We have this apple tree across the street from us. It is a rather popular place for the deer right now, as the apples are ripe and have started falling from the tree. I saw one deer out there about a week ago, but with my schedule and recent travel I haven’t had a chance to really see much of the deer; but with the number of apples on the tree, for the next few weeks at least, we will have a lot of deer around.
Sure enough as we were coming home from running some errands today, we turned down the hill heading home and saw some deer out alongside the road at the apple tree across the street from the house.
As we approached, they all stuck their heads up out of the grass where they were digging for fallen apples and sort of shrugged us off as we drove by and parked in the driveway.
I had my camera with me but with a wide lens on it, so I went into the house and got a longer lens and headed back out the front door. I slowly got off the porch and laid down in the grass in front. I fired off a few clicks and got a few heads to pop-up and stare at me as they figured me out. I patiently waited until they went back to eating and crept in a little closer. Not the best background and not necessarily the best time of day, but when your models are willing to work for free you just go with it.
I watched them eat a dozen or apples before they got scared off by a motorcycle. I hadn’t planned on doing any wildlife work today, but when the animals are in the yard, it is hard to say no. The field with the deer has some of the best evening light in the neighborhood right now, I have the camera sitting by the front door and you know where I’ll be for the next few nights as I try to get some hungery deer back in the viewfinder.