Camera Critters: An Encounter With A Woodcock

I seldom get to see these birds as they are very elusive in my area, but as I was driving a backcountry road sometime ago, I saw one by the roadside.  Unfortunately one could not shoot from inside the vehicle as there was too much intervening vegetation from that perspective, so I opened the door on my Ford Bronco and while still standing in the truck, leaned forward over the V made by the open door, all without losing my balance and falling out of the truck.  Try doing that with a 500mmF4 or bigger lens sometime and you will find that it is very difficult.

Woodcock

Woodcock Walking Away

None of the photos are as good as I would have liked, but they are the only woodcock photos I have taken since changing from film to digital in 2003.

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Pennsylvania Elk Management: A Need For More Mature Bulls

I recently attended a "Wild About Elk" workshop, which involved an afternoon of classroom training on the first day, and a morning of field study on Winslow Hill on day two.  This also included a tour of The Elk Country Visitors Center, which is currently under construction and expected to open in late September.  The workshop was sponsored by The Pennsylvania Game Commission and co-ordinated by Theresa Alberici, Wildlife Education Specialist, Harrisburg, PGC.  Administrative Assistance was by Kathy DePuy, Harrisburg, PGC.

Wild About Elk is part of Project Wild, which is administered by the Council for Environmental Education and is co-sponsored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.  Project Wilds mission is to provide teachers with information and motivation to develop, and  present an environmental curriculum for students ranging from kindergarten through high school.  It is also geared toward informal environmental educators such as those who give presentations to sportsman clubs and civic organizations, or participate in outdoor blogging and video production.

PGC Elk Biologist Jon Di Berti Explains Radio Collars: Photo by W.Hill

PGC Elk Biologist, Jon De Berti was the first speaker and presented an excellent power-point presentation, which dealt with general information about the herd, research, and monitoring of the population.  Mr Di Berti made two points, which validated much of what I have been saying on this blog.

• We need to manage for trophy bulls. Too many bulls are being taken at or before 5 1/2 years of age and not enough are living to reach their full potential.

I asked Mr. Di Berti if there are more large bulls today than there were before the hunt and he said there is not. The question was asked because some defenders of the hunt as it is currently implemented claim that  the bulls are getting bigger as a result of  the elk hunt and other management policies.  There is no doubt land management practices have resulted in better habitat for elk, but there seems to be no reason to believe that the hunt has increased the number and quality of mature bulls.

A Monster Bull In Pre-hunt Era- Video Still by W.Hill

 Few if any bulls live to reach this size today, a prime example being the bull pictured below, which was already a large bull in 2002, but not as impressive as the bull above.  It survived the first season, but not the second.  It was acclimated to humans and was commonly seen around Medix Run and Winslow Hill.  It was allegedly killed at Medix Run that year.  If a bull reaches exceptional size now, a tremendous effort is mounted to take him, and there is little chance that he will survive for a significant length of time unless he remains in the No Hunt Zone or property where elk hunting is not permitted.

Acclimated Bull February 2002: Photo-W.Hill

Mr. Di Berti also addressed elk numbers, and his presentation reinforced information we received last year that indicated that there were likely less elk than what many think. In fact there are likely less elk now than there were before the hunt began contrary to the claims of some.

• Population estimates are far from an exact science. "There is 95% confidence that our elk population is somewhere from about 450 animals, to just over 1,000 animals."

Mr. Di Berti went on to explain that often when allocations were set in the past,  many PGC Commissioners focused on the high number, which resulted in  license allocations being higher than could be justified, because the actual number of elk was much lower.  Since 2008 allocations have been based on the lower number known  as MNA, which means minimum number alive.

According to Carol Mulvihill, writing in the June 19, 2010 edition of Endeavor News, "the herd is smaller than the 700-plus elk population that existed before hunting began in 2001." Ms Mulvihill then goes on to make the point that it may be time to let the herd grow to 800-1,200 animals.  I recall that this was the plan when the trap and transfer program was taking place during the late 1990s, but this figure seemed to vanish from discussion when  trap and transfer was discontinued due to resistance from landowners.  Still the elk have naturally spread over a larger area and it seems that the herd could be allowed to increase to those numbers without putting undue pressure on the habitat or the inhabitants of Pennsylvania's Elk Country.


Original content posted at  http://pawildlifephotographer.blogspot.com/

Camera Critters: A Living Legend

I spent most of last week in Pennsylvania's Elk Country.  Photography had to take a back seat at times during this trip as I attended a very informative workshop on elk, which was presented by The Pennsylvania Game Commission and also spent a lot of time discussing elk issues with concerned citizens.

I was fortunate enough to encounter Bull #36 on several occasions.  He is more commonly known as "Fred" by most elk enthusiasts.  Many do not feel a trip to elk country is completely successful unless they see this gentle giant.

Fred: Bull 36

 I filmed him for the first time in 1997 when he was a beautiful young bull and have recorded him each year since except for 2002 and 2003 when our path's did not cross.  He was fitted with a radio transmitter collar in 2004 and has been officially known as Bull 36 since that time.

Fred: A Living Legend

No one I talked to is certain exactly how old he is, but agree that he is at least 16 years old, and probably 17 or more.  I was surprised to see that his rack is this large as it did not appear to have the potential to grow this much when I saw him in May.  He also was suffers from arthritis, but now seems to be walking much better.  Still he has to be near the end of his lifespan and it was truly a pleasure to photograph a living legend.

In contrast, the young fawn pictured below is hopefully just beginning life, although there is a fairly high mortality rate from predators and natural causes.  Please note that this is not a young elk, which is known as a calf, but rather a whitetail deer fawn. I did not have any close encounters with calves during this trip, although I did see several, which were too far away for good still photography.

1 Day Old Whitetail Fawn

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Camera Critters: The Fawns Arrive

The doe featured in last week's Camera Critters usually visits the meadow each morning and evening.  She was there on the morning of June 9th, but did not appear that evening or the following morning, so after the other deer left the meadow on Thursday morning, I checked out some of the nearby woodlands and found her alternating between feeding and lying down.

Doe Resting In Woods After Giving Birth

At first I thought I had arrived in time to witness the birthing process, but closer observation indicated that she had already given birth, as her flanks were sunken.  It is sometimes very hard to tell if they have given birth or not as the abdomen may still be distended for several days after birth and some older does, never quite regain the slim, trim lines that they once had when not pregnant.

She did come to the meadow on Friday morning and I was able to document her appearance.  Compare the photo below with the one of similar perspective posted last week and you will see what I mean.

Doe With Sunken Flanks

 After I time I noticed that she had vanished while I was occupied with photographing another deer, so I went to the area where I found her Thursday and saw her slipping through the woodland.  Suddenly a tiny form stood up, went to her and began feeding.  Light levels were low and I mostly shot video, but what stills I did take at this point were unsharp.

Suddenly she left the fawn and came walking past me.  The fawn turned and ran directly under my video tripod. (I was shooting the still camera hand held, and using the tripod for video)  It was so close that I had to make a few steps backward to get far enough away for the 70-200mm to focus correctly.

Whitetail Fawn Up Close

The fawn stayed there for some time while I took several photographs.  It is always a battle to photograph them in the woodland because of the low light level, which usually requires high ISO settings and low shutter speeds.

Low Light Levels And Contrasty Light Makes Photography Difficult

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