LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, and summer is finally starting to wind down. Here in Northern IL we had a great summer for deer sightings and trail camera photos. The spring rains and moderate temps throughout this summer have allowed the crops to flourish and bean fields that started off slow are now more than waist-high. As many people know quite often the single best time to spot deer during the entire year is during the summer while they're relaxed and on fairly predictable feeding patterns. Just about every evening from mid-July through mid-August you can take a right around and spot deer feeding in fields, front yards, and anywhere else they can find food sources high in protien.
Unfortunately I live a good bit away from both of my hunting spots so to get my fix of deer sightnings without spending a fortune on gas I stayed closer to home and patrolled many of the backroads and forest preserves in the area. I decided to bring my still camera with me and experiment a little bit with some amateur photography while I was at it. I am using a Nikon D40 camera with a 55-200mm 4-5.6 VR lens, for those who are wondering. It works well enough for now but eventually I'd like to get a nice f2.8 telephoto lens. Too bad they're a little out of my price range for right now! The photos are cropped and color correct to make them look a little better than my photography skills really are.
Here are a few of the shots I got during some of my trips. I hope you enjoy them!
This nice 2 year old was with a group of 7 other bucks feeding in someone's front yard while I took pictures of them for close to 20 minutes.
A beautiful summer evening in Northern Illinois. You've gotta love it!
Fawns are always fun to watch and this one didn't seem to mind me one bit.
This buck was with another giant that I couldn't get a shot of through the trees. The amazing part is they were at least a mile from the nearest woodlot and walked up a pencil thin fencerow along the back of some houses to get to this bean field. It's amazing how much a buck's stomach will dictate his movements throughout the year.
