BUCKS AMONG US

Early November. This is the period of the rut when things get surreal.

When bucks show up in the strangest of places - in broad daylight.

Drawn by the lust to breed, bucks shadow does in heat, where ever it may take them.

Not unlike a dutiful guy tending his girl all the way to a woman's store at the mall.

The price we pay for love.

I noticed this buck tailing a doe in front of WMU's School of Engineering at daybreak on the 8th. It's possible the doe was grazing there for breakfast and got trapped by the sudden traffic of the day, or perhaps the buck had corralled her there for a private little tryst, away from other competing bucks.

The hunchbacked buck below was little threat because of a crippling wound from a previous year. It was a sad sight to see him limping around, driven by his own lust, hoping to get in on the action. He was a fine 10 point at one time and I'm sure quite a player when it came to the does. He was always a step behind the dominant but would limp away with little more than a stern look.

When traffic started to pick up, the doe and buck sought some temporary cover in the tall, landscaping grass. As it is with doe so often, she suddenly bolted out of the grass and high-tailed it out of the area for another quirky little island of cover basically in the middle of another field - also out in the open and next to traffic. Right behind her was the eager 8 point.

A GREAT GIFT

Seasons Greetings,

Just a reminder that my wildlife photos at Water Street Coffee Joint (downtown location) are coming down this Saturday. So, if you’re looking for a unique, locally made gift, consider a fine art photograph of native wildlife to gift that special person in your life. 

Prints range in price from $10 to $75, making it possible for just about anyone--even in this economy--to take a little bit of nature home with them. 

Stop on in this week for a cup of coffee with chickadees, herons, bucks and coyotes.  

Enjoy the last days of Autumn and the forthcoming Winter wonderland. 

Happy Holy-days!

Matt Clysdale

WEBSITE for Water Street Coffee Joint

LOOKING UP

When I'm chasing a buck--nose to the ground, so to speak--it's easy to fly by the rest of the forest, especially the canopy. 

It's nice to stop and look up. 

And then eat my lunch.

COMING INTO FOCUS

Last summer I stumbled upon a very promising mature buck with an impressive rack (below). He was hanging with another bachelor who was literally and metaphorically out of focus for me; this beta buck's rack didn't have the same grandeur as our big buck in the foreground and consequently I never gave him any thought - until now.

After scores of days in the field, searching for that bigger buck, to this day, I still haven't had a single sighting. Instead, that blurry buck in the background has come to the fore and proven to be the Don Juan of the area. I've run into him about a half dozen times now, and nearly every single time he's been hot on a doe.

This first photo (above) was caught on the run when I saw him hound-dogging a doe group. The photo gave me a chance to study his rack and that's when I realized who he was - and pleased with the way his rack had grown out.

Given the way this buck has been ruling the roost, without any real competition--compounded by a sighting and reports of hunters (there's no hunting allowed in this area)--I'm starting to think the bigger buck got poached. Something I never, ever expected for the public property they live on in the city.

I can just hear the experts chuckling right now thinking he's just a wise and wary old buck, giving me the run around. Well, I'm not so sure. Unless his libido has expired, he should be courting or fighting for one of the many does in the area and making himself known. 

I hope he proves me wrong.

In the meantime, this backup has proven to be a decent substitute. I can't complain.

THE RUT IS ON!

AUTUMN PALETTE

Another reason the Carolina Wren is a symbol of fall for me is because it's colors match the hues of late autumn: tans, browns, rust, and a splash of white for the early snows.

Oh, by the way, this little guy was photographed at the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy's Bow In The Clouds nature preserve off Nazareth Road.

SIZING UP THE RACKS

I scouted these bucks earlier in the season, looking for a bruiser I could follow for some prime photos. Not all bucks are worth following.

BROKEN

STUNTED

PERFECT

I'm keeping an eye on this guy.

THINGS ARE HEATING UP!

You know the rut is right around the corner when you find your deer target decapitated and thrown down to the ground by an irascible buck in the middle of the night.

Bucks are revving up for the chance to breed a doe (the rut) and starting to challenge the local competition, even the fake ones! I had the same thing happen with a fake tom during turkey breeding season. He got pretty torn up as well.

Check out the bend in the stake that holds up the deer. That's almost a 45 degree bend in half inch steel. That's some serious fury!

YOU KNOW WHEN...THE CAROLINA WREN...

In my experience, I know Autumn is peaking when I hear the clarion call of the Carolina Wren, slicing through the morning fog of a chilly, October morn.

Ever since I first heard, and filmed, my first Carolina Wren down at Kleinstuck Marsh, that piercing call has become the signature bird song for my favorite time of year. It serves as a life affirming siren when the air is still and the decay of Autumn lays down an eery silence.

In my wildlife doc, ANIMALS AMONG US, the little wren has a small but starring role in the big buck scene where I begin an obsessive quest for Karl, the alpha buck of Kleinstuck Marsh. He's in the opening part of the scene, setting the mood for Autumn's classic, ritual hunt for whitetail bucks.

Producing and editing a documentary has a way of etching sights and sounds into the memory banks, causing them to spontaneously surface in life and add meaning to a moment. Well, two days ago, the bold little Carolina Wren did just that, bringing all the fond memories and sensations from that indelible moment some six or seven years ago to the fore. Just like the scene in the film, he signals the beginning of a mad search for a massive rack, "worthy of a good shot". And just like the film, you'll be seeing, and hearing, more about my pursuit.

ME AND THE ANIMALS...

...want to thank everyone who came out for the opening at Water Street last Friday. Your presence contributed to a steady stream of people flowing in and out of that beautifully tiny coffee joint. It all made for a good buzz, a lot of good will, and plenty of mini-reunions of friends and family.

(Unfortunately, there are no photos from the night of the "event" because we were too busy living in the moment)

I was personally thrilled to see photos that were living in my computer screen for months, if not years, finally hanging on the wall in front of satisfied eyes. The images seemed to pass the test: people REALLY liked them.

That's why I want, and need, to thank some others for my first wildlife photography exhibit: my parents for all their love and support; Kirsten Field for curating Water Street; Brent Spink for inspiration and insight into my new stomping ground, Schipper's Crossing; my dear friend Michele for supporting me in my craft; all the others who offered feedback and support; and of course, big thanks to the wildlife, the land, creation and the mysterious life force that crafted all these masterpieces I only mine with my lens.