I was leaving the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I spotted a beautiful whitetail buck in a soybean field. The buck’s movement caught my eye as it was feeding in the tall soybeans. You can see in the photo that just the buck’s head is visible above the beans. I watched and photographed him for several minutes until he completely disappeared from view. I wondered if he had bedded down right where he was feeding to continue enjoying the soybeans. I waited for a while but he never reemerged.
I was parked on the side of the auto tour road near the refuge entrance, with my camera and lens resting on a bean bag draped over the open window of my pickup. This encounter happened back in September 2009. This year (2020) the refuge has corn planted in that field rather than the soybeans that were there before.
It’s always a thrill to spot wildlife like this majestic Oklahoma whitetail buck in its natural habitat. I feel privileged to be able to capture fleeting moments like this as a wildlife photographer. Let me know in the comments if you’ve had any interesting wildlife encounters lately!
Steve Creek, Wildlife Photographer
Gear Used:
- Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark III
- Lens: EF 500 mm f/4L IS USM
Technical Details:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date & Time Taken: September 13, 2010 (08:42:35 A.M.)
- Aperture Priority
- Aperture: f5.0
- Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec. (as determined by the camera)
- ISO: 800
- Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
- Focal Length: 500 mm