Breakfast Time

Out on the preserve about sunrise to check on the deer. This guy had been bedded down but was now moving to an area under an oak tree to have a few acorns for breakfast. We had about 1/3" of rain yesterday. Didn't break the drought but seems to have triggered some changes. Most significantly I saw lots of bucks today (~6) and another photog saw several on the other side of the river. That amount of rain is enough to start grasses to sprout but we'll need more to keep them green. This buck is just entering the rut. His antlers have quite a few pieces of velvet hanging on and the dark areas on the antlers are dried velvet not yet rubbed off. In this view the antlers look nice but not very extraodinary. I've included a cropped photo as a response to this post from a different angle showing a much more massive his set of antlers. So first look is not always what it seems. Have patience and hang in there as there can be surprises. I'm hoping to have some better material to post now that the bucks are starting to move. This is full frame and I warmed it a bit, increased the contrast, but reduced the highlights and whites. Upped the clarity a little. If I had the expertise, I would have reduced the brightness of the light patch to the left of his head. Something for me to work on. Your comments and critiques are welcome and appreciated.

Tech Info

Canon EOS 60D with EF 70-200m f/4 at 126mm
1/400th at f/4 and ISO 1000
tripod
Lightroom 5