Speed

Gallery: NAD 2009Posted October 5, 2009347 views7 comments

I moved from Kansas to South Dakota about 20 years ago, largely because I liked the easier pace and the quick access to wildlife. South Dakota has a lot more open land, and more opportunities for outdoor activities. This NAD 2009 happened to fall on the opening weekend of rifle/antelope season. I'm always out in the far northwest corner of the state where SD/ND/MT border each other for antelope season. It's a stark but beautiful region that very few people ever go to--it's not a tourist destination. I've been going to Perkins County every year since 1992, usually alone. It gives me a little vacation from my wife, or maybe it gives her a vacation from ME.

Either way, I do enjoy my time alone wandering the buttes. Here, I found a small herd of antelope feeding on the prairie. I only had a 200mm lens along, so I crawled to get as close to them as I could. I'm pretty experienced at sneaking up on antelope, but eventually they spotted me and were off to the races! Note how the buck follows the does. If he were to try and lead, he just might look over his shoulder and discover no one decided to follow him!

Kent in SD

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Balan Vinod on October 6, 2009 at 1:07 AM

Hi Kent ...beautiful image here . How would this have been if it was just one animal ...and a bit more contrast. Well thats a personal opinion and the image is good as is.

Balan Vinod

Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Staubus on October 6, 2009 at 9:02 AM

These are herd animals. You never see one by itself (unless it's been split away.) I wanted to convey the sense of "herd" and also show the typical behavior of the does & buck. As for the contrast, the clouds were very heavy. It had been raining for the past two days and three hours after I took this photo it began to snow heavily. This time of year the prairie can be very monotonous in its colors (large expanses of evenly colored prairie grass and a thick gray sky.) I wanted to preserve that feel so I left the contrast alone. BTW, no antelope were harmed in the making of this photo.

Kent in SD

Registered on November 11, 2003, 121 Posts, 2098 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on October 6, 2009 at 10:00 AM

With a 200mm? Wow, I've never been anywhere near that close to Pronghorn. I love the buck chasing here, and the panoramic crop fits the motion well.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by William Vrolyk on October 6, 2009 at 11:27 AM

Kent, I get the distinct impression that this buck is "shepherding" the does along instead of the "Hey wait for me". He looks like he could out run them easily. I like this antelope in action shot very much.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Registered on November 1, 2003, 278 Posts, 3524 Comments

Comment posted by Darren Huski on October 6, 2009 at 6:16 PM

I like it and I like that open range too.

Registered on August 17, 2008, 61 Posts, 340 Comments

Comment posted by Angela Classen on October 6, 2009 at 9:18 PM

Very cool shot! Love the sense of motion. We have antelope here - some in the Flint Hills but they are rarely seen - and some in far NW Kansas, where I don't get to very often, so I always enjoy shots of them.

Registered on June 13, 2007, 434 Posts, 2742 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Rhodus on October 21, 2009 at 9:46 PM

Very nice Kent, and as I'd mentioned on your other post, I truly have enjoyed seeing the antelope in KS & CO the past few years.

Registered on November 16, 2003, 157 Posts, 3326 Comments