A Traveler and his Cat exploring America.





Monday, October 14, 2013

A Handsome Fellow


I went for a hike a couple weeks ago, before our desert trip it was.  I like to venture off the established trails exploring animal paths to see where they take me.  This time it was for a couple of miles through dense forest with little sunlight breaking through from overhead.  The terrain was a steep slope of the mountainside and it was interesting to see how the animals are no dummies - they choose the path of least resistance, thus making it easier for me too.  I was less than 100 feet away from this buck lying on the animal path before I saw him.  Of course he saw me long before.  Fortunately he stayed put long enough allowing me to get one decent exposure.  All the rest were somewhat blurred due to slow shutter speed before I made some ISO adjustments. 


The really cool thing about this encounter was that when he finally got up and moved away, I continued on that level portion you can see, stopping at where he was lying.  I knelt down and could still feel with my hand his body warmth among the forest litter.



  

15 comments:

Joe said...

Wow what a fabulous experience and how lucky you took this shot. Thanks for sharing.

s.c said...

Nice deer shot and great path to follow.

biebkriebels said...

It is an amazing photo, not aware of you yet and so calm lying there. Picture perfect, well done.

EG CameraGirl said...

OH WOW! What a nice surprise to find in the forest.

Carole M. said...

how special was that; glad you got the wonderful photograph John. Amazing.

MarkD60 said...

So excellent! I would feel privilege to see that, and feel the ground still warm.

TexWisGirl said...

he really is a beauty.

Randy said...

That is one amazing shot.

GreenComotion said...

Very handsome, indeed.
I see a bunch of deer where I ride in Georgia. Unfortunately, I don't carry a telephoto to capture any, effectively.

Happy adventures!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Much the nicest way to shoot deer.

theconstantwalker said...

What a wonderful encounter...

genie said...

What a magnificent specimen...I know you were tickled he allowed you to get this wonderful shot. We saw many this weekend in West Virginia, but they were all on the move.

John W. Wall said...

Great encounter. Did you take a sniff as well? I remember sniffing where a coyote had been lying down. Smelled like ... dog. :)

Stewart M said...

Wonderful picture - its nice when they hand around long enough for you to make adjustments.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

I'm impressed by the capture but especially how deep in the woods you went.