Black-tailed Deer

This Black-tailed buck was spotted with his girlfriend in the open at Ridgefield NWR this week. Over the years I've seen a few but usually obscured by brush or trees so this clear shot was nice. FYI US Fish and Wildlife relocated about 34 Columbian White-tailed Deer this summer from the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge, near Cathlamet, to the Ridgefield NWR. The relocation was prompted by concerns of a dyke failure at Julia Butler refuge that would flood the white-tails habitat at the refuge. So if you are fortunate enough to spot deer at Ridgefield, the white-tailed deer all have bright yellow ear tags.

Larger version available,

canon 7D
canon 600mm f4.L +{ 1.4TC
F/8 1/250 ISO 160

Craig, good timing and nice capture. It's so rare to see them in the open when I have a camera in my hand.

There's a handsome animal! Beautiful shot, Craig. He looks in great shape, and your timing on the shot really shows him off.

Nice proud fella. And you should be proud of this shot too. The shadow across the jaw is a little distracting, but it's realistic.