Whitetail Buck

Posted by Twelvebit (Victoria, United States) on 13 October 2008 in Animal & Insect.

This is straight out of the camera --just cropped for composition-- but this deer looks weird to me. His proportions don't seem right. It's like his body is bigger than it should be for the size of his neck and head. It almost looks like there could be another deer behind him, head down, but I'm pretty sure he was there all by himself, as I spotted him running through the brush and came back around to take his photo when I saw he'd stopped moving.

I don't know why people consider it "fun" or "sport" to kill these animals. I've hunted before --though not for years now as I no longer have an interest in killing anything-- but even in my youth, when I was doing it myself, I didn't see any fun or sport in it. Bow hunting requires some skill and therefore may have an element of sport, but gunning down a defenseless animal from long range with a high powered rifle, with no intention of eating the results (or from a helicopter) --where's the fun or sport in that?

Cat Lovers

You might be interested in this link to unique cat photography.

vfxy Photoblogs | Listed on Photoblogs.org

Comments (8)

lisa v from Gawler, Australia

Never could see it myself either, especially when it's looking at you like this one is, in a beauiful patch of yellow, presenting such a lovely picture. Why would you want to snuff out the life from this scene?

13 Oct 2008 9:29am

@lisa v: Well, there are people that hunt for food and a variety of other reasons that are not unethical. However, there are some people who simply enjoy killing, and I suppose, the feeling of empowerment it gives them.

JoeB from Brampton, Canada

Looked back at a deer shot I had, big body, small neck and face, skinny legs, all out of proportation. In this province you need a hunting card (looks like a credit card) which you get by passing a firearms and hunter education programs. Hunting is done in a short season one to two weeks and you have to have a valid tag. These are handed out like a lottery, by a computerized ramdom draw. Most hunters I know hunt for the meat, but there is still some trophy hunting.

13 Oct 2008 11:30am

@JoeB: Here you just need the money to buy a hunting license, and a gun.

Illuci from Hurdegaryp, Netherlands

Grerat DOF, makes me feel as if I were there looking over the grass and flowers. Unique shot!

13 Oct 2008 1:26pm

@Illuci: Thank you.

Daryl from Amagasaki, Japan

Are you sure there aren't 2 deer...? That's exactly what it looks like! Actually, the horns look a bit weird too. Maybe it's 2 guys in a deer suit?

13 Oct 2008 1:55pm

@Daryl: He's just a young buck with early horn growth. I've seen them even shorter than this before. I'm pretty sure he's the only one but I'll go back and look at the other three images I took in the sequence.

Amir from Tehran, Iran

Are you professional wildlife photographer? He knows you are there by the way.

13 Oct 2008 2:18pm

@Amir: That would be nice. At the moment I'd settle for just having some more of their equipment.

gbe from kansas city, United States

it just doesn't seem possible that this is one animal.
i agree about hunting - don't think i could bring myself to do it. around here though the deer population will get large enough at times that they will starve without some sort of management. controlled hunting may be a relatively humane option. certainly some hunting is more palatable than others.

13 Oct 2008 2:21pm

@gbe: I'm not against hunting per se. I know people who hunt because they like being outdoors, the sense of self-sufficiency, and other factors, and they eat the meat. There are "ethical" hunters who take a traditional approach to killing game that includes respect for the environment and the animals they kill, and rejects gratuitous killing for sport or fun. But there are far too many people out there who kill solely for the pleasure it gives them and they revel in the destruction of life (not to mention the fact that they are incompetent and careless weapons handlers). I think a "good" hunter kills with a sense of respect and regret, not pleasure.

MadScientist from Düsseldorf, Germany

Funny, first I thought these were two deers. To the hunting: most things here just as JoeB described them. Usually hunters explain the need for hunting that deers don't have enough natural enemies and cant be controlled in other ways. But wolves don't have a happy life here either.

13 Oct 2008 5:57pm

@MadScientist: Here you just need the money to buy a hunting license and a gun.