activity because of the tall grass, but he did successfully capture a calf nursing from a cow in a meadow on Winslow Hill.

He also sent another rattlesnake photograph, taken in mid-May. Look closely and see how many rattlesnakes you can find in this tangle. For more information, read the May 13th post, " A Rattlesnake Encounter In Pennsylvania Elk Country", which features a stunning photo by Paul.

The correct answer is that there are two yellow phase snakes and two black phase snakes, for a total of four snakes.

According to "Rattlesnakes In Pennsylvania's State Forests", a brochure published by DCNR, "Pennsylvania experienced a major decline in its timber rattlesnake population during recent decades attributed mainly to unrestricted commercial and sport hunting, den raiding, and land development. This decline prompted the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (charged with fish, reptile, and amphibian management) to implement regulations to check the uncontrolled exploitation of the species. DCNR urges all State Forest users including recreational visitors, camp lessees, logging, mineral, and rights-of-way contractors, fuelwood cutters, and passers-through to exhibit a tolerance for the timber rattlesnake and abide by all applicable regulations:

Persons who hunt, capture, kill, or possess timber rattlesnakes must have an Individual Timber Rattlesnake Hunter and Rattlesnake Possession Permit.
Damage to denning areas is prohibited.
Selling timber rattlesnakes or parts thereof is prohibited.
Timber rattlesnakes are protected under specific regulations by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. For more information, consult the most recent "Pennsylvania Summary of Fishing Regulations and Laws" (supplied with fishing licenses) or direct questions to: Nongame and Endangered Species Unit, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, 450 Robinson Lane, Bellefonte, PA 16823"

Timber Rattlesnake - Life History

Scientific Name: Crotalus horridus
Color Phases: yellow (light phase), black (dark phase)
Mating Season: primarily July and August
Birthing: litter of 8-12 in late August through mid-September
Maturity: 5-7 years
Longevity: 30+ years
Mortality Rate: 10-12% annual mortality in adults, possibly higher for immature snakes

When visiting The Elk Country Visitors Center, look for Floral Note Cards by Paul Staniszewksi, which feature stunning flower photography and are for sale in the gift shop.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

One By One The Whitetail Fawns Appear- Until They Are Eaten!

2011-06-09T14:22:00.000-04:00

By now it appears that most if not all of the pregnant does in the local whitetail deer herd have given birth, but there had been no additional sightings since the first on May 18th--until just a few days ago. One can usually tell if birthing has occurred by looking closely at the doe's abdomen and flank area, but it can be tricky as their abdomen can still appear distended from a side view, especially if they are an older doe that has had many fawns down through the years. If is better if they present a view from either end, which makes it easy to see that they are no longer as round as the proverbial 55 gallon barrel.

Doe One Day After Giving Birth: Note Sunken Flanks

I see the doe in the photo above on an almost daily basis, so it seemed likely that when she didn't appear on June 6th that she was giving birth. Sure enough, when she came to the meadow on the following morning, her flanks were sunken and the ribs were easily visible. After feeding for a time she left and was gone about thirty minutes, when suddenly a young fawn came lurching from the tall grass in the unsteady gait of the recently born and the doe came into view close behind. At the time I was filming birds and squirrels with the Canon XL-H1 so I switched it to them. After recording some exciting interaction between the doe, the fawn, and another young doe, I switched to the Canon 7D and the 300mm F2.8 for still photographs.

Doe Nuzzles Recently Born Fawn

It is always a thrill to see the young fawns at this stage in life and observe their bright eyed curiosity about the strange world they find themselves in.and to see how protective the does are of them. This is when they are the cutest and most photogenic, but it is not always easy to see them at this period. Sometimes they are relatively easy to see within a few days of birth, but this is often followed by a period in which sightings are rare until they start traveling full time with the does, which usually happens sometime in July.

Does Are Very Protective Of The Young

It is common for mature does to have twins, but it is not always easy to know if this is the case as they ordinarily hide the fawns in separate places some distance apart to lessen the chances of both animals being killed by predators, and they are often seen traveling with only one fawn at a time. This threat is very real as fellow photographer, and blogger, Jim Borden and his wife Joan found out first hand on a recent trip to Shenandoah Nation Park where they observed a coyote killing two fawns. In a likely once in a lifetime opportunity, they were able to photograph this. For the full story and exceptional deer and coyote photographs, visit Jim and Joan at JJ Wildlife Photography.

In a lot of cases one will see a fawn for a day or so and then never see it again, or it may be certain that a doe did give birth because of the sunken flanks and abdomen, but a fawn never appears and one doesn't know if it died during birth, from disease, or predation. In this case I was able to gain more insight* into how many fawns this doe had. At first I noticed her nursing a single fawn in the same spot the earlier photos were taken, but then she and the fawn walked into a small mountain stream. I had to make a decision as to which camera to use, so I decided to focus on video with a DSLR, which gave me the option to get both still and video. I had difficulty positioning the camera because of intervening shrubbery and grass, but surprise of surprises, when I was ready to film and looked through the finder, there were two fawns nursing from the doe. At one point I paused from filming to take a few still photographs.

Doe With Twins

It will be interesting to see if I continue to see them frequently, or if they will vanish for a time, or forever. One can only hope they are able to avoid predators and the other hazards that a young fawn faces.

*Note I only said "gain insight". While it is likely that she had twins, one cannot rule out triplets, or that she was nursing another doe's fawn. The only statement I can make that can be absolutely judged to be scientifically true is that I saw and filmed her nursing two fawns.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Camera Critters: Whitetail Bucks And Fawns At Shenandoah National Park

2011-06-04T11:30:00.000-04:00

Fishers Gap Overlook: Shenandoah National Park

1:30 Thursday morning and the alarm was blaring. After less than four hours of sleep, it was difficult to arise and face the day. Even though wildlife photography is my favorite activity I could muster little enthusiasm for the 150 mile drive to Shenandoah National Park, where I hoped to arrive at dawn. This is a favorite whitetail deer photography spot and the main goals for the day were to photograph newborn fawns, bucks in velvet, and the superb mountain scenery. I hurried to the home of retired PGC maintenance supervisor, Billie Cromwell's to pick him up, and by 2:30 we were on our way down I 70, 522 and then I-81. My morale improved as the trip progressed and we arrived at the Thornton Gap entrance at dawn as planned. We saw a few deer along the drive as day was breaking, but Big Meadows is usually the hotspot--at least at this time of year, so we continued on our way.

Several people were in the meadow attempting to photograph fawns when we arrived, but they were meeting with little success as there was probably less deer present than I can ever recall in early June. At this point only two fawns were visible and both were in a situation where we would have had to interfere with other photographers to get into action.

Deer Walk Past Photographer

We drove past the meadow to Milam Gap, but saw nothing of interest there, so we returned to the meadow, parked in the main parking lot, shouldered our equipment, and walked an edge of the meadow where only one other photographer was working. This part of the meadow has yielded a lot of whitetail photographs in past years, so we were optimistic. Suddenly we saw the backs of two deer over a ridge and upon moving closer, found that they were bucks. Neither were exceptional, but the largest has the potential to grow a respectable rack.

Shenandoah Whitetail Buck:

By the time that we were done photographing the bucks, most of the deer had left the meadow and no fawns were visible. We were somewhat discouraged and decided to drive back to Thornton Gap in hopes of seeing something on the way, but then miracle of miracles two fawns stood up and began nursing. One was too far away, but the other did present an opportunity. By the time we had the equipment ready, the fawn stopped feeding, and the doe began moving through the meadow with the fawn following, but our luck turned for the better when she suddenly stopped and lay down, and the fawn turned and walked directly toward us. Billie was better prepared to handle the situation than I, as he was using the Canon 100-400mm and could zoom out to better compose his photographs if the fawn kept closing the distance, while I had a 7D and 300mm F2.8 with 1.4 extender attached. Thankfully the fawn did hesitate to nuzzle the trunk of a pine tree, then moved a bit closer and paused in a clump of grass, which give me a chance to take some photographs.

Fawn Nuzzles Charred Pine Tree Trunk

Whitetail Fawn Prepares To Lie Down

It walked even closer, and I frantically removed the extender, but by the time I was ready for action, it had lain down in a clump of blueberry bushes. The head was visible for awhile, but then it lowered it to the ground and was hidden so well that someone walking by would not have had an inkling that a fawn was there.

Natural Camouflage: The Fawn Was Invisible When It Lowered Its' Head

With this, we declared the morning to be a success and head for Thornton Gap and home. On the way, we saw a bachelor group of 4 or more bucks, at least two of which were larger than the one we photographed in the meadow. We got no photographs of them, but it brought the morning to a successful conclusion. We were back in Fulton County shortly after noon, and that evening I was afield, looking for fawns near home.

For more Camera Critters photographs, Click Here!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Pennsylvania Whitetail Deer-Coyote Depredation and Organized Coyote Hunts A Problem?

2011-05-29T13:12:00.001-04:00

Coyote Hunting Mice In Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Eastern Coyote is a controversial creature with many believing that they, along with long deer seasons and high antlerless license allocations, have caused the whitetail deer population in some areas of Pennsylvania to crash to unhuntable levels. Many believe that the Pennsylvania Game Commission and, or auto insurance companies have stocked coyotes to destroy the deer population, but others point out that this seems unlikely as there is no closed season on shooting coyotes except with certain exceptions during bear, deer, and spring turkey season, and there is a liberal trapping season also, which would not be consistent with attempting to establish large populations of the animal. The problem has attracted so much attention that some organizations such as the Mosquito Creek Sportsmen's Club hold annual coyote hunts, which has a $10.00 entrance fee, $8.00 of which goes toward prize money and $2.00 for administration costs. 3,541 hunters registered in 2011 and a total of 178 coyotes were taken during the hunt. $34,868 was paid in prize money, with the first place winner for heaviest coyote receiving $7,082.00.

Late this past February I received information from blog reader and hiking enthusiast Terry Shore Davis, about concerns that organized coyote hunts may be actually having a negative impact on the deer herd. She has a friend by the name of Betty Detsch that she hikes with on a fairly regular basis, who also is a deer hunter, but is primarily a hiker now. According to Mrs. Shore, "Detsch is concerned that deer are stressed and are at their weakest in the winter. Then the coyote hunt starts, and with hunters’ drives, hunters are (unconsciously) driving the deer also. With the ice and snow conditions, deer easily break their legs and die. Because she is in the woods nearly every day, she has told me she has walked in the wake of hunters’ drives and has found dead deer. She adds that she is not opposed to the hunt per se, but that it should be held a different time of year, when the conditions for the deer would be better." At this point in time Ms. Detsch had written a letter to the editor of the St Marys newspaper expressing this view, but I ams not certain at this point if it was published. Whatever the case she does raise a point that I had not thought about and it would be good to know if any blog readers have first hand knowledge of similar problems. This also leads one to consider if coyote depredation of whitetail deer is in fact a serious problem.

According to most published material about the animals, coyotes feed primarily on small mammals such as mice, squirrels, and rabbits, etc. A fawn survival study conducted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in 2001-02 showed that predation is responsible for about 46% of fawn mortality during the first eight months of life. Coyotes were responsible for 36.7% of the deaths, while black bears accounted for 32.7% of deaths. Another 27% of the fawn population succumbed to diseases and other natural causes. Source: Survival rates, mortality causes, and habitats of Pennsylvania white-tailed deer fawns Justin K. Vreeland, Duane R. Diefenbach, and Bret D. Wallingford

In light of this, I was surprised to read an article published by NRAhuntersrights.org "PA Coyotes Not Decimating Deer Herd, Expert Says". It is from the Penn State News Service and was published 03/16/2010. I cannot find the name of the author, but the article is constructed around a series of quotes by Duane Diefenback, who is described as adjunct professor of wildlife ecology and leader of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit housed in the college’s School of Forest Resources", He of course is the same person who was involved with the fawn survival study listed above.

According to Diefenbach, "There is no question the coyote population has grown dramatically in the Northeast in recent decades, and everyone agrees that coyotes do prey on fawns, “but our data tell us that coyote predation is not an issue in Pennsylvania.” He goes on to say a bit later in the article that,“Significantly, very, very few adult deer in our studies have succumbed to predation from coyotes, bears or anything else,” he said. He goes on to say, “We now know that in this state, once a deer reaches about 12 months of age, the only significant mortal dangers it faces are getting hit by a car or being harvested by a hunter. By far, most of the time when a coyote eats venison, it is from a road-killed animal, or from a deer that was wounded by a hunter but not retrieved.” "We know fawns often are killed and eaten by coyotes and bears, Diefenbach said, "but that has always been the case."

He goes on to make the point that Pennsylvania does have coyote depredation, but it is no more than in other states and it is not extraordinary.

Fawns Are Especially Vulnerable During First Few Weeks Of Life

From a personal standpoint, the first I positively knew coyotes were in Fulton County, PA was in 1995 when PGC Maintenance Supervisor Billie Cromwell videotaped one in the southern part of the county during deer season. I encountered them in Elk County that same year, and later saw several in Cades Cove in the Smokies, and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. I have also seen quite a few in Fulton County during the past few years and have heard them howling at night there, and during the day in Virginia. I have not seen a coyote attack a deer, but have seen one predation incident in which I think they were the likely culprit, although it could have been done by a bobcat.

Late Winter Predation Incident

If you look in the distance in the photo above you can see a scattering of hair where the deer was killed and then dragged a substantial distance. I found this at 8:30 in the morning, and it was not warm, but yet had been done fairly recently as the blood was still bright red and not black from drying, which indicated it happened at night. This tended to rule out the Golden Eagle, which is known to attack deer, as an alternative possibility. If one spends a substantial amount of time in close proximity to a herd of deer like I do, it is easy to tell when they are having problems with predators. I have been near to deer that were feeding peacefully and suddenly another deer would walk over the top of a hill and the herd that was grazing would bolt instantly when they heard the grass swishing under the arriving deers hoofs and run away for a distance before turning to ascertain if there was an actual threat and when they determined it was another deer, they instantly returned to grazing. I have seen these same deer be very alarmed when they see a coyote passing through the meadows several hundred yards away. There are substantial periods of time though that they do not run at the sound of other deer approaching, which leads me to believe that they are being attacked on a regular basis during the periods that they are so skittish, which are usually in the summer.

I am in almost daily contact with this herd and can identify all of the animals on sight and can tell which does have fawns, and there is usually a significant loss of fawns each year that cannot be explained. One will see a doe with a fawn and then one day the fawn does not appear and the doe's udder gradually shrinks, which indicates she is no longer nursing.

As I mentioned previously, coyotes are not the only predators which kill deer. A few years ago I was by a meadow on an early June morning after most of the fawns had been born. A large herd of does was feeding in the meadow and I was on watch with my cameras. Suddenly I heard a loud, chilling scream behind me and about 100 yards away. At the sound, the deer froze, looked about with fear plainly visible on their faces and then the does that had fawns dropped into a crouch and quickly scattered going into the woods at different points. When I had time to analyze the situation it seemed likely that each was returning to where their fawns were hidden and were going to try to defend them in case of attack. From my position, I could see the lane that came from the public road into the property and there was a doe and fawn walking out the lane. I swiveled the camera with 500mm lens around tried to get a photo of them, but light levels were low and there was some intervening brush, which made it difficult to get a clear shot, and the deer walked into the woods and out of sight. No sooner had they vanished than a monstrous bobcat came walking down the public road and turned into the lane, walked a short distance and vanished into the woods. This happened much quicker than it takes to read it and I never came close to getting a photo, but I can see this in my mind yet today as thought I were looking at a film clip of the event. Billie Cromwell also actually saw a black bear kill a fawn at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, but we will save that story for another day.

I think there is little doubt that most outdoors people like to see a coyote--hunters and trappers like to pursue them, and photographers like to photograph them, but many have mixed or negative feelings about them killing fawns. Mr. Diefenbach may claim they are not decimating the deer herd, yet according to the Fawn Survival Study, 46% of fawn mortality at eight months of age is due to predation and coyotes were responsible for 36.7% of the deaths. Unless I am missing something, it does seem glaringly obvious that they do have a significant impact, but does this justify allowing organized coyote hunts during the winter months that may unduly stress or otherwise injure deer?

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Rainy Weather Brings Dramatic Photo Opportunities

2011-05-18T12:06:00.005-04:00

I will confess that I almost didn't leave the house as it was raining lightly at 4:30 this morning and more rain was in the forecast. It was tempting to devote the morning to catching up on video and photo editing instead, but in the end my desire to photograph wildlife won out and dawn found me overlooking a meadow that is my favorite wildlife photography spot. By this time it was raining much harder--alternating between moderate to heavy showers, so I settled down with a John Grisham book, while waiting to see what developed. Shortly after dawn I spotted a herd of deer in the distance and eventually they came close enough that I could photograph a fine four-point buck.

Four-point Buck In Rain

After a short period, the deer left and I began reading again. Iwas almost ready to leave for home, when I saw a superb mature Eastern Wild Turkey gobbler coming over the hill to my left. I slowly slid the 7D and 70-200mm lens into position and recorded several segments of video and then switched to the 40D and 300mm F2.8 for some still photos.

Eastern Wild Turkey Gobbler In Rain

While the lighting quality in these photographs may not be as good as in brighter conditions, I think the rain adds a wild, mysterious atmosphere. At this point the morning was an unqualified success, but there was even more to come.

I noticed that although the rest of the deer had gone to the woodlands, one doe was lying down in a distant meadow, which was a bit unusual. I went back to reading and in time I noticed that she was now in the same meadow that I was. At first it appeared that she was grooming herself, but then I looked closer and saw that she was grooming something close to the ground. It had to be a fawn and I have never seen a fawn in this area this early. I fact I seldom see one before May 30th, and most are born within a few days of June 8th. This excited even a 60 year old veteran wildlife photographer, so I hurriedly removed the 70-200mm from the 7D , mounted the 500mmF4, slammed it on the tripod, and looked through the finder. There definitely was a beautiful young fawn with the doe! By the time I was ready to begin photographing and filming them, they had stopped grooming and moved slowly through the meadow, stopping from time to time.

Doe With First Fawn Of Year

This ended the exciting wildlife photography so I checked out the nearby streams and they were running bank full, but not yet in flood stage.


Heavy Spring Rains Brings High Water

In the photo below one can see a stream of water running from the cropland, which means the ground is completely saturated and continued heavy rainfall will result in significant flooding.

Dramatic Light After A Shower

Many do not go afield on such days, and I almost didn't go today, but this experience proves that exciting photographic opportunities may be found during unpleasant weather as well.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Fatal Plane Crash In Elk County

2011-05-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

According to a report from WJAC News in Johnstown, a Connecticut man was killed Friday in a plane crash on Winslow Hill. From footage shown on their website it appears to have been in the area of The Gilbert Viewing Area, which is officially known as the Porcupine Run, Winslow Hill Viewing Area.

Accident Must Have Been In This General Area: Photo May 2008 by W.Hill

In the video posted on the WJAC website, one gets a brief look at vehicles parked in the distance in what appears to be the area pictured below, so if this is indeed the spot, it is likely that the accident happened somewhere in the area around the mining activity, which many refer to as the saddle.

Area In Question-Gilbert Buildings Are Gone Now: Photo Sept. 2010 by W.Hill

In time the exact details will become known, but for now it seems safe to say that a tragic accident did occur in this general area on Winslow Hill on Friday evening.

A Rattlesnake Encounter In Pennsylvania Elk Country

2011-05-13T17:56:00.002-04:00

On May 12, 2011, Paul Staniszewski and Ronald "Buckwheat Saffer" traveled to Pennsylvania Elk Country for a day of wildlife photography and Paul shares the results of a special encounter with us that they had that day.

In Paul's words:
"The main goal of the trip to Benezette was of course to obtain photographs of bull and maybe cow elk on Gray Hill and Winslow Hill. We found the bulls starting to sprout their new antlers and the cows getting ready to give birth. Things quieted down about 9:00AM as usual and then we decided to look for rattlesnakes. A drive put us in an isolated area and after a short walk, we discovered five black phase timber rattlesnakes basking in the morning sun. After a few minutes, the snakes quit buzzing and we were able to approach to within six feet of the group and took several photographs.

In the end, the snakes were left undisturbed and did not seem at all upset.

A special thanks to Ronald J. "Buckwheat" Saffer, a naturalist and professional wildlife photographer for sharing his experience and knowledge of nature and photography. I will remember this great day in the wilderness with Buckwheat and the new respect and appreciation I have learned for these beautiful creatures of nature."

Paul Staniszewski

I wish to thank Paul for sharing this special experience with us. Reading this brings to mind how things have changed since my youth.I well recall when game animals were held in a certain esteem to the extent that they were considered to have a useful purpose, which of course meant to many that they could be shot for food, but most other species such as hawks, owls,eagles, and snakes were considered vermin and shot or clubbed to death on sight. Attitudes and laws relating to wildlife have changed greatly since then. Now we have liberal deer and turkey seasons, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission even decided to establish a porcupine season at its' last meeting, but some of the formerly persecuted species are now highly protected. The Timber Rattlesnake is not yet on the Endangered Species list in Pennsylvania, but it is considered a "candidate species" under study and consideration for listing as officially "threatened" or "endangered."

Here is a summary of the rules and regulations covering the taking of Rattlesnakes and Northern Copperhead snakes in Pennsylvania. Source: Summary Book 2011 Pennsylvania Fishing Laws and Regulations.

Timber Rattlesnake: June 11 through July 31
1 annual limit (must be at least 42 inches in length, measured lengthwise along the dorsal surface from the snout to the tail, excluding the rattle, and must possess 21 or more subcaudal scales.

Northern Copperhead: June 11 through July 31 1 annual limit

It is unlawful to hunt, take, catch, or kill timber rattlesnakes west of Route 15 and south of Interstate 81 to the Maryland line where there is no open season.season.

It is unlawful to possess, take, catch, or kill more than one timber rattlesnake or northern copperhead per calendar year except as provided in Chapter 79.7(f) (Fish & Boat Code) relating to organized reptile and amphibian hunt permits. It is unlawful to possess more than one timber rattlesnake or northern copperhead at any time except as provided in Chapter 79.7(f) (Fish & Boat Code).

Subcaudal scales are large flat scales located on the underside of a timber rattlesnake between the vent (anal scale) and the base of the tail rattle.

A permit is required to hunt, take, catch, kill or possess timber rattlesnakes and northern copperhead snakes.

DCNR and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry makes the following recommendations for dealing with nuisance rattlesnakes in the publication "RATTLESNAKES in Pennsylvania State Forests :

Rattlesnakes that take up temporary residence in high use areas such as in or near cottages,residences, and parks should be removed. It is best to contact the local Conservation Officer of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission to move such snakes. According to a recent scientific study, displacing a timber rattlesnake 110 yards from its suspected direction of travel is a reasonable solution,considering the well-being of both the snake and the person. The study’s subject snakes were able to get their bearings and continue on, not returning to the incident sites. Displacing rattlesnakes long distances has been shown to drastically affect behavior and jeopardize survival.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Early May Brings Mixed Feelings About PA Elk Herd

2011-05-10T11:38:00.000-04:00

Bennett's Branch Near Benezette

Early May with its' superb scenery, mild temperatures, and abundant wildlife is a wonderful time to visit Pennsylvania Elk Country. The photo above was taken near the Benezett river bridge early on the morning of May 5th, 2008 and I liked it so much that I included video footage of this scene in "The Truth About Pennsylvania's Elk Herd", the documentary film that was released that September. There is truly something special about a beautiful spring morning spent afield whether it be in a turkey blind, hiking the backcountry, or photographing scenery and big game.

For me, the primary focus of an early May trip is to document the growth of the bull's antlers and the 2008 trip yielded several excellent encounters. The best photo sessions with a large bull was when I found the magnificent bull that many referred to as "Kisser" in the woods near the Dent's Run Viewing Area.

"Kisser" or "Odie" Near Dents Run Viewing Area

This bull could usually be found somewhere between Devil's Elbow and Benezette, but the area around Dents Run Viewing Area seemed to be an especially favorite spot for him in May.


"Kisser" The Gentle Giant

It seems most Pennsylvania bulls are not as aggressive as some of the western bulls such as Bull 6, which was a famous character bull at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park. That bull was known for chasing people and attacking vehicles, but "Kisser" was the exact opposite of this.

Bull 6 Mammoth Hot Springs-Yellowstone National Park

Well known photographer and guide Phil Burkhouse wrote an article "Fred Is Dead" in his "Wandering Aimlessly " column in the Jan 19, 2011 issue of The Cameron County Echo, about "Bull 36" also known as "Fred" shortly after he died last winter. In this Mr Burkhouse tells how that tourist flock to Winslow Hill to see elk and that Fred was "the brightest star in the tourism trade and perhaps the most valuable animal to local businesses in the state". He goes on to say that, "Fred was a first class citizen". "Fred, huge beast that he was, was always friendly and gentle. Fred was undoubtedly the largest bull elk in the herd for ten years running and did not have a mean bone in this body." While "Kisser" was overshadowed by Bull 36's reputation, he was well know and was every bit as acclimated and harmless. He was the most likely "heir apparent" to Bull 36, but that was not to be as he was killed in the 2010 elk hunt. I cannot comprehend why there cannot be a sufficient no hunt zone, that a few bulls can have a large enough home range to reach maturity and live a normal life span. I began hunting at an early age and was as avid a hunter as any until 1997-98 so I completely understand the pro-hunt point of view, but I cannot comprehend how we can be so obsessed with the need to make every "elk a hunted elk", that we cannot allow anything special to exist such as a few bulls like this.

Apologists for the hunt as it is currently implemented never tire of pointing out that elk were re-introduced for hunting purposes and that the re-introduction was paid for with hunting license dollars, therefore the herd should be managed primarily for hunting purposes. At times lip service is given to the concept of managing for tourism, but when the actual management decisions are made, the elk and the non-consumptive user are usually the losers. Attaining the proper balance between hunting and tourism is the key, and the herd can be managed in such a way that it is a win, win situation for both the tourist and hunting industries, but at this point a win, win situation does not seem likely. Instead what we are doing is much like hunting elk in downtown Mammoth Hot Springs. We are killing our biggest, best and most visible elk and it is WRONG!!!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Camera Critters: Birds And Scenery Make Good Subjects

2011-05-07T12:32:00.001-04:00

Rushing Mountain Stream Makes For Great Scenic Opportunity

I spend most mornings in a blind by a rushing mountain stream, waiting for the wily, elusive Eastern Wild Turkey Gobblers to appear. Many times the birds do not co-operate, but if one is not totally fixated on the turkeys and looks about for other photo opportunities, they may find other subjects that are as rewarding to photograph. These opportunities range from capturing scenic shots, to photographing other birds or animals that may appear.

While I have seen Eastern Towhee's for years, I have not had many opportunities to photograph them successfully, as they usually inhabit brushy areas where they scratch among the leaves on the forest floor for food. This changed in April when the birds began utilizing the area around my blind.

Eastern Towhee

This bird used to be called the Rufous Sided Towhee, which still sounds like a good name to me, but for some reason it was changed. Whatever the case, they are a beautiful bird and it was a thrill to successfully photograph the species.

The Northern or "Yellow Shafted" Flicker is another bird that frequents our area, but has been difficult for me to photograph until this spring when one stopped by on an April morning.

Northern "Yellow Shafted" Flicker

The birds came near the blind because I sprinkled a mixture of bird seed and sunflower seeds around a nearby stump and on the forest floor. It is perfectly legal to feed birds and turkeys, but one must not do this if they hunt turkeys from the blind and they may not hunt in the area around where the feed is spread. They must hunt far enough away that the actions of their quarry is not influenced by the food source.

In Pennsylvania, regulations require that all bait and residue thereof be removed at least thirty days before hunting is done in that area. This is not a problem since I have not hunted for nearly thirteen years, having found observing and photographing wildlife to be a much more rewarding means of enjoying the outdoors, so if my ex-compatriots in law-enforcement stop by the only weapons they will find will be the cameras and long lenses.

Partially Hollow Stump Makes Both A Good Background And A Natural Bird Feeder

For more Camera Critters photographs, Click Here!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Pennsylvania Deer Wars: My First Close-up Whitetail Photograph

2011-05-04T12:43:00.000-04:00

Today we continue with the series on "The Pennsylvania Deer Wars", but as I like to say, "with no fighting yet". That; however, will soon follow if we continue to explore this subject. This takes up where the post of March 16, 2011 left off.

Until the spring of 1974 my primary interaction with whitetail deer was either hunting or observing them, although I did have a strong desire to photograph them. Since I was operating on a shoe-string budget I got the Minolta SRT 101, with 50mm F1.7 normal lens in early May of that year and waited a few weeks until I had more funds before I purchased the Spiratone 400mm. What a thrill it was to look through the view finder at distant subjects. Now birds and animals were no longer barely visible spots in the finder. It is hard to describe the excitement I felt at this point--it was even difficult to sleep at night with thoughts of prospective encounters with wildlife running through my mind.

Minolta SRT 101 and Spiratone 400mm F 6.3: Photo by W.Hill

On one fine spring morning I left our family farm and walked to a remote mountain farm where an old barn was still standing. This was ideal whitetail habitat with excellent prospects for photo opportunities during the entire trip, but I saw no deer until I got to the barn. When I came around one corner of the barn, a young whitetail doe ran out of the barnyard into the nearby woods, then turned and paused to look at me for a few seconds. With heart pounding, I brought the camera to eye level and fired a few frames before she bounded away.

Young Whitetail Doe-The First Close-up Photograph: Photo by W.Hill

I was using Ektachrome 100 slide film and the 400mm lens without a tripod, which required an exposure of 1/125 sec. at f6.3, and it is difficult to hand-hold a 400mm steady enough to get acceptably sharp photos at 1/125 sec., especially in the days before image stabilization, Needless to say the photographs were not all that great, but I was so thrilled to finally have a close-up photo of a deer that I didn't even notice that they were not very sharp. It would not be until the DSLR age that I would become obsessed with sharpness and the use of premium lenses and tripods.

This was the first of thousands of photos I would take with SLR/DSLR cameras and telephoto lenses. The photo below shows a mature doe and was taken this past winter with a Canon 7D and 300mm F2.8 telephoto, and what a world of difference there is. She was photographed less than 75 yards from where I took the photo in 1974 and there is a fair probability that she is a descendant of the young doe that I captured on film that day.

Adult Doe Photographed In Same Area Almost 37 years Later: Canon 7D 300mm F2.8

It would be interesting to mount the 400mm Spiratone on the 7D and see how it performs with this camera while mounted on a high end tripod. This can be done quite cheaply as those lenses utilized a screw on T mount that adapted it to any interchangeably lens SLR and these adapters are still available. I am certain that the results would not begin to compare with modern professional equipment, but one must consider the price of the lens and high end lenses such as the Canon L series are forbiddingly expensive and like the price of gasoline seem to become more so by the day.

So at this point, any involvement in deer wars was simply struggling to learn how to hunt and photograph them, but these interests would lead my brother Coy and I to become involved in the fight to protect the whitetail deer and other wildlife.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Gobbling Activity Continues, While Whitetail Antler Growth Accelerates

2011-04-27T11:47:00.000-04:00

With April almost gone and May just a few short days away, it is turning summer-like here in southcentral Pennsylvania, with warm weather and a lot of thunderstorms.. I used to think of spring gobbler photography primarily as a warm weather endeavor, but since retiring in 2007 and spending most mornings afield in pursuit of wildlife photographs, I have found that a lot of gobbling activity occurs during March and early April when many mornings are quite cold. It has only been in the last week or so that one is comfortable without wearing gloves and heavy clothing, while waiting in the blind during the early morning hours for turkeys to appear. While I haven't heard as much gobbling recently, it is still common to see gobblers strutting.

Mature Gobbler Struts During Courtship Ritual

A gobbler usually performs this courtship ritual of strutting and posturing when hens are nearby, but it is common for them to neither strut or gobble during an encounter with them, which makes photographing them doubly difficult as one needs to not only see the elusive bird, but see him when he is engaging in this behavior, the light is right, and intervening trees and brush does not obscure him. The process is somewhat easier, when the birds are found in the meadows. While turkeys are in many ways a woodland bird, they do like open, grassy areas and may be seen in them, especially in spring and autumn. For some reason, they especially like to use them on rainy days.

Turkeys May Be Found In Both Woodlands And Meadows

While I tend to concentrate on the turkeys at this time of year, it is also interesting to watch the whitetail deer and document the antler growth. Antlers size gradually increases in April, and will become more rapid as the season advances. Below are two photos taken on the morning of April 26th. This is the same buck that was featured in the post of April 16th, and the photo in that post was taken on April 10th., so one can see how much the antlers have grown in 16 days.

Antler Size Increases Gradually During April: Note Appearance Of Winter Coat

A close look reveals that a branch is developing on the right antler. This buck should have at least four points by the end of May, but it is also very likely that he will disperse before then, so we may never know how large he will grow.

A Point Develops On The Right Antler

In addition to growing antlers, the deer are slowly changing from the winter to the summer coat. The winter coat is bleached and ragged in appearance and the hair falls out, to be replaced by the reddish colored summer coat, which is developing underneath. Most deer will complete this process by mid-June.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Too Many Elk On Winslow Hill?

2011-04-20T13:40:00.005-04:00

As we noted in the post of Thursday April 14, the Pennsylvania Game Commission' drastically increased the elk license allocations for the 2011 season, for Hunt Zones 2 and 8, which are those that most directly impact the viewing areas and center of elk related tourism on Winslow Hill. It is claimed that an increased kill is needed because this is the largest sub-herd and has showed the most increase. To be quite frank I have noticed the increased visibility of elk in this area in the last few years, but have been reluctant to comment about the situation in the fear that it would help draw attention to what some are sure to perceive as a problem. While some may claim that this perceived problem is a result of not killing enough elk, based on my years of experience as a Game Lands Maintenance Worker and later Game Lands Maintenance Supervisor with the PGC, I am reasonably certain that this seemingly large increase in the herd on Winslow Hill has been caused by the massive amounts of reclamation work that has been done in the area during the past decade. As a result there are more high quality grasses available as food for elk than ever before, which tends to draw elk from surrounding areas and concentrate them in a relatively small area.


Bull Elk Follows Cow: Reclaimed Area Of SGL 311: Grasses planted among cover crop of grain.

Elk, like any other animal, gravitate toward the best food sources and at this time a significant proportion of this improved habitat is visible from the elk viewing area at Dewey Road, which I persist in calling "The Gilbert Viewing Area". This will change in a short amount of time whether more hunting pressure is directed at the area or not. The reason for this change will be that the quality of the grass will decline and then the elk will shift the focus of their feeding to areas where the best food may be found. The only way that the large herd will remain concentrated there is if a significant portion of the grasslands is renewed periodically by replanting.

As an example, I recall that in late summer of 2006 the reclaimed area between the Maynard Woodring property and Elk View Diner (this had been an area of slag piles, etc. but was now a meadow) was covered with a carpet of luscious grasses including different varieties of clovers and trefoil and a large number of elk were attracted to the area.

Area Near Elk View Diner Carpeted With Clover And Trefoil: Photo by W.Hill

This has remained a good spot to see elk, but it was not used nearly as much last fall as in the period from 2006-2009, and the reason is that the more desirable varieties of grass were dying out, while freshly planted reclaimed areas near Dewey Road, The Saddle, and at The Elk Country Visitor Center, attracted the lions share of the elk. The PGC has also traditionally planted at least one food plot at the Dent's Run Viewing Area (the one with the information center) and usually one or two at The Gilbert. This has served to keep elk coming to these areas in most years, but I do not think it is sufficient to attract and hold the 150-200 animals that the PGC says is in the area at present, so regardless as to whether or not they shoot more elk on Winslow Hill, you likely won't see as many there in the not too distant future, unless the PGC maintains an aggressive planting program in the area.

PGC Prepares Food Plot For Planting At Gilbert Viewing Area

Another example as to why this is likely the case is the rut of 2007. The PGC planted the usual food plots at both the Gilbert and Dent's Run viewing areas, but The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which then owned the Elk Country Visitor Center property, planted a lot of high quality forage in their food plots, while there was an extremely large newly reclaimed area on State Game Lands 311, which was planted in fall grain and highly desirable grasses. This was located in the back country toward the mountains to the West of Dewey Road.

Remote Reclaimed Area Of SGL 311: In 2007 this and plots at RMEF attracted many elk usually seen At Gilbert and Dent's Run Viewing Areas

There were many times that there weren't many elk to be seen in the usual viewing areas and some people who made only a one day trip didn't see one bull. There were a lot of complaints that year that there were no elk on Winslow Hill, but the bottom line was that most were at The Elk Foundation where the general public was not permitted to be, or at the reclaimed area, which required a substantial walk to access. Most of the public didn't know how to find it anyway, and it would likely have been perceived to be a problem had they found out about it and arrived in large numbers to look for elk. I heard the person working at the information booth at the Dent's Run viewing area that fall tell most of what I have just related to several groups of people, as I was browsing the literature and displays in the building.

The bottom line is that it seems likely that this herd will disperse to a certain extent, if not a great deal, once this bonanza of high quality food is gone. In the meantime the PGC has started down the slippery slope of increasing license allocations in the area. If they were concerned only about elk over-population as they claim, why has pressure been substantially increased on the bulls also? I fully understand that many of the bulls that one sees on Winslow Hill during the rut, come from other areas to Winslow Hill and are in another area entirely when hunting season arrives, but with that being said there were a substantial number of large bulls that did make that general area their year around range and most of these animals have been shot. In some years, Pennsylvania has a 100% success rate on bulls and it is seldom much less than that, so in effect this means it is highly likely that eight more of the bulls that frequent the tourist areas will be killed this fall.

From my point of view, it is amazing that we overshot the whitetail buck population to the extent that the PGC enacted antler restrictions to enable more bucks to live long enough to grow somewhat better antlers, yet we seem hell bent on killing the exceptional bull elk and making the same mistake with them that we did with the deer.

In the near future, I plan to further explore how and why we have arrived at this point in Pennsylvania Elk Management.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Camera Critters: Whitetail Deer: The Survivor

2011-04-16T12:13:00.001-04:00

Gazing deeply into the eye of this wily Whitetail doe, one can sense the extreme alertness and intelligence that has kept her alive for almost nine years. She has raised several young bucks that are all gone now, yet she remains. Some of her fawns were shot by "thrill killers", wildlife criminals who drive the roads late at night, locating deer with spotlights and shooting them just to watch them fall.

Whitetail Doe-A Veteran Survivor

Most of the buck fawns she has had through the years, grew into adults ,dispersed and were likely taken in hunting season. It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs that only one of the more than nine fawns she has had is still alive today.

Studies have shown that many if not most whitetail bucks disperse from their home range in the first autumn that they have antlers, which usually means when they are slightly less than 1 1/2 years old. If they do not do so then they usually disperse the following May, assuming they survive the fall hunting season,

Whitetail Buck With New Antler Growth In Mid-April

In rare cases they may remain in their home range past two years of age, but this is very unusual. Does usually spend their entire life in the general area where they were born. They may disperse short distances during fawning time and during the summer, but will often rejoin the main herd sometime during the autumn. When one sees a large herd of deer they are usually looking at an extended family group, with all of the animals tracing their lineage to a doe that is at the top of the pecking order. She is deferred to by the rest of the herd and performs the function of "lead doe". In some cases an extremely large herd of deer may be a collection of these extended family groups.

For more Camera Critters photographs, Click Here!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

PGC Targets Winslow Hill Elk Herd

2011-04-14T16:08:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 12, 2011

Release #045-11

GAME COMMISSIONERS ADOPT 2011-12 SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for 2011-12, including big and small game seasons and furbearer seasons.

The Board also adopted antlerless deer license allocations for the 22 Wildlife Management Units, and are listed in the article below.

For those unable to view the webcasts, a three-part “on-demand” video recording of the staff reports from April 11 and today’s Board actions can be viewed by going to/pennsylvaniagamecommissionhttp://www.livestream.com/pennsylvaniagamecommission and clicking on the “April 2011 Board Meeting” icon.

The remainder of the News Release 045-11 gives a detailed summation of seasons and bag limits, which may be read by clicking here: Release 045-11.

The following is an article and commentary by me, describing the discussion of the elk situation on the Webcast as I understood it.

Winlsow Hill Herd To Be Targeted: Photo by W.Hill

A very small portion of the April 11th webcast concerns the Pennsylvania elk herd. According to Dr. Chris Rosenberry the elk herd is increasing overall, and is stable in some areas, but the Winslow Hill herd is the largest sub-herd and it has increased the most of any since last year. As a result the PGC has recommended that the harvest in Hunt Zone 2 be doubled from last year's allocation. This year 12 cows and 4 bulls, YES FOUR Bulls, will be legal targets near the viewing areas on Winslow Hill. This of course does not count the Governor's Conservation Tag bull, which of course can be taken there also ,for a total of 5 Yes Five possible bulls killed in the center of elk related tourism. It is unclear at this point if this recommendation was finalized at this meeting.To underscore the importance of the Pennsylvania Elk Herd to the PGC, Rosenberry's elk presentation was an astonishing 1 min. 35 seconds long, before he moved on to the deer.

If approved, this leads one to question just what level of commitment the PGC does have to elk related tourism on Winslow Hill. Why double the number of bull permits in this area to control the population? One can be certain that it will not be raghorns that will be killed!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Camera Critters: Trying To Capture The Perfect Moment

2011-04-09T12:24:00.001-04:00

An early April morning in Pennsylvania's backcountry and an Eastern Wild Turkey Gobbler is in full strut, while a Gray Squirrel watches the action from the vantage point of a nearby tree.

Eastern Wild Turkey Gobbler: Note how tail is fanned out and extended wingtips

This was an exciting encounter, but unfortunately the bird never posed exactly as I wanted for the camera. We would become bored with wildlife photography were it not for the challenge of trying to capture that perfect moment. In an encounter like this the perfect moment is happening a lot of the time, but the problem is to have that happen where one is in a position to capture it. These birds are elusive and one cannot get out of the blind and move to a better position when they are present, although I have seen some acclimated birds in Cades Cove in The Smokies that would permit this.

Observing and photographing Gray Squirrels often helps to relieve the tedium of waiting for a gobbler to arrive,

Gray Squirrel Surveys The Countryside

Whether one sees a lot of wildlife or not, being in the great outdoors on a beautiful spring morning, is time well spent!

For more Camera Critters Photos: Click Here!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Pennsylvania Deer Wars: Should The Cougar Be Re-introduced?

2011-04-06T13:55:00.000-04:00

Fawn Nursing, July 2005

I have mentioned the Pennsylvania Deer Wars in several posts, but have not actually given a definition of them to date, as I assume that most readers are aware as to the issues involved, but for those that are not I will explain in a grossly oversimplified manner. (I hope to expound on this in much greater detail in the future)

One camp contends that there are too many deer in Pennsylvania for the natural habitat to support. This results in over-browsing by deer, which destroys many species of trees, wildflowers and other plants that are essential for food and cover for both deer and many other species of wildlife. In short, too many deer destroys the habitat and causes populations of competing species to decline.

The other camp insists that the deer herd has been reduced too much by a herd reduction program which began with the appointment of Dr. Gary Alt as head of Pennsylvania's deer program in 1999. Alt's program featured concurrent buck and doe seasons, an October blackpowder and Jr., Sr. citizens antlerless deer season, along with antler restrictions. Some contend that the program has impacted deer numbers so severely that Pennsylvania deer hunting has been destroyed.

In light of this, it was interesting to read a letter to the editor In the April 2, 2011 edition of "Endeavor News" (the full article is available to be read by the general public in two weeks) . Entitled "Nature Out Of Balance", it is by Christopher Spatz, President of the Cougar Rewilding Foundation. This was in reference to a recent announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the Eastern Cougar is officially extinct. (To see the NFWS release in its' entirety, click Here.)

Spatz makes the case that,"the extinction of the cougar has tolled a death-knell for eastern ecosystems". He goes on to say, "The cougar’s extermination in the East imperils the habitat of animals such as the endangered Karner Blue butterfly and the declining New England cottontail rabbit because of overbrowsing by superabundant whitetailed deer. Many plant species, including trilliums, lady’s slippers and wild American ginseng, are at risk from uncontrolled deer herbivory that threatens forest regeneration, rare plants and habitat for wildlife.

The potential collapse of our restored deciduous forests is the biggest underreported ecological crisis developing in the eastern third of the country. Step into your nearest woodlot, state or national forest. Notice the deer browse-line five-feet high, the missing seedlings and saplings, the carpets of ferns and invasive weeds that suppress tree-growth. Our forests are standing graveyards."

From there he goes on to make a case for the re-introduction of the cougar in the east. I can't help but wonder how the deer oriented members of the outdoor community are going to react to this one, if this letter is widely disseminated, and he has likely sent it to a lot of newspapers.

From reading this letter, it sounds as though the woods is over ran with deer and no one is doing anything about it, yet according to the Pennsylvania Game Commissions figures, 316,240 deer were harvested in the 2010-11 seasons (PGC News Release #031-11). There is also no mention of the toll that black bears and coyotes have on fawn populations,or the impact of animals killed illegaly yet the re-introduction of the cougar is needed to save the forest!

Coyotes Impact Whitetail Deer Populations


Black Bears Also Contribute To Fawn Mortality

Illegal Killing Of Deer Further Decimates Populations

It is likely that the letter is of necessity a greatly condensed version of the organization's position, but after reading it I can't help but wonder if they have any comprehension of the politics of wildlife management in Pennsylvania, or the attitude of many if not most rural residents toward a cougar reintroduction.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Pennsylvania Bull Elk Now Shedding Antlers

2011-04-01T10:44:00.000-04:00

Bull Elk With Antlers: March 30, 2011

Rapidly advancing technology is both a blessing and a curse. One is glad to see a greatly improved final product whether it be either still photographs or video, but the never ending changes make it very hard to maintain an up to date inventory of video footage or still images of wildlife and its' behavior. In my opinion video is impacted the most as only a few years ago everything was shot in standard definition (SD) and at a 4:3 aspect ration (the shape of the old tube type TVs), but now everything is high definition (HD), which of course is shot to fit the wide-screen format of the HD TVs. While the modern DSLRs do make better images than the earlier models, it is not nearly as significant of a difference as with the video, because SD video was very low resolution to begin with and manipulating it to fit a wide-screen production, even one which is delivered on a standard DVD, results in a certain amount of image degradation. Some animal behavior is not all that hard to document, while other things can be a once in a lifetime occurrence. It is not especially hard to document the shedding of the bull's antlers and the growth of the new ones, but it does require either spending a lot of time in the elk range or just happening to be there at the right time. I like to concentrate on photographing turkeys from mid-March until early May, so I am usually not in the elk range during this period.

The bottom line was that although I have been shooting HD since 2007, I had no HD footage of this particular event, so I traveled to elk country this past week with two major goals in mind. First I wanted to film bulls that had already shed their antlers and started growing new ones, and secondly I wanted to film either a bull with two pedicels showing no growth, or one with one antler shed and one still present. Still photography was to be secondary and attempted only after the video footage was taken. On Wednesday morning I finally succeeded in filming both, but only bulls with both antlers still intact lingered long enough for still photos, so the ones depicting the shedding are still captures from the XL-H1 video camera.

One Antler Shed: Video still capture Canon XL-H1

Right Antler Has Been Shed At Least A Day Or More: Note Scab: Video still capture Canon XL-H1

Bull With New Antler Growth: Video still capture Canon XL-H1

In most cases, the mature bulls shed first and that can occur in late February, but it is much more likely to happen in March. I was actually surprised to find that most of the bulls that I saw still had antlers, but a seasoned elk photographer pointed out that this was because most of them were young bulls. Even the first bull shown, which had not yet shed, is not a top-tier bull and is likely not all that old, but I did expect that most bulls of this size would have lost their antlers by now.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Eastern Wild Turkey Gobblers

2011-03-25T11:40:00.000-04:00

There are conflicting opinions as to whether the Eastern Wild Turkey is a beautiful or ugly bird, but it is so highly regarded as a game species in Pennsylvania that it is classified as a big game animal and is hunted in both spring and fall seasons (males only are legal in the spring).

Alert Gobbler

While the head may have a somewhat reptilian appearance, which is especially noticeable when the bird is feeding or checking for danger, this is offset by the overall stunning beauty of the gobblers when they strut and spread their tail fans during the courtship display, and a mature gobbler standing in bright sunlight is beautiful at any time, as the rays of the sun make his plumage come alive, while it looks drab under poor lighting conditions.

Gobbler Struts In Early Morning

I used to think that turkeys only strutted and gobbled in the spring--especially in April, but have found that it can happen at any time of year, although it is much more prevalent during the mating season in late winter and spring, but as far as I know the actual courtship display only occurs in late winter or spring. At this time the male bird gobbles, fans his tail, struts, and walks in circles with his head often rapidly changing hues. I have seen them go from red, to white and all shades between in just a few seconds.

Gobbler Struts And Drags Wings On Ground

I was born in 1950, but never saw a turkey until sometime in the mid-1960s. They were another species that one only heard about, such as bears, eagles, and river otters, although some old time dedicated turkey hunters did continue to hunt them and be able to find them. As mentioned, this changed in the 1960s, at least in Fulton County, and their was a substantial turkey population by the early 1970s, which has continued to this day.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Freddy Anecdote: Is Fred Really Dead? An Article by Carol Mulvihill

2011-03-19T12:09:00.000-04:00

Fred In 2005: collar removed in Photoshop

Carol Mulvihill, "The Elk Lady", writes a column, "Elk Watcher's Journal" for Endeavor News, and is known and respected for her fair and objective reporting on elk issues. She also enjoys observing and photographing the elk., and like many, had a special interest in Bull 36, a.k.a. "Fred", "Freddy", or "Dogrope" and has graciously agreed to share an article with us about him.

Freddy anecdote:
Is Fred really dead?

By Carol Mulvihill

On various occasions, during the past two years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has received calls from people thinking the free-ranging bull elk nicknamed Freddy, Fred Junior, or Dog Rope, wearing Game Commission research collar No. 36, was either dead or should be put down because he looked decrepit and could hardly walk.

Here are a couple of stories the Game Commission probably never heard.

Benezette resident Ron Rishel tells about an incident that happened the summer before last. He came upon Fred lying down like a dog with his neck flat on the ground, with no noticeable movements to indicate breathing.

“I hollered to him a couple of times and got no response,” Rishel said, “I was sure he was dead so I walked up to him and, standing behind him, I kicked him in his butt because I wanted to see how stiff he was. He startled, picked his head up and swung it around, and scared me half to death!” he chuckled.

I remember a scenario three years ago, after the rut. Freddy was lying flat out in a field in the sun in the late afternoon along Dewey Road, with one of his antlers resting against the ground. He was with a group of about a dozen sleeping cows and calves. I watched him for a full 10 minutes with binoculars and did not see chest movements that would indicate breathing. I thought to myself, if he dies of exhaustion after the rut, lying in a field with his cows, it’s not a bad way for him to go.

After twenty minutes, other bystanders began asking, “Is that bull out there dead?”
I was seriously wondering if I was going to have to call the Game Commission to haul him out. Then, I looked once more through a spotting scope, and the big old bull elk moved his head slightly.

It was déjà vu for me again this fall – I was not able to get a response from the lying- down bull by calling to him at close range, and I saw no signs of breathing or life whatsoever. I’ve been a nurse all my life, so I knew what to look for.

With tears brimming in my eyes, I walked to my car and was about to go to town to tell Ron Rishel before calling the Game Commission. When I slammed my car door and started the engine, the old bull picked his head up and looked at me. I swear I heard someone whisper, “Gottcha!”

I think Freddy liked to play this trick on people, and especially enjoyed hearing Rishel invoke the Lord’s name. This bull elk had a sense of humor.

I’ll treasure my memories of him forever.-Carol Mulvihill

I wish to thank Carol for sharing these stories with us and also take this opportunity to relate a similar experience that I had back in 2001. This was the same autumn that Fred spent a lot of time in the saddle area and had the terrific battle with the Test Hill Bull, which I filmed and is incorporated in the theater presentation at Elk Country Visitor Center today. When I arrived in the area one afternoon, I was amazed to see him lying there as though he were dead, and I filmed him with the Canon L2. I had a 35mm camera with me, but for some reason got no still shots of this incident, so the photos that are posted today are still captures taken from the Hi-8 video tape.

Fred With Harem: Photo by W.Hill

This was the year that the first modern day Pennsylvania elk season was to be held in November and Fred was an outstanding trophy class animal, but he was also completely acclimated to humans and there is no way that shooting him could have been classified as a fair chase hunt. It seemed very likely that he would be shot, as the border with the hunt zone ran along the edge of the meadow, and he spent a lot of time there and in the woods in the distance, which were in the hunt zone. At the time I couldn't help but wonder if this was a harbinger of things to come, and that soon he would be lying like this as someone's trophy.

Is He Dead Or Only Sleeping? Photo by W.Hill

Would He Be Lying Dead Before The Year Was Over?: Photo by W.hill

Fortunately he did return to the No Hunt Zone before season that year, and remained there, in spite of a rumored plot to drive him from the protected area and kill him. He went on to survive over nine more years, and became the most famous bull elk in Pennsylvania and perhaps the entire world. Unless there is a drastic change in our current elk management policies, there will never be another like him and at this point that doesn't seem likely to happen.

Be sure to read Ms. Mulvihill's March 19, 2011 column in Endeavor News,"PGC Roe not keen on expanding elk no-hunt zone", which details PGC Executive Director, Carl Roe's reaction to the concept of expanding the No Hunt Zone. The article is available now to online or print edition subscribers, and will be available online in its' entirety in two weeks for non-subscribers.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Pennsylvania Deer Wars: A Different Perspective-A Life Changing Event

2011-03-16T12:02:00.000-04:00

Today we continue our discussion of the "Pennsylvania Deer Wars". As of yet I have written little about any war, which led one reader to ask just what the "Deer Wars" are. This will become clear as I continue the series, but for now I continue with exploring the factors that led my brother Coy and I to develop a strong lifelong interest in the outdoors in general and whitetail deer in particular. Along the way, both of us experienced a sea change in attitude about wildlife, with the progression being gradual at times and abrupt at others.

Coy and I were ideally positioned to become totally immersed in the outdoors as we lived in one of the remotest areas of Fulton County, Pennsylvania. The nearest neighbors were a farmer and a hunting club, both of which were at least one-half mile away. Other than that it was fields and undeveloped mountain land from our farm to the east side of Meadow Grounds Mountain near McConnellsburg, which is a distance of many miles.

Typical Fulton County Backwoods Farmland In Early 1950s: Photo by Alma Hill

One of my earliest memories was when the farmhouse was connected to the electric grid sometime before I started school, but we didn't have telephone service or TV while I lived there. Our family and my grandparents on my father's side shared the same house, and my grandmother had strong religious beliefs about television and would not allow a TV set in the house, as she believed that television was a bad moral influence and led to a lot of "sinnin". One felt inferior and left out of things when you went to school and your classmates discussed the latest episodes of their favorite TV shows, but the plus side to this was that one tended to to become involved in activities that required intellectual and physical effort as one could not come home at the end of the school day and watch television for entertainment, but rather you were forced to provide your own entertainment. As a result I became a voracious reader, hunter, fisherman, and student of traditional Appalachian music.

My initial interest in whitetails came from hearing the deer hunting stories and seeing the deer that the hunters brought in, but things really took off in 1964 when I somehow came into possession of an old, ragged copy of "The Deer Hunter's Bible" by George Laycock. I read it from cover to cover and then re-read certain sections, and then read them again and again! This book really fired my interested in deer hunting and sparked an interest in deer watching. When weather and chores permitted, it was common to come home from school, and head out for a walk through deer country in the last hour of so of the day when deer activity was at its' peak. When I got back to the house, I usually settled down with a snack and scanned the pages of "The Deer Hunter's Bible", dreaming about the coming deer season. In time one wanted more reading material (we also read the outdoor magazines of the day), and we came across an advertisement that was to eventually change the focus of my life, but like many life altering things, it didn't seem significant at the time and was initially very inexpensive.

It seemed so innocuous! For the sum of 25 cents one could receive "The World Of The Whitetail Deer" by Leonard Lee Rue III, if they would only agree to join the Outdoor Life Book Club, and buy a few more selections during the year at the regular club price. In time the book arrived, and I was fascinated by Mr. Rue's photographs and writing. The photographs were all in black and white and some were taken in deer pens, but I was in awe! How did one do this? There was little or no information easily available about photographing wildlife at that time and he did not describe what equipment he used. I may be wrong, but I feel certain that the photographs for this book were taken before 35mm SLR cameras and telephoto lenses were easily available. From this point on it seemed a given to me that anyone would want to photograph deer "like Leonard did", but I was amazed to find that this was not the case when several years later I excitedly stuck one of my first b&w prints of a deer in my grandfather's face and excitedly informed him that here was an actual deer photograph, but he just said something like "yeah" in a distracted way and went on with what he was doing. Obviously, deer and deer photography did not rank very high on his list of priorities.

Whitetail Doe Portrait-Grandfather Could Not Have Cared Less!: Photo by W. Hill

The book dealt with the life cycle of the deer and introduced me to the concept that deer were capable of damaging their habitat. It had photographs of browse lines and of starving deer in winter---something of which I was not aware until that time. I do not recall if it was in this book or in a later magazine article that Mr. Rue told about giving a presentation in this time period, and after it was over a man approached him and whispered something to the effect that Rue had to admit that he took a lot of his photographs in deer pens. As I recall, Rue responded in a whisper, "yeah, don't tell anybody". The point he was making was that he never tried to hide this and pointed it out plainly, yet the gentleman missed that entirely, so he had a bit of fun at his expense. If Rue had to photograph a deer in a pen to show certain physical characteristics, or behavior he would do so, but he was going to be up front about it. Mr. Rue almost certainly has to be considered the founding father of modern wildlife photography and has had an impact on it equivalent to that which Elvis Presley had on popular music or Bill Monroe had on traditional music. During that period, it appeared that a high percentage of all wildlife photographs published in American outdoor magazines were taken by him. Eventually this changed as he inspired an entire generation of followers, which to a certain extent turned into competitors, but he continued to be the leader in the field for many years.

As for me, I was on fire to photograph deer, but I didn't know what equipment one needed, didn't know how to find out, and didn't have the financial resources to purchase equipment anyway. Out of desperation I tried to work with the equipment at hand, which was an Ansco 120mm roll film camera and a small point and shoot camera of unknown name, which took 127 roll film. Both had a fixed shutter speed and aperture, and wide angle lens. I knew up front that one had to get close and the results were disappointing to say the least as the wide angle actually made the subject appear to be further away. In the next two photos we see just how impossible, with the first being a deer some distance away. The photo is severely cropped, but the deer is just a small speck at the tip of the white arrow. (It had its' tail up as it prepared to run).


Deer At Distance With 127 Roll Film Camera

I tried to get closer and spent some time stalking deer along the edges of cornfields and meadows in late evening, but soon found that this didn't work either. This camera took flash bulbs, which plugged into a socket on the front of the camera and one only got one shot before the deer exploded in flight.

Doe And Fawn In 1969: 127 Camera with flash

The fingerprints and scratching in the print above was done when the film was commercially processed, which says something for the quality control of that particular lab. (after scanning I did crop and enhance the photo, but the damage is still there.) At any rate, it was now clear that these cameras were not an option and my interest in photography was put on hold for a time.

Today in the information age, if is hard to comprehend how difficult it was to attain certain types of information at that point in time. None of the outdoor magazines had any information about photography that I could find until about 1973 when I read an article in Outdoor Life where someone explained the concept of film speed, which was then known as ASA instead of ISO, as it is called today. I began working at Central Fulton School District in late winter of 1973 and at one point noticed one of the teachers reading a magazine which turned out to be "Modern Photography". I soon learned there was another called, "Popular Photography" and in no time at all I was devouring everything I could find in these magazines. The magazines provided the long sought after information and it became clear that one needed a 35mm single lens reflex camera known as an SLR and an assortment of telephoto lenses to get those long sought after portraits of whitetails. Now I did have funds to purchase equipment, but at the munificent salary of $4,200 per year one had to buy the most economical lenses and cameras possible, and one didn't buy an entire outfit, but rather bought it one piece at a time. The story of how I built my initial outfit is mostly for another day as it is quite interesting in and of itself, but for now suffice it to say that I acquired a Minolta SRT101 35mm camera in the spring of 1974. The camera with normal lens sold for about $250 and I also bought a Spiratone 400mm f6.3 telephoto lens (a store brand lens sold by Spiratone of Flushing, NY., which I believe was actually made by Sigma), which cost $50 for the standard version and somewhat more for a multi-coated version.

Minolta SRT 101 & 400mm Spiratone F6.3 Telephoto(37 years Old): Photo by W.Hill 2011

This rig could not begin to compete with the equipment that we use today, but it finally gave me the means to photograph wildlife, which in turn led to a complete change in my view of wildlife and wildlife related issues, but at the time I had no idea as to where this interest in photography would lead. I had not yet heard of any great controversy about deer or "Deer Wars". Little did I realize that in a few years I would be a foot soldier, so as to speak, for the Pennsylvania Game Commission and as such would be involved with deer and deer issues for the remainder of my working life.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.