Patiently Waiting

[boneaddict]

This buck was patient waiting for his doe to be receptive to him. He had two other bucks that kept harassing him.  He placed himself between them and her and decided to take a rest.   That gave me an opportunity to get a couple snaps.
I was patiently waiting for it to get light.   Sorry for the pixilation.  I was shooting offhand, wideopen at a very slow speed, which normally requires a tripod.   I was able to capture a couple photos because he was holding still.  The window for photography is much smaller than it is for hunting. 

[elkboy]

Awesome as always, Bone!  I love the stripe of black down his neck.

He's looking slightly thin- maybe the rut has been hard on him already!

[logola512c]

What's your lens and camera setup? Also curious how close you need to get to get these pictures, which are really cool.

[boneaddict]

I shoot with Canon, with multiple set ups. Full frame is at about 30 yards at 400mm with a crop sensor.   I strive for 40 or less which is close to what this was off the top of my head. Bare in mind, I have other things on my mind.

[Rainier10]

The antlers look like they are made from clay.  Crazy how smooth they are and how consistent the color is all the way to the tips.

[boneaddict]

It’s funny you noticed that as I filmed probably 4 bucks, same day, scattered a long ways apart that all had that similiar look, to a point where I was like is that the same buck.   Daddy was busy back in 2017 I guess.

[OutHouse]

Time for you to start hunting again. Your exploits seemed to end several years ago and you've amply discussed why in many threads (for good reason). We'd all like to see you with another bruiser and your long bow! Thanks for sharing   

[logola512c]

I shoot with Canon, with multiple set ups. Full frame is at about 30 yards at 400mm with a crop sensor.   I strive for 40 or less which is close to what this was off the top of my head. Bare in mind, I have other things on my mind.

Thanks, and like other folks have said, these photos are really fun to look at. 

[pianoman9701]

Great shot, as always, Doug. Beautiful buck.

[fishnfur]

Very cool photo.    It pretty much turned out to be excellent composition in the way the green grass in the foreground bordered by dark brush on each side leads your eye into his his wide flanks that narrow towards his shoulders and neck, ultimately pulling the observer deeper into the scene and the point of interest - that rack. The semi-dark background helps accentuate the highlighs and shadows of his rack giving it a 3D effect that stands out perfectly as the center of interest. The eyes keep bouncing around the central image requiring much more than just a moment to take it all in.  All in all, pretty much a perfect photo.

[hunter399]

Great photos as always 👍

[Skyvalhunter]

Did his patience pay off?

[boneaddict]

I ran out before he did