Sometimes I'd rather shoot them with the Canon

[gspn]

Saturday morning was 20 degrees here. It didn't get above freezing until sometime in the afternoon. I was sitting on a greenfield watching a scrape line and after about 4 hours I thought my toes would fall off if I didn't get some heat going.

I slipped across a creek that separates two long fields that run parallel to each other. After crossing the creek I crept up on the other field, taking a knee as I got close so I could glass it under the low hanging branches of a tree in the trail.

As I got my bino's up a doe BOLTED across the trail maybe 40 yards up. I know she didn't smell me because I had the wind. I didn't think she heard me because I was super quiet. Maybe something was chasing her. I waited with bino's up and a buck walked right up to where she crossed and stood there surveying the area. After looking down the trail at me for a minute he followed her into the creek.

I beat a hasty retreat and crossed the creek again about 100 yards down wind from them. I got back to my original spot and waited to see what came out.

The doe gave him the slip in the creek. He came out alone onto the field. He marched over to a scrape, hit the licking branch, and put on a show. Then he marched back into the field zig-zagging trying to dog down a scent.

I grabbed the camera instead of the rifle. I figure he'll be a much better deer in a few years.

IMG_5023 by s s, on Flickr

IMG_5057 by s s, on Flickr


IMG_5054 by s s, on Flickr

IMG_5042 by s s, on Flickr

IMG_5039 by s s, on Flickr


IMG_5040 by s s, on Flickr

 

[MJD]

He's got a solid body. Just a couple more years....thanks for the photos.

 

[LoonWulf]

Very nice photos!

 

[dh1633pm]

You didn't bring him home, but your hunted him just fine. And captured some nice pictures as well as proof of your adventure. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Duster340]

Very cool. Well done!

 

[CoRoMo]

Shoot, I came in here thinking I'd get to read the tale of how the OP took some game animal with a 10-Pound Parrot Rifle or some such. Cool pictures nonetheless.

 

[jmr40]

Excellent idea for a thread. I rarely if ever carry a camera with enough quality to get decent pics while hunting, but these are some deer photos I took while "deer hunting" with a camera in Smoky Mt. National Park.

 

[gspn]

Nice shots JMR. As usual, plenty of great deer stacked up in a national park where they can't be hunted!!!

 

[north east redneck]

This guy is safe, he and several others live in a large area that can't be hunted.

 

[Sun Tzu warrior]

Good job passing on a nice little buck with a lot of potential!
I've passed on small bucks only to have the neighbor kill them.
Oh well, we can only control ourselves.
Hopefully it will pay off for you in a few years.
STW

 

[Sniper66]

I cannot count the number of times I wished for a good camera when hunting. The things I've seen are etched in my memory, but hard to share. Maybe that'll be my new hobby since my freezer is full. Thanks for sharing the pics....now all I need to do is learn how to post pictures

 

[ZeroJunk]

I always had some interest in that, but mostly before digital. The problem at that time was that the cost of a lens sufficient for a even a mediocre distance of say 75 yards that would give any kind of resolution was many hundreds of dollars and bulky. Plus a flash for low light conditions that was good for even 100 feet was expensive as well.

Curious what you guys are using now in the digital world.

 

[gspn]

Curious what you guys are using now in the digital world.

That photo was taken with a Canon 40D and the kit zoom lens that came with it. The lens is a 70-300mm.

It's an ancient camera by current standards, and I hope to upgrade soon, but you can see that it does very well under the right conditions. I think you can get a 40D body online for under $200. You'd need to add some lenses but there's lots of options there.

It's definitely tough to shoot around sunrise and sunset, there's just not enough light for most lenses. Once the sun is up though you can fire away. I missed a really good opportunity to get some shots of a grey fox last week. He came out late and went bee-boppin down the trail like he owned the place. Even with a really nice lens it was so dark I don't think I could've done much with him.

My next camera will be a Canon 7D Mark II.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Thanks GSPN.

 

[splattergun]

Good shooting GSPN. Maybe he'll be on the wall and the dinner table in a couple years, and his sons a couple years after that

 

[Browning Guy]

Good shot! I found out real quickly upon trying it...It's a LOT harder to get a good shot with a Canon than a Remington or Winchester! So many variables to work around. Congrats!