snow tracks

[jonny_redhorse]

the deer that made these tracks must have had a hard time slipping and sliding crossing the old logging road....lol!....jonny

[Steve Foss]

Here's one the hunters missed. Fell to my camera an hour ago or so, about five miles outside Ely. With a week of muzzleloader left and some bow season remaining, he's up for grabs. Looks pretty beaten up by the rut, but he's still in there!

[Tom Wilson]

Steve,

That is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sure hope that's full frame. I love the way it's framed by the pine tree, and the snow on his face. Absolutely fantastic.

Tom W

[Tom Wilson]

Jonny,

Keep your autofocus on, they're probably tough to shoot when they're sliding around like that.

[Steve Foss]

Thanks, Tom. It's almost full frame. I was shooting RAW, of course, so I can easily get a 13x19 out of it.

I was driving along, luckily with my eyes open, when he crossed the road and went into some trees between the road and a power line cut. He let me stalk to within 30 yards, about, and from upwind! He clearly was bent on getting fed, but if I'd have had a muzzleloader and an all-season license instead of a camera, he'd probably be on his way to the processor right now (lots of burger and sausage from that old boot, I'll bet.)

Here's No. 2 of the same guy. I posted both these on this same forum in the deer hunting photo contest thread, too, so folks grooving to that thread would see them.

This guy has a cataract in his right eye, which is easy to see when I'm processing the images but hard to see on this particular small image. Tough fellow. It's going to be a hard winter for the old one, but then, I'll bet he's passed on his dominant genes a number of times!

[jonny_redhorse]

What a buck!...Steve!.......bet your heart skipped a beat before you hit the shutter....lol!.....nature photography at it's finest hour!....I have yet to get a photo of a buck......does yes...no bucks...again ,great image!....jonny

[Steve Foss]

My heart was beating as fast as it ever has. No different than being up in the bow stand when a bruiser comes in. I steadied down for the stalk and the shot, and when I got back to the truck I started shaking like a leaf. Post-traumatic-shutter syndrome!

[hobbydog]

Great pic. You can see the cataract, maybe why you got so close. That is a face a deer hunter has got to love.