Wow! What A Huge Buck...

I guess by now you know I was just kidding about a huge buck. You should have also figured out by now that I don't just photograph rack bucks but also does and small bucks. I find the beauty in the animal not just the rack and enjoy watching any deer.

I just realized that other than the video I never really told you about the trip. I learned about Shenandoah National Park by viewing Willard's blog. We tried twice before to get there in the last year but weather or something else always seemed to mess up the trip. When I noticed the Hills were there for the whitetail rut I emailed Willard to see if the week I had available would be a good time to go. His reply was it should be the peak of the rut. He got me, just kidding Willard. When photographing wildlife nothing is a given from the weather to the animal. I awoke at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning two weeks ago and was on the road by 2:40. After driving over three hours I pulled into the Big Meadows the same time as Coy and Andy. Shortly after Willard and Billy came pulling in. They told me the places to go and we set off in search of whitetails. The weather was a little warm with increasing clouds. The typical rut activity was not present. The bucks were not curling their lips, chasing the does or locking up with other bucks. I seemed to be the only one tickled by the days events. But of course I had never been there and didn't know any better. For the day I seen upwards of 100 deer and about a dozen bucks photographing many. The trip out of the park was an experience in itself dodging deer along the road on almost every turn.

The next morning I awoke to rain and fog. Getting in the park before sunrise I ran into Willard and Billy again, they quickly departed for home but I was determined to get some whitetail photos. Seven hours later I left the park after seeing about 25 to 30 deer and three bucks. I did get some decent videos and a few good photos. The next morning I got to the park about the same time only to find it was closed. It snowed the night before and I was informed it would be about two hours before they opened the park. I decided to wait it out. I never said I was very smart. An hour and a half later I was told it would be another three or four hours because of black ice. I am not that stupid, I left for home. All in all it was still a good time and the first of many return visits. I hope to get back in January for some whitetail and snow photos. I really need to quit looking at Willard and Coy's blogs before they get me in trouble for taking off every chance I get. But then maybe my wife likes me being gone.