On July 3, 2021, I heard a Whitetail Doe splashing in the plants near Reeve’s Boat Ramp at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. I was in the parking area when I heard her, and then I spotted her in a thick stand of American lotus. Only her head and ears showed above the big leaves.
A Whitetail Doe in the Lotus at Reeve’s Boat Ramp
American lotus fills shallow water in the summer, with big round leaves and white blooms standing up all through the green. A deer crossing a stand like that doesn’t have far to go to find cover. The leaves hid this doe’s body, and her ears stood up above them as she moved through the plants.
I’ve photographed deer crossing this same spot over the years. I’d never seen one cross it while the lotus filled the spot before that day. That change made this crossing stand out for me.
Photographing the Doe From My Pickup
I stayed in the parking area and shot from my pickup. I rested my camera on a bean bag draped over the open window, and the pickup held my spot while I worked from that window.
My camera was a Canon EOS R5. I don’t have the rest of the settings from this photo, so settings are available on request.
Watching Whitetail Does at Sequoyah
I like this crossing because the lotus turned a spot I knew well into a new photo. I shared another deer encounter from this refuge in my post on a White-Tailed Doe Encounter at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.