I was mind sinked into packaging up a print order when Maggie alerted me to the activity in the Back 9. I looked up to see a Mule Deer doe moving at a quick pace left to right and since we rarely have mulies, I paid attention to it. It’s then I saw the Mule Deer buck coming up out of the creek bed moving as quickly as the doe and in the same direction. Any other time of the year I would be looking for a predator but right now, that doe was trying to get away from only one thing, the buck. I ran into the office, grabbed the Z 9 / 180-400VR, slipped on my shoes and slipped out the door. When I caught up to the buck it is where you see it in the photo at the top of The Ranch. The doe for the moment had given him the slip. He stood in one place long enough to rip of a quick dozen frames and then off to the races he went. I cut through the woodshop to hopefully give me a few extra steps on him but it wasn’t enough. I got out in time to see the doe heading in the opposite direction with the buck right behind her. Then she cut back to her right and ran up the ravine. He was right behind her. Then she did a 180 and ran back down, he followed. But she had a plan because when he made the 180 she made another cut, putting a line of pine trees between them and then darted off to the left and over the rise. The buck was all worked up by this point and wasn’t about to give up the chase. He never broke stride, jumping the creek and heading up the long way to where the doe was heading. I didn’t see them again but totally enjoyed watching the fall rut antics. I put the lens down, pointed to the east and said to the buck, “she went thata way!”

Fall was holding on tight but winter wants in causing the steam from the nearby hot springs to freeze on the back of the elk. Hoar frost covered the meadow, the trees, everything in a layer of ice that once the sun kissed it would disappear. After a few minutes with this loan bull I pulled my gloves out of my pocket and donned them. It was one of those mornings and this brought up in my mind what story do I want to convey about it as that directly determines the white balance I would select. I wanted the warm tones of the elk’s pelt but the blue of the cold ice. I was cold and wanted to say winter was coming while saying the warm blooded critter was readying for winter. Then there is the gentle warm tones of the grass that are the perfect backdrop of the hoar frost. Nothing, nothing in photography is clear cut. You can see how I went, more perception than reality which translates to Cloudy (6000k) + A1 = 6600k. I wanted the warmth of the pelt and saw the fog in the background enough of a cold gray to tell the rest of the story. I took this photo 2 weeks ago and I keep looking at it thinking warm or cold, cold or warm.

Most tell it’s fall by the change in the color of the leaves. My first hint of fall is the rising suet bill as consumption quadruples! Woodpeckers, from the giant Pileated to the tiny Pygmy Nuthatch line up literally at our three suet feeders from dawn to dusk. Filling the suet feeders a couple of times a day keeps Mr UPS busy delivering the needed cakes. You can make your own suet, pick it up sometimes for free from you local butcher but we go with the commercially produced cakes. They make the smallest mess especially in the heat of summer and don’t turn to a rock during the cold of winter. With seven species of woodpeckers at The Ranch, that’s a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of possible photographs to take and that’s the end goal.

I do take some photos of them actually eating the suet, that’s not why the suet goes out. It attacks the woodpeckers within range of the lens, I’ve gotta do the rest. Woodpeckers tend to land on the opposite side of the tree where they are going to feed. It’s that side of the tree / perch that I set up and focus on. That’s where the photographs are made. And most woodpeckers land on an adjoining tree / perch prior to coming into the suet feeder. The feeders are placed with this in mind as well. The interesting thing that has happened this fall Sharon & I didn’t see happening. There are times when each suet feeder will have six or more woodpeckers waiting their turn to feed. Then the Black-billed Magpies arrive. I call then “The Gang” as there might be upwards to twenty of them. They like the suet as well. Not that there are any fights but the interplay amongst them all is some great photo opps. It keeps me out shooting in the nippy air, it’s fall and its suet time!

We were in Yellowstone when Sharon received the text from our neighbor. “Have you guys seen the all male herd that has been moving through the property the last couple of days?” Ever since moving to The Ranch, we’ve had lots of does and three fawns born but big bucks have been far and few between. I knew that at some point with all the girls, the big boys would show up one fall. Well, we’ve had a few this week and it’s been fun! They are not really sure what to think of me. The does and fawns come right up to me which the bucks wouldn’t do normally. But then, I’ve been giving the does / fawns apples since day one so they think of me as simply as a source of food. But what are the bucks to do? If they want to get close to the does, they gotta get close to me. And it just so happens that besides having apples I have the Z 9 / 180-400VR. It’s a very fluid situation as the does are not really receptive yet to the bucks advances. The bucks, well they are guys and their hormones have their necks swollen and not thinking straight. The six pointer was the biggest buck to visit us so far with a number of five pointers. They are making it hard to get anything done as Sharon and I are on constant vigil walking around the house looking out the windows to see what they are up to. I know I was wanting all of this to happen but I never thought I’d be in a rut at The Ranch!

Wednesday was warm and delightful. Thursday morning the nip was in the air and today, the white stuff is gathering above to be on the ground tonight. By tomorrow night, up to two feet of the white stuff will be in place. Yep, fall out – winter in!

It was one of those classic Yellowstone scenarios, fall cold temps, a hot springs steaming like a train engine and the king of the Rocky wilderness, a bull elk. This Rocky Mtn Elk bull was busily replenishing his fat reserves after a night long bugling contest. He was looking for any grasses left that hadn’t turned yet, munching ever green blade he could. When we first came upon him, it was long before the sun had kissed the skies, he and we were all alone. Yellowstone is empty, basically having the park to ourselves permitting us to photograph to our hearts content with no one pushing the critters. We’ve been able to just watch the critters, letting go about their lives as we click away. The bottom shot, this was the case. The bull calmly munching away, the morning frost still on his back. For about twenty minutes we stood by the van up on the road enjoying his company as he did just the one thing. Then …

A truck went by, slowed down, slammed brakes and pulled in in a very big hurry. I knew it was a photographer. Argh. Dressed in camo (why I don’t know cause just his driving told the elk trouble was coming) rushing up passed us, who were there first and for a long time and very respectfully just watching and shooting, to get his shot. The top shot was the bulls reaction to the photographer. He was a classic example of a panic photographer moving here and there trying to get what he thought I’m sure would be the award winning shot. The elk reacted by trying to find an exit to get away from this photographer who was running from one end of the parking area to the other. We just stood there, it was obvious that our calm encounter has been thrown out the window. Finally, the bull just made a beeline for the trees. I not only regretted the total lack of ethics of the photographer, total lack of field craft, my shooting with the Z400. I needed to have a zoom to deal with this elk being pushed about by this other photographer. Oh, we never got any kind of aware winning photograph (neither did that other photographer) but we were rewarded with an amazing experience before the sun rose with the best signal of fall!