Camera Critters: The Rut Continues

The whitetail rut is in full swing in Pennsylvania and Virginia. I have been dividing my time between photographing the local whitetail herd and those in Shenandoah National Park. Since "Salty" has been posting a lot of Virginia photos, I will post some of Pennsylvania deer for this week's camera critters.

The does are smaller in our area than most of the Virginia does, which seems to be a hereditary factor as the food sources seem to be of equal quality. in our area fawns are almost never bred in their first autumn and most are two years old before they have their first fawn.

In the photo below a fawn which was born this past June, stands with its' mother and surveys the countryside.

Canon 30-D: 500mmF4

I love photographing the does and fawns while waiting for the bucks to appear. While I see yearling bucks each day, the larger ones do not always appear. Sometimes one may go a day or so without seeing one and it may appear too early or late for good photography, but in this case a decent seven point appeared in mid-afternoon.

Canon 30-D: 500mmF4

This buck is at least 2 1/2 years old and may even be 3 1/2. Deer in this area are small compared to those in states that produce a large number of trophy bucks. Many hunters from this area travel to the mid-western states such as Iowa where they seem to find some extremely large bucks. As for me, I no longer hunt and I am to content to photograph the local herd and what bucks I can find in the National Parks such as The Smokies and Shenandoah.

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Pennsylvania Elk Hunt Results: 2008

Last week, Pennsylvania held it's eight modern day elk hunt. There was no elk hunting in the state for 70 years until 2001. 45 permits were issued for this years' hunt and 40 hunters were successful. I did not go to the elk range during the hunt and as of yet do not know which, if any of the bulls frequently seen at the viewing areas were shot.



The following is the official Pennsylvania Game Commission News Release . While the article is shown here for your convenience, it is recommended that you follow the link, if you wish to read more information on elk and other wildlife in Pennsylvania.

Source: Pennsylvania Game Commission News Releases
2008 Press Releases
Release #123-08

ELK HUNTERS HARVEST 42 ELK IN 2008

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that 40 of the 45 licensed elk hunters harvested an elk during the season that was held Nov. 3-8. Additionally, of the 10 licensed elk hunters who participated in the September season, two harvested an 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 helps to finance wildlife conservation and supports Pennsylvania’s rich hunting heritage. It’s an unparalleled experience for hunters, particularly those who can’t afford to go on an expensive one- or two-week guided elk hunt out West.”

Along with extracting samples needed for disease testing, the agency also collected samples necessary to examine food preferences and habitat use by elk. Also, hunters collected liver samples that will be evaluated for mineral contents.

The largest antlered elk was taken by Susan Luse, of Aaronsburg, Centre County. She took a 799-pound, 7x7 on Nov. 3, in Covington Township, Clearfield County.

Those hunters rounding out the top five heaviest antlered elk harvested, were: William Kleppinger, of Quakertown, Bucks County, took a 653-pound, 7x7 on Nov. 3, in Bradford Township, Clearfield County; Tyler Rieder, of St. Marys, Elk County, took a 652-pound, 7x7 on Nov. 6, in Covington, Clearfield County; Darrel Maines, of North East, Erie County, took a 624-pound, 7x6 on Nov. 3, in Grove Township, Cameron County; and Kerry McAfoose, of Kittanning, Armstrong County, took a 591-pound, 7x7 on Nov. 4, in Benzette Township, Elk County.

The heaviest antlerless elk was taken by James Misti, of Lyndonville, New York, who harvested a 435-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 4, in West Keating, Clinton County.

Those hunters rounding out the top five heaviest antlerless elk harvested were: Leroy Byler, of Mercer, Mercer County, who harvested a 409-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 6, in Benezette Township, Elk County; Thomas Williams, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, who harvested a 406-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 4, in Benezette Township, Elk County; Bernard Cossack, of Old Forge, Lackawanna County, who harvested a 400-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 5, in Benezette Township, Elk County; George Laudeman, of Minersville, Schuylkill County, who harvested a 395-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 3, in Gibson Township, Cameron County.

For the September 2008 hunt, which was held September 1-27, two elk were harvested. Dale Schmidt, of Germansville, Lehigh County, and Cark Kemp, of Leechburg, Armstrong County, each harvested an antlerless elk.

For more information on elk in Pennsylvania, visit the Game Commission’s website (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/), choose “Hunting,” then click on the photograph of an elk.

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Content Last Modified on 11/12/2008 9:21:01 AM

Of Bucks and Birds

Here in Pennsylvania, the mating season for whitetail deer is well under way and it is at this time that the bucks are most easily seen as they often throw caution to the winds in their search for receptive does. The rut has not yet peaked as many of the does are not yet receptive, but still few days go by without a decent sized buck being spotted.

Canon 30-D: 500mm F4

Even though I am primarily a big game photographer, I do enjoy photographing most anything nature related. I generally view birds as a subject that I should devote more time to, but I seldom succeed in doing so, as I am mostly in spots that are less than ideal bird habitat. That being said, for the last few years I have established a bird feeding station in a rock break at my favorite deer observation post. It seems that only a few species of birds are frequent visitors. At present the Tufted Titmouse, and Nuthatch are most commonly seen. It is especially hard to photograph the Nuthatches as they are really hyperactive, but last Saturday evening I succeed in getting what I regard as my best Nuthatch shot to date.

Canon 30-D: 500mmF4

Stay tuned for more Pennsylvania and Virginia Whitetail photographs, and more writing and photographs about Pennsylvania's Elk Herd.

Yellowstone National Park-The Lamar Valley

Located in Yellowstone National Park between Cooke City and Silver Gate,Montana at the eastern entrance, and Tower Junction, The Lamar Valley is often called "The American Serengeti", because of its' abundance of wildlife. It is also a place of stunning scenic beauty.

Canon 30-D 17-40mmL at 20mm

It is common to see large herds of buffalo grazing in the meadows by the roadside. Once they roamed the west in great numbers, but fell victim to exploitation and were almost eliminated. Today, they exist in only a few places and are still the center of controversy as they are often shot or harassed when they leave park lands.

Herd of buffalo near The Lamar River
Canon 30-D 17-40mmL at 40mm

A Solitary Bull Buffalo: Canon 40-D: 300mmF4-2x extender

While I usually do not use the 2x extender it did give passable results in the above photo. I find that in most cases it is best to use the 1.4X or the lens without an extender and then crop the photo as needed.

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