Keep an open mind

Last Sunday, in the early darkness of the forest, as I was stalking wild boar (or at least dark shapes resembling boar) I heard the rutting red deer begin their calls. They were a long way off mind and being on foot in a 20 square KM forested park, I decided they would have to wait. My time being short I concentrated on my targets, baby boar and jays, and wondered how I would find the deer?

So this week I took the bike. Weighed down with bird food, tripod, camo cover, lots of lens and TCs I set off in search of rutting deer. As the darkness lifted the calls began and I was soon, in the dark, tramming down forest tracks. I tried clearing after clearing, but no deer. Then whilst trying to become un-lost I stumbled across a clearning, a large one, where two young reds were busy play fighting. A large bull  was just disapearing in to the trees with a hind. I snook up through the trees as best I could. The light was worse than bad and fighting deer tend to move around alot. But I had found them and know where to find them again ;-)

7D, 300 2.8, 1.4TC, ISO1250

But the playful youngsters heard the shutter and soon were gone too. I waited a few minutes, as animals often re-appear, only to find a fallow deer wandering across the clearing. Bonus.

7D, 300 2.8, 1.4TC, ISO1250