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| Whitetail Buck Chasing Doe: Canon 7D-70-200mm f2.8 L IS II @70mm- ISO 400-1/640 Sec. f 5.0 |
I spent most of November photographing the whitetail
deer rut in Pennsylvania and Maryland. While I like to photograph deer
at any time of year, the rut is an especially favorite time as the bucks
are more easily visible and excitement can run high when they are
chasing the does--especially if a dominance fight occurs. I did not
get to either photograph or see a fight this year, but I did photograph
several bucks with broken antlers, which were likely a result of
fighting, including the eight-point shown below.
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| Eight-point With Broken Antler: Canon 7D-70-200mm f2.8 L IS II @142mm- ISO 640-1/200 Sec. f 4.0 |
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| Buck Charges From Woods After Doe: Canon 7D-600mm f4.0 L IS - ISO 400-1/640 Sec. f 4.5 |
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I
couldn't be more pleased with the 600mm f4.0 that I started using this
fall. About the only downside to it is the weight and mass. It comes
in especially handy when photographing deer that are not as acclimated
as park deer. The lens especially paid off on the lip-curl photo
below. The buck was fairly close for a Pennsylvania whitetail, but the
image is still heavily cropped to get the dramatic close-up composition.
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| Lip-curl: Canon 7D-600mm f 4.0 L IS- ISO 200-1/600 Sec. f 5.0 |
While I do prefer the 70D to the 7D in most cases, I
have been using the 7D quite a bit for long range shots with the 600mm
as the 70D is usually reserved for video use. If possible I like to set
up with the 600mm on a Gitzo tripod with Wimberley head and the 70D on a
Manfrotto video tripod with fluid head. If the light level is low or
the subjects are close enough I use the 5D MK III with the 600mm to
take advantage of its' superior image quality, but if the range is long
and there is enough light I use the 7D body.
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| Mature Buck At Long Range: Canon 7D-600mm f 4.0 L IS- ISO 200-1/600 Sec. f 5.0 |
Pennsylvania rifle deer season came in on December
2nd this year and will go out at the close of shooting hours on the
14th. Most of the bucks I photographed this fall are likely dead now as
the rifles really hammered on the first day. I began hunting as a
teenager and was an avid hunter for most of my adult life with a special
emphasis on deer. I quit hunting for any species at the end of the 1998
season and in fact all but quit at the end of the 1997 season, but that
is a story for another day. As it is I spend far more time afield than
most hunters and have been out most of the daylight hours during deer
season keeping close tabs on the local deer herd with my cameras close
at hand.
Originally published at
Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.
