Whitetail Rut Explodes

Mature 8 Point Lip-Curls: Canon 7D-Canon 600mm f4-ISO 400-1/400 Sec. f 5.0

The rut of the Whitetail Deer is now going full steam and I am seeing quite a few bucks while photographing in Pennsylvania and Maryland.  Unfortunately one of my favorite whitetail photography spots, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia,  has been ruined temporarily by the CWD study, which resulted in most of the mature bucks being fitted with collars.  The loss may be permanent with the specter of herd reduction looming on the horizon.  As a result most of the bucks I am photographing are smaller than the better ones that could be found at SNP in the past.

Photographing and filming the bucks as they check the scrape lines, and chase the does has been one of my favorite outdoor activities for many years.

Mature 8 Point At Scrape: Canon 7D-Canon 600mm f4-ISO 400-1/1250 Sec. f  4.5

I have been using the 7D a lot lately after a long period of letting it gather dust..  I now use the noise reduction tools in Photoshop CS6 Camera Raw  and Adobe CC rather than noise ninja and I have found that the 7D's low light performance is not as bad as I had thought, although it is not as good as the 5D MK III in that respect.  I now feel comfortable using it at ISO 800 and 1000 and will use 1600 in a pinch.  Some will want to know why I am using the 7D instead of my 70D.  The long and short is that I am using the 70D primarily for video as its' auto focus system works very good for video, while the 7Ds' does not.  I usually shoot with both cameras set up on their respective tripods and the 7D is used on the 600mm to take advantage of long range shots.  I do often use the 5D MK III in poor light or when the animals get closer and it is not hard to shift between the 7D and 5D MK III on the 600mm F4, but it is a hassle to tear the video rig down to use the 70D on the 600mm.  When the 7D is on the 600mm F4, I usually keep the 5D MK III handy with a smaller lens such as the 70-200mm IS II  mounted to handle the closer shots and at times I even use the 300mm f2.8.  This rig is used hand held unless conditions are such that I decide to dismount the 600mm and go with a smaller lens for my shooting and want the added stability of the tripod.

The next two shots were taken hand hand held with the MK III and the 70-200mm.  I still like to use a tripod when possible, but lenses such as the 70-200mm f2.8 L do work well hand held when one uses good shooting technique. I find that I get a high percentage of sharp shots while doing so, especially when using the 5D MK III.

 8 Point Chasing Doe: Canon 5D MK III-Canon  70-200mm f2.8  IS II@200mm-ISO 400-1/1600 Sec. f  5.0

 8 Point Chasing Doe: Canon 5D MK III-Canon  70-200mm f2.8  IS II@200mm-ISO 200-1/640 Sec. f  5.0

The rut should continue for at least two more weeks with some periods being more active than others, but the activity will crash with the opening of rifle deer season on the Monday after Thanksgiving if it does not wind down on its' own accord before.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

The Leaves Change Color As The Whitetail Rut Begins

Many Pennsylvania nature photographers have commented that fall colors have not been as spectacular this year as usual and I have found that to be true here in the south-central portion of the state as well.  With that being said I did capture a decent fall scene last Thursday.  Wanting to travel light, I carried only the Panasonic GH3 and tripod with the 14-140mm Lumix lens mounted.  I also carried the 100-300mm Lumix in case I encountered wildlife.

Fall Colors: Panasonic GH3-Lumix 14-140mm@17mm- ISO 200-1/100sec. f 11.0

It seems that the GH3 does quite well as a still camera at the lower ISO settings and it is very easy to carry, but with that being said I still like to use the Canons for most of my still photography.

I have seen quite a bit of wildlife as well in the past few weeks.  One of the most memorable occasions was when I was watching a distant flock of gobblers in a portion of a meadow that was dry enough for the farmer to mow this summer. Since the fall rains it is now a wetlands and  some of the gobblers were drinking from the pools of water among the grass. The image is severely cropped to give a more dramatic composition.

Gobbler Drinking: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm f 4.0-ISO 400-1/250sec. f 8.0

The whitetail deer rut was early last year and I had seen a lot of bucks chasing does by the middle of October, but things have really been slow this year and there has been little signs of the rut until lately.  I have noticed that in the last few days the young bucks that are still traveling with the family groups are showing rutting behavior.  It is amusing to watch these little fellows acting aggressive.

Yearling Buck Performs lip-curl: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm f 4.0-ISO 400-1/320sec. f  4.5

On October 25th I saw the first buck chasing a doe.  I did film the chasing with the Panasonic, but the stills I got with the 5D MK III and the 600mm were only portrait shots.  This was a buck I had not seen before and is either a larger than usual (for this area) yearling or is a small 2 year old.

6 Point Buck Pauses From Chasing Doe: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm f 4.0-ISO 3200-1/200sec. f  4.0

The light level was low enough that it was good to have the MK III's excellent high ISO capability.  I was hidden behind a hay bale, but the buck still caught the movement as I switched from the video camera to the still camera. He soon lost interest in me and began chasing the doe again.

6 Point Buck: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm f 4.0-ISO 3200-1/160sec. f  4.0

He evidently got the leaves in his right antler from horning the ground, which is something I would liked to have seen and recorded.

I enjoy photographing almost any species I can find, but I have been fascinated with the whitetail deer since a young age and they are my favorite species to film and photograph.  Each year I especially look forward to filming the excitement of the fall rut when bucks that are ordinarily shy and hard to see are suddenly everywhere running about after the does.  It will be interesting to see what buck sightings the next few weeks bring.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Autumn Colors and Rutting Whitetails

The autumn colors are slowly reaching their peak here in Southcentral Pennsylvania.  This is not one of the most colorful fawns I can remember, but it is good. At first the colors were reserved and subtle as the scene below, taken late in the evening on September 30th illustrates.

Early Autumn: Canon 5D MK III 24-105L @ 35mm-  ISO 1000-1/40 sec. f4

Autumn color was nearing its' peak by mid-October, so I spent some time concentrating on taking scenic shots.  Unfortunately early morning and evening is the best time for photographing both scenery and whitetail bucks, so I usually end up picking the deer over the scenery.  I would preferred to have taken the following shots under a bit different lighting conditions, but still I think they capture the essence of autumn to an acceptable degree.  Woodland steams and cornfields are an integral part of the autumn landscape here in Fulton County. A circular polarizer was used on the second and third shots, which enhanced the richness of the colors.

Autumn Glory: Canon 5D MK III 17-40L @ 17mm-  ISO 100-1/50 sec. f8

Autumn Cornfield: Canon 5D MK III 24-105L 4535mm-  ISO 100-1/100 sec. f8

This is the backdrop against, which the bucks are chasing does during the early stages of the whitetail rut. The rut began early this year and most days yield one or more buck sightings, but the tempo should pick up even more in the next few weeks.

Whitetail Buck in Hot Pursuit of Doe: Canon 5D MK III 500mm F4L-  ISO 1600-1/640 sec. f4

Whitetail Buck Pauses From Chasing Doe: Canon 5D MK III 500mm F4L-  ISO 1600-1/800 sec. f4

Soon the leaves will be gone and the whitetail rut will be at its' peak and then all to soon fall we be over, and once again we will face the bitter winter months.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

More Whitetail Rut Photos-The Lip-Curl

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.

The First Whitetail Bucks Of Autumn Appear

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.