Deer Hunt….

This is the time of year when the stags are rutting. I try, every year, to get a photo. This year I got a tip that a great place to photograph them was a park in Suffolk, so I’m up before dawn to get there. I arrive at the park and the gates are closed, in fact all the gates, all around the park are closed. There is clearly no entry on foot or otherwise. To add insult to injury, a doe bounces along the road in front of my car, but my cameras are in the boot and I can’t stop anyway.

After driving around and around for nearly an hour, I leave and head back. I debate looking for somewhere on route to stop and walk, but instead I head home to the local reservoir for a quick walk before opening the gallery.

Wandering around the reserve, I meet a couple who advise me that I needn’t go all the way to Suffolk to photograph deer, there are herds just nearby. So, the following Saturday I head out again just after dawn to a local nature reserve, literally no more than 5mins from home. I walk through the woods and although again I see the white tail of a doe running away from me, I see nothing but squirrels.

I am not going to give in, I am determined that this year, is the year. I have two places that I will try next, one only 30mins away and the other, the other side of the M25. So, Sunday morning I’m off before the sun rises, to the closest of the two options. I arrive, it’s still dark and a small group (not sure there were enough to call them a herd) of deer run across the road just ahead of me, their eyes glow in my headlights. The gate here is closed too; however, the entrance is wide, I park on the side and there is still plenty of room for people to come and go. I can walk around the gate, and into the park. Although the sun is coming up, it is still dark, so I decide to just follow the path rather than cross the field. I walk past some deer in an enclosure, but I am hoping to find the wild ones I’ve just seen, so I keep walking.

I come across a pool at the bottom of the path and get distracted by the wildlife which is just waking up. I continue along the path and decide to head into a wooded area, hoping to find a few deer, but I think they’ve all had the memo and are hiding from me. There is nothing in the trees, so I cross into a field through a gate. I suddenly see some deer up at the top of the adjacent field running into the trees at the top, the trees continue on my side so I decide to walk up along the fence. (A fox speeds by and although the image is a blur I really like it.)

I am distracted by some bird flocks that roost and then fly only to roost in a different tree. The sky is very pale with a hint of pink, so I try and get a photo of them silhouetted in flight. I notice then that there is a cow walking towards me. I then notice some more under some trees, not entirely happy to be approached in the dark by cows when my attention is elsewhere, I decide that its possibly not the best field to be wondering through and head back. I now cannot see or find any deer; my time is running out. I decide that this is not going to be another missed opportunity and head for the enclosure that I passed earlier. There are a few fallow stags at the top end of the field, and I spend some time photographing them before heading to the gallery. I am plesed with the results if only a little disappointed that they aren’t truely wild.

I don’t have much time now to catch the rutting deer. I have commitments that will interfere with my deer hunt and the weather recently has not been favourable. In fact I am going to try the other place Sunday… I have everything crossed.