A TRUE Illinois giant

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 19, 2009296 views10 comments

Hello! This is my first post, I've been lurking in the shadows for too long and its time to join in the fun!
I've been chasing this buck all season and I finally got him moving between thickets! He's the largest hard boned whitetail I've ever photographed and I hope you enjoy him as much as I have! I don't know if he was responding to my rattling sequence or just dumb luck, but I got him at 30 yds!
Please post comments and hope to get know all of you much better in the coming months, for I have a slew of images to bring forward!!

Best afield!
Don (Wags)

Canon 1Ds Mark11
600 mm Lens
F4 @ 1/200
ISO 250
Wild-free range buck!

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 19, 2009 at 7:27 PM

Wow, if he matched up side to side, he would be carrying a world class set of antlers, for sure! The exposure looks fine and you got some good light in his eyes. The tall weeds in front are too bad photographically, but one can see through them well enough to document the quality of this animal. Did you manage a sequence of images? Thirty yards would have been real exciting for the guy looking through the lens, not to say a challenge for the long lens. Welcome to NPN! I look forward to more of your images and your observations and comments on others.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on November 19, 2009 at 7:41 PM

W!!! He's a monster. Congrats!!! All your persistent hard work payed off big time with this sweet image. Great first post Don!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Jake Dingel on November 19, 2009 at 9:26 PM

great buck, if he survives another year or two wonder what he will look like............nice first post, welcome aboard.

Registered on April 24, 2006, 34 Posts, 633 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on November 19, 2009 at 9:35 PM

Don, nice shot. I have been trying for a good buck whitetail for sometime w/o sucess here in Illinois. The exposure is good and the grass lends to the habitat of the deer.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Cordes on November 19, 2009 at 10:49 PM

Beautiful buck! I like the mysterious fel to your image. Kind of tells the story of the "hunt" - with camera that is.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 451 Posts, 3366 Comments

Comment posted by Ralph Kerr on November 20, 2009 at 7:29 AM

Don, welcome to NPN. I really have nothing to add to the other comments, but just to say congrats on getting such a big buck. He is a fine specdimen

Ralph Kerr

Registered on January 30, 2007, 369 Posts, 852 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 20, 2009 at 9:24 AM

Hey Wags,

Welcome to NPN and to the Fauna Gallery in particular - it's always great to see keen new members coming forward! I hope this is only the first of many contributions (both images and comments) you make over the coming months and years!

Nice first post - I little to add beyond what the others have said, but looking forward to seeing more from you in the future...

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on November 20, 2009 at 11:50 AM

The tall stalks are unfortunate, but man, what a privilege to see such a monster! Congrats on the encounter, and I hope you get more cracks at photographing him down the road.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on November 20, 2009 at 2:14 PM

Hi Don, I am glad you emerged from the shadows and welcome you to NPN

Beautiful first post, I like how the animal and you are both peeping your heads out of the tall grass and meet eye to eye. A pity about those taller grasses obstructing the animal and i would have preferred a bit more off-centre placement of the buck, preferably to the left. Looking forward to more of your images.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Marlise Launstein on January 14, 2012 at 2:38 PM

WOW! This deer is huge! I wish I took this picture.I like how he is looking straight at you.His face is pretty sharp but his antler's look the sharpest. I hope that someday I can find a buck this big.

Registered on August 31, 2011, 28 Posts, 175 Comments