LIKE CLOCKWORK

My wait for rut action this year ended officially on November 7th. 

What's astonishing about this fact is that it began last year on the exact same date in the exact same location.

Last year I discovered the buck below, Don Juan, following a doe in front of WMU's School of Engineering in the early morning of November 7th. Because of his fixation on that doe, I was able to photograph him for a good half hour. 

This year I arrived at WMU's Research Park to discover the EXACT same scenario unfolding in front of the school, which led to another half hour photo session with this beautiful buck and his "lady".

Talk about creatures of habit.

THE WAIT IS OVER

Distraction and Superstition

One of the reasons I went macro is because waiting for the rut to ripen--affording a priceless shot of a big buck--can be a tiring excercise in patience. So rather than loom over the pot, waiting for it to boil, I've lost myself in the tiny worlds that normally fall under foot.


My own personal superstition also tells me that the bigger the distraction out in the field, the bigger the buck will be when I peer up from obsessing over a blade of grass. This phenomena was beautifully depicted in one of my favorite films, Never Cry Wolf, when the main character has his first, meaningful, wolf encounter after he's completely immersed himself in photographing a wildflower.


When this phenomena doesn't work, and you miss the shot, it's Murphy's Law.

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