Stalking Wildlife for that Great Photo

 Most anyone can walk into the woods and see wildlife, but getting the animal to stay still long enough to get a great photo of it while acting naturally is another matter altogether-and requires much skill, work, and luck. One method is to sit/stand very still while watching and waiting. Another tactic is to stalk the wildlife. For wildlife photography, it's imperative to be proficient at both methods Since deer have many natural predators, they are very nervous animals by nature, and very hard to sneak up on-just ask any hunter for confirmation! I hunt deer, but only with my lens. I usually use a combination of sitting and stalking to get my shot.

The buck (first photo) was at the entrance to a park in PA as my friend and I pulled in. I hopped out of the truck and smoothly, slowly and silently crept up on it. Even though there was a ton of traffic stopped for a look, I was able to get within about 10 yards of it (I had a good escape plan, in case it charged) without it realizing I was a person. While it saw me a couple times, I did not disturb it any more than the traffic, since it continued eating like normal-it took a couple bites then raised its head and looked all around. Getting close was quite simple for that shot-I stayed in the manicured lawn where it was easy to walk quietly. When I finished and returned to my friend, he was in awe-as were a few others that had watched me with the deer-as to how I got so close.

While there are entire books written on how to stalk wildlife, the basics are rooted in common sense and take just some time and patience to get down. You will not be invisible, but the goal is to blend in with nature and not set off any of the wildlife's danger alarms-wear checkered/striped clothing and no scents at all. Move slowly and in fluid motions. Be quiet-breath through your mouth and do it slowly and evenly, walk as silently as possible (use all of your vision to be most effective-and where possible, move your eyes only, not your whole head, while you feel your way along the ground with your feet). Move only when the animal is not looking in your direction, and be ready to freeze at any moment. And of course, try to approach with the wind at your face and sun behind your shoulder.

The doe and fawn photos in this entry are from the same shoot-and were much trickier to get. Remember, animals with young are hyper-alert in order to keep the young safe. Besides, I followed those two deer for what felt like miles as they meandered around the woods, munching whatever they wanted to munch. My legs got a good workout that day! But I also got some decent shots too.

 Most of the shots of the deer looking directly at the camera, believe it or not, were natural-in other words, I just waited for the deer to look my way, then took the shot. More patience needed, but less stress on the animals. But a few times I got too close to the doe and fawn-and they knew something was there that shouldn't be there, but they weren't sure what it was. It was only after the shot that I realized what gave me away-my camera shutter/release button. Just that tiny bit of out of place noise was enough to trip their danger sensors. Looks like I still need alot of practice also, so maybe I should plan a long hike soon...