Deer Photography and Herd Reduction Update

Full Moon At Dawn- August 21st: Panasonic  GH3-Canon 500mm F4 IS-ISO 400-1/160sec. f ?

 It seems that everyone was posting full moon photos recently, so above is my version of the moon, which I captured as I was waiting by the edge of a large expanse of crop fields for enough light to film whitetail deer on the morning of August 21st .

Since the whitetail photography at Shenandoah National Park has been ruined because most  bucks in the Big Meadows area are wearing huge numbered  collars due to the deer study, I have had to do most of my deer photography close to home this summer.  One can see some decent bucks, but they are usually at very long range and are quite shy.  It is possible to see a buck on occasion that compares favorably with the large mature bucks at SNP, but it is rare and then there is a big difference between seeing them and being able to successfully photograph them. Most regular readers of this blog are aware that I usually concentrate on video with the Pennsylvania bucks because of the ability of certain video cameras to film them at very long range.  I do sometimes try some stills with my current favorite long range video rig, which is the Panasonic GH3 and the Canon 500mm F4 IS.  The Panasonic is not as good of a still camera as the Canon 5D MK III, but this is outweighed for long range shooting by the 2X crop factor of the GH3's micro four thirds sensor (M4/3), which gives the 500mm a 35mm equivalent focal length of 1000mm.  In addition the photo below is severely cropped and it is doubtful that it would print well at 8x12 or 8x10, but it is good for smaller sizes and for internet posting.

 Long Range Pennsylvania Bucks  (250 yards):Panasonic  GH3-Canon 500mm F4 IS-ISO 200-1/25sec. f ?

At this time it is not clear if there will ever be world class whitetail photography at SNP again as the specter of herd reduction looms on the horizon.  Herd reduction has already taken place at Gettysburg and Valley Forge Military Parks in Pennsylvania and is now planned for Antietam, Manassas, and Monocacy Battlefields in Maryland.

Whitetails Viewed As Problem By National Park Service: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 70-200mm IS II-ISO 1600-1/250 sec. f 3.2

 Here are some good links for further reading about this.

 First is a post by Larry W. Brown on Flickr with a photo featuring some superb Photoshop work by Jim Fields, What's Next Shenandoah? Birds?  Before anyone gets too excited Larry and Jim are not really complaining about the birds in Shenandoah National Park, they are just using this mechanism to point out the absurdity of the NPS proposals for whitetail deer management.

Next is a post by Steve Ferendo on his Natural World"Through My Camera" blog, "Mature Whitetail Bucks Should Not Be Shot Just To Reduce Herd Numbers"  The post features photos of mature bucks on the Monocacy Battlefield.  Mr Ferendo is concerned that these bucks will be shot as well as the does in the looming herd reduction.

Last is a link to an article on Herald Mail.com, "Sharpshooters eyed to thin deer at Antietam National Battlefield",which gives a brief description of the herd reduction planned for these battlefields. 

It certainly isn't a good time to be a serious whitetail deer photographer.  Until now the National Parks were the one place that  anyone could go to observe and photograph mature whitetail bucks, but with the ascendency of the population reduction faction in the NPS it s very possible that these days area over.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

As Summer Winds Down

Cardinal Flower:  Canon 5D MK III-Canon 70-200mm f2.8  IS II-ISO 100, 1/60 sec. f 11

August, the cardinal flower is in bloom, the grain fields are harvested, with only the corn yet remaining.  Fall is just around the corner. As August nears its' end the fawns still have spots. I have not yet seen a buck that has shed his velvet, although most if not all of the bull elk have already done so, and the bugling is starting.

Fawns Still Have Spots: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 70-200mm f2.8  IS II-ISO 400, 1/320 sec. f5.6

Whitetail bucks are also showing the first signs of the approaching rut.  Surprisingly this young three point and a spike have been lip-curling frequently, but I have not yet filmed a rack buck doing so this year.

Lip-Curl:  Canon 5D MK III-Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS-ISO 200, 1/500 sec. f 5.0

So far the rack bucks are still feeding in the same spots I have seen them all summer, but sightings are not nearly as consistent now and soon most of the younger bucks that have not yet dispersed from the family groups will do so.  

Unusual 9-Point: Panasonic GH3-Canon 500mm f 4.0 L -ISO 400, 1/80 sec f ?

During early and mid-summer the bucks are attracted to farmer's grain fields and for a time after it is cut they continue to graze in the stubble.  If grasses such as clover and alfalfa are planted in the stubble they may continue to graze on this indefinitely, but in other cases they will likely move on to more desirable food sources.  They may be difficult to see in the fields after the acorns fall in a year with a substantial mast crop.

Wild Turkeys are also seen in the meadows from time to time as they feed on weed seeds and insects. In this case I pressed my old Canon FD 85-300 f4.5 lens into service.  It is mounted to the GH3 with a Novoflex adapter.  I used this lens extensively for a short period on the GH2 and GH3, but I liked the auto-focus on the 100-300mm Lumix for mid-range general purpose work and it could not compete with the 500mm F4 for extreme long range work, so it spent all of the summer on the shelf until I decided to use it one evening last week to re-evaluate my impression of it.  Bottom line is it is OK, but I don't think I am going to be using it a lot.

Distant Gobbler Flock: Panasonic GH3-Canon FD 85-300 f  4.5 -ISO 200, 1/60 sec f ?

The GH3 and the 500mm deliver respectable results at unbelievable ranges, but there is still nothing quite like having the bird in close, but that requires either a lot of luck or a lot of hard work and patience as they are very shy.

Mature Gobbler:  Canon 5D MK III-Canon 300mm f2.8 L  IS -ISO 640, 1/400 sec. f 7.1

One could reasonable ask why I used ISO 640 in good light, but the situation developed quickly and I forgot to check the ISO.  The good news is that 640 looks very good on the MK III and does not diminish the quality.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Elk Expo 2013-Bulls Shed Velvet and Spar

Benezett Store Booth

There was great weather for last week's Elk Expo which was held at Elk Country Visitor Center near Benezette.  A steady stream of visitors passed through the grounds throughout the day on Saturday. It  is my understanding that there was not the overflow crowd that was expected, but it was still a successful day.  According to reports, most were able to park at the visitor center and the shuttle from Benezette received little use.

Founding members of Benezette Elk Camera Club, Richard Coy and wife discuss new elk photo book, "Pennsylvania Elk" with author/editor/photographer, Marci Geise

Benny The Elk Ambassador greets vendors

John Geissler, Chairman Of The Board Keystone Elk Country Alliance in his role as "The Sheriff"

After spending the majority of Saturday and  Sunday morning and most of Sunday afternoon at the Expo, it was time for some serious elk photography, but unfortunately the skies were murky that evening as a front started to move through the area. Most of the bulls I found this evening had already shed their velvet or it was mostly gone with strips of velvet dangling from the antlers.  I did see a few  that had not yet shed; however.

6x6 In Velvet: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 500mm F4- ISO 400, 1/500 sec. f4.5

As dusk settled over the countryside, I found a bachelor groups grazing and at one point two briefly locked antlers. 

Ron "Buckwheat" Saffer was also photographing in the area and I found him photographing three young bulls nearby.  These bulls were really into the sparring and Buckwheat got several still photos.  At this point I was taking video with the GH3 and 70-200mm f2.8 lens.  As sparring and fighting are ideal subjects for video I didn't take any stills of this encounter so the following images  are video still captures.

Young Bulls Sparring

Sparring is not to be confused with serious fighting

Soon the bulls stopped sparring and moved away.  The other bachelor group was still in the meadow behind me. Most of the bulls were grazing, but I  picked out two that were in an alert pose and took a few frames with the5D MK III  and the 500mm at ISO 6400. 

Bulls At Dusk: 5D MK III-Canon 500mm F4-ISO 6400, 1/100 sec. f4

We saw another small bachelor group somewhat later.  It was nearly dark by then, but I still took a few photos at ISO 12800 and 25600, but that is for another post, if I decide to process them.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

As Elk Expo Nears, Bulls Shed The Velvet

While humans prepare for the Elk Expo to be held at Elk Country Visitor Center on Saturday and Sunday...

Elk Country Visitor Center

Benezett Store Workers Prepare Booth

...the elk continue with their daily lives--unaware of all the attention that is being directed their way by the outdoor community.

Bulls Are Now Shedding The Velvet

Be sure to stop by the Benezett Store Booth at the Expo  and check out their selection of merchandise including books and videos about the elk herd and Pennsylvania Elk Country.