Pennsylvania Elk Photography: Fast Lenses Needed?

6x7 On Winslow Hill: Low Light Requires Fast Lenses

During my recent trip to Pennsylvania Elk Country, I stopped by the Elk Country Visitors Center and purchased "How I Photograph the Pennsylvania Elk" by Bob Shank.  The book is only 39 pages long, but it is chock full of good advice and information about a wide range of subjects ranging from where to find the elk, the proper equipment to use, elk viewing etiquette and more.

In chapter 2" Techniques for Making Quality Photographs", and again in "Photo Equipment and Software" in chapter 5, Bob stresses the importance of large f stop lenses,  for their ability to capture wildlife in extremely low-lighting conditions such as morning and evening when elk are most active, and for their shallow depth of field at the wider f stops, which  isolates the subject from the background.  He recommends a  f2.8 lens such as the 70-200mm f2.8.  This trip served to  highlight the importance of such lenses as most of my encounters with bulls were in very low lighting conditions, which required lenses of F4 or larger for best results.

The first photo posted today was taken at 6:15 in the morning at ISO 400mm with the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L lens.  I did stop it down to F4 to increase the chances that both the antlers and the tip of the nose would be acceptably sharp.  This called for a 1/50 second shutter speed, which required the subject to be standing perfectly still with no movement on the part of the photographer.  In this case the rig was mounted on a Gitzo tripod with Wimberley head and the camera was fired by a remote release to lessen the chance of camera movement.

The following photo was taken even earlier that morning at 5:56 am. I was filming this bachelor group of bulls with the Canon 7D and the 70-200mm when at one point I paused, put the camera in still mode and fired a few frames at 1/30 sec. f3.2 ISO 640.

Bachelor Group In Rain

On another morning I found one of these bulls alternating between grazing and browsing before he went into the woods for the day.  Again the situation required low shutter speeds and wide f stops.

 1/80 Sec. f2.8

1/60 Sec. f3.2

Excellent photos can certainly be taken with slower lenses, but when one is upgrading they should consider the faster f2.8 and f4 models.  It is also good to look for a lens that has a consistent f stop throughout the zoom range, but like most good things in life this does not come cheap.  At this point my two favorite elk lenses are the Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS lens, and the 300mm F2.8 L IS.  No matter how much one may like the prime lenses such as the 300mm F2.8, the 500mm F4, or the 600mm F4, it seems that  the 70-200mm receives the most use for elk, as the other lenses are too powerful in many cases. This changes, however; when photographing at the restricted areas such as the Gilbert or the Dents Run Viewing Area, where elk are often at long distance and the power of the long primes is a welcome feature.

Be sure to stop by Elk Country Visitor Center and check out Bob's book, which is for sale in the gift shop there.  Also visit his blog,  Bob Shank Photography  for interesting and informative writing about sports and wildlife photography, and for information about he and Dick McCreight's  "Pennsylvania Elk Photography Experience". which features workshops on the natural history of elk, photography equipment, and Adobe Lightroom.  To see Bob's book online or to order visit: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1611137

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Pennsyilvania Elk Herd Increases As Calves Are Born

Most Pennsylvania Elk Calves Are Born In Early To Mid-June

Most Pennsylvania elk calves are born from late May to mid-June, with Carol Mulvihill reporting in her May 28th "Endeavor News" column, that she had her  first calf sighting of the year on May 22, but it seems that most are born somewhat later--most likely during the first two weeks of June.

I spent several days in Pennsylvania Elk Country last week, photographing, and filming the young calves and bulls in velvet.   The Pennsylvania Game Commission again hosted the "Wild About Elk" workshop, which it has held for the past several years (I attended last year).  The workshop is geared toward giving educators and outdoor writers, etc.  the tools they need to promote interest in elk and other wildlife among their students, or other target audience as the case might be.  I was fortunate enough to encounter PGC Northcentral Regional Biologist, Tony Ross Wednesday morning on Winslow Hill where he was helping to conduct a tour of SGL 311, which is an integral part of the workshop.  I first met Tony when he conducted a training session for our Game Lands Management Group, soon after I became a Maintenance Supervisor for the PGC in 2002.  I have encountered him a few times since over the years including at last year's workshop, and it was good to have another opportunity to chat about past experiences, elk biology, and photography.  Soon Ron "Buckwheat" Saffer, and Paul Staniszewski arrived and joined in the discussion.

Northcentral Regional Biologist, Tony Ross and Ron Saffer Discuss Elk Biology And Habitat

Paul Staniszewski Contributes To Discussion

 Mr. Ross remarked on how much Winslow Hill has changed in the past few years due to the reclamation work, and there was general agreement as to the astounding beauty of the view from the area in which we were standing atop "The Saddle" and how the planting of  grains and grasses, and strips of nut producing trees for food, and evergreens  for winter cover benefits wildlife. None of the open areas in the photo below, existed before 2007, but they are now havens for elk, deer, turkeys, and other game and non-game wildlife species.  There is a common misconception that more trees is always better, but many species thrive best in a mixture of woodlands and openings and a mixed habitat such as is shown in the photo below will support more wildlife than a forested monoculture.

Reclaimed Strip Mines Maintained As Food Plots Are Perfect Elk Habitat

Reverting meadows, which feature a mixture of grasses, weeds, and shrubs are also excellent habitat, and are favorite spots for elk to give birth, as the grasses and shrubs provide food for the cows, and excellent cover in which the newborn animals may hide from predators.

 Look closely at the photo below and you will note a cow standing in the center of the meadow and back somewhat toward the treeline.  The animal was there at dark on Thursday evening before, was still there at dawn on Friday and had not left the spot by 9:00 am.  This indicated that she was ready to give birth or had already done so.

Reverting Meadows Make Prime Habitat For Young Calves

I took several photographs of her with the 500mmF4 and when I loaded them in Photoshop after arriving home, I was amazed to see proof positive that birth had occurred.  Look closely at the photo below and you can see afterbirth materials dangling from the cow. (click to enlarge)

Afterbirth Is Still Attached To Cow

Stay tuned as we cover more highlights from the trip in the near future.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Excellent Photo Opportunites In Benezette Area

Paul Staniszewski  reports from Pennsylvania Elk Country that he has found a lot of excellent photographic opportunities in the Benezette area during the past few weeks.  Most of the elk calves have been born and Paul reports seeing the Pennsylvania Game Commission tag four calves, one at the Elk Country Visitor Center property, one at the Gilbert, and two in the saddle. He was unable to photograph this activity because of the tall grass, but he did successfully capture a calf nursing from a cow in a meadow on Winslow Hill.

Cow And Calf On Winslow Hill: Photo Courtesy of Paul Staniszewski, all rights reserved

He also sent another rattlesnake photograph, taken in mid-May.  Look closely and see how many rattlesnakes you can find in this tangle.  For more information, read the May 13th post, " A Rattlesnake Encounter In Pennsylvania Elk Country", which features a stunning photo by Paul.

How Many Rattlesnakes Are In This Group?:Photo Courtesy of Paul Staniszewski, all rights reserved

The correct answer is that  there are two yellow phase snakes and two black phase snakes, for a total of four snakes.

According to  "Rattlesnakes In Pennsylvania's State Forests",  a brochure published by DCNR, "Pennsylvania experienced a major decline in its timber rattlesnake population during recent decades attributed mainly to unrestricted commercial and sport hunting, den raiding, and land development. This decline prompted the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (charged with fish, reptile, and amphibian management) to implement regulations to check the uncontrolled exploitation of the species. DCNR urges all State Forest users including recreational visitors, camp lessees, logging, mineral, and rights-of-way contractors, fuelwood cutters, and passers-through to exhibit a tolerance for the timber rattlesnake and abide by all applicable regulations:

• Persons who hunt, capture, kill, or possess timber rattlesnakes must have an Individual Timber Rattlesnake Hunter and Rattlesnake Possession Permit.
• Damage to denning areas is prohibited.
• Selling timber rattlesnakes or parts thereof is prohibited.
• Timber rattlesnakes are protected under specific regulations by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. For more information, consult the most recent "Pennsylvania Summary of Fishing Regulations and Laws" (supplied with fishing licenses) or direct questions to: Nongame and Endangered Species Unit, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, 450 Robinson Lane, Bellefonte, PA 16823"

Timber Rattlesnake - Life History

Scientific Name: Crotalus horridus
Color Phases: yellow (light phase), black (dark phase)
Mating Season: primarily July and August
Birthing: litter of 8-12 in late August through mid-September
Maturity: 5-7 years
Longevity: 30+ years
Mortality Rate: 10-12% annual mortality in adults, possibly higher for immature snakes

Timber Rattlesnake - Life History

Scientific Name: Crotalus horridus
Color Phases: yellow (light phase), black (dark phase)
Mating Season: primarily July and August
Birthing: litter of 8-12 in late August through mid-September
Maturity: 5-7 years
Longevity: 30+ years
Mortality Rate: 10-12% annual mortality in adults, possibly higher for immature snakes


When visiting The Elk Country Visitors Center, look for Floral Note Cards by Paul Staniszewksi, which feature stunning flower photography and are for sale in the gift shop.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

One By One The Whitetail Fawns Appear- Until They Are Eaten!

By now it appears that most if not all of the pregnant does in the local whitetail deer herd have given birth, but there had been no additional sightings since the first on May 18th--until just a few days ago.  One can usually tell if birthing has occurred by looking closely at the doe's abdomen and flank area, but it can be tricky as their abdomen can still appear distended from a side view, especially if they are an older doe that has had many fawns down through the years. If is better if they present a view from either end, which makes it easy to see that they are no longer as round as the proverbial 55 gallon barrel.

Doe One Day After Giving Birth: Note Sunken Flanks

I see the doe in the photo above on an almost daily basis, so it seemed likely that when she didn't appear on June 6th that she was giving birth.  Sure enough, when she came to the meadow on the following morning, her flanks were sunken and the ribs were easily visible.  After feeding for a time she left and was gone about thirty minutes, when suddenly a young fawn came lurching from the tall grass in the unsteady gait of the recently born and the doe came into view close behind.  At the time I was filming birds and squirrels with the Canon XL-H1 so I switched it to them.  After recording some exciting interaction between the doe, the fawn, and another young doe, I switched to the Canon 7D and the 300mm F2.8 for still photographs.

Doe Nuzzles Recently Born Fawn

It is always a thrill to see the young fawns at this stage in life and observe their bright eyed curiosity about the strange world they find themselves in.and to see how protective the does are of them.  This is when they are the cutest and most photogenic, but it is not always easy to see them at this period. Sometimes they are relatively easy to see within a few days of birth, but this is often followed by a period in which sightings are  rare until they start traveling full time with the does, which usually happens sometime in July. 

 Does Are Very Protective Of The Young

It is common for mature does to have twins, but it is not always easy to know if this is the case as they ordinarily hide the fawns in separate places some distance apart  to lessen the chances of both animals being killed by predators, and they are often seen traveling with only one fawn at a time.  This threat is very real as fellow photographer, and blogger, Jim Borden and his wife Joan  found out first hand on a recent trip to Shenandoah Nation Park where they observed a coyote killing two fawns.  In a likely once in a lifetime opportunity, they were able to photograph this.  For the full story and exceptional deer and coyote photographs, visit Jim and Joan at JJ Wildlife Photography.

In a lot of cases one will see a fawn for a day or so and then never see it again, or it may be certain that a doe did give birth because of the sunken flanks and abdomen, but a fawn never appears and one doesn't know if it died during birth, from disease, or predation.  In this case I was able to gain more insight* into how many fawns this doe had.  At first I noticed her nursing a single fawn in the same spot the earlier photos were taken, but then she and the fawn walked into a small mountain stream.  I had to make a decision as to which camera to use, so I decided to focus on video with a  DSLR, which gave me the option to get  both still and video.  I had difficulty positioning the camera because of intervening shrubbery and grass, but surprise of surprises, when I was ready to film and looked through the finder, there were two fawns nursing from the doe.  At one point I paused from filming to take a few still photographs.

Doe With Twins

It will be interesting to see if I continue to see them frequently, or if they will vanish for a time, or forever.  One can only hope they are able to avoid predators and the other hazards that a young fawn faces.

*Note I only said "gain insight".  While it is likely that she had twins, one cannot rule out triplets, or that she was nursing another doe's fawn.  The only statement I can make that can be absolutely judged to be scientifically true  is that I saw and filmed her nursing two fawns.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill