How to photograph deer?

Take a trip to Cades Cove, TN. It's a 11 mile one lane loop and you always see deer along the road.. They really aren't scared of people/cars because they see so many.

The best bet is deer that are conditioned to humans, and that aren't hunted eg: State Parks and the like. I've been as close as 20' to deer on these areas, and they'll just stand there and let you photograph them all day.

Deer that are in areas open to hunting are VERY skttish this time of year, and many of the bucks become almost toally nocturnal.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #4494035
OOPPPS Sorry thought it said beer

LOL!!!!! That made my night. I could go for a cold one too..

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Put out corn, wait until dusk. They'll come.

(P&S shot from in-laws, but this is the result)

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deer follow the food unless the does are in season in which case they follow each other. winter is the best time to track them especially if there's snow because its easier to see tracks and scat. food sources are also more scarce so deer tend to be bolder in the winter in terms of where they are willing to go for food. find a grassy field bordered by woods. dear will come out into the open to feed on fresh shoots but they like to be close enough to the wooded areas if they need to escape. its easier to go where the are gonna be and wait than to try and track them. getting good shots of them is harder than hunting them because you have to get closer. i don't know if salt licks are legal where you are but they are a sure way to bring them in. sometimes you just get lucky. i got this guy from my patio. not exactly a huge buck but he was close. these weren't even taken with a long lens.

J.

argyle wrote in post #4493438
If you intend to go out during hunting season, better get a nice and bright range hat. Some hunters tend to shoot at the slightest movement of brush...make sure that you're visible to them.

Actually the law in many places in gun season at least requires hunters to wear substantially more orange than a hat (Ontario requires 400 square inches above the waist and an orange hat). I sure wouldn't wear less, however gun season is probably the worst time to see whitetails as they will be very skittish after opening day; off season and in non-hunting areas as others have pointed out is a much better bet. I see mostly does in the off season in Muskoka and my main strategy is just to keep a camera with me as I'll often see them while driving around in our quiet area. Some places like upstate NY/Pennsylvania (and many agricultural areas) have a much higher deer population density then more wilderness areas.

Mark

This is a Cades Cove deer shot at the end of Sep from the car.

hortonsl62 wrote in post #4494213
Put out corn, wait until dusk. They'll come.

(P&S shot from in-laws, but this is the result)

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EDIT: This was on private property.

...about that beer shot; isn't that a 24L? (saw it in another thread; that's a good photographer who has gear and beer!)

YEP Just put out the nuts and the boiled eggs and be patient and if your lucky one will show up on your table or on the bar in front of you and BANG theres the shot I mean photo; shots are an entirely different thing altogether

I'll chime in real quick here.. I have a friend with a good amount of land. Big open natural field, bordered on three sides by heavy woods. (2 of those three are restricted state owned property with no hunting, and the other is a private residence who also doesn't hunt).

I think I'll drop food off in the same place for a couple days with a little blind set up nearby so they get used to the food an the blind being there. Then I'll pick a day to be there in the morning and at dusk and see what happens. I'll try some of scent masking stuff too. All great advice so far.. thanks!

Here's a few from Valley Forge National Park, in Pennsylvania, just showing how close you can get to deer that aren't hunted, and are accustomed to human presence.

^^ I grew up near there -- Great shooting idea!

(I've almost hit many deer there on my way home from work)

as previously stated.....put out a few handfuls of scattered corn each day and they will come.....no doubt about it.

If you shoot the deer with a 30-30 then you have plenty of time to get a nice posed shot of them with your 30D

rhys wrote in post #4505394
If you shoot the deer with a 30-30 then you have plenty of time to get a nice posed shot of them with your 30D

But if you're alone then you need a tripod.