I’d love to tell you this shot is the culmination of years of research, woodcraft, and an almost mystical knowledge of deer behavior. That my past life as a hunter gave me the keen instincts to track and photograph a buck like this. That I read every scrape, rub, and pellet like a PhD in “Deer-ese.”
But here’s the real story.
I was strolling the path at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge when I noticed what looked like the hindquarters of a deer poking out of the brush. My first thought was, “Well, that’s an odd place for a rump.” My second thought was to turn around and head the other way. But curiosity—along with the faint hope of something interesting—made me keep going.
Then he raised his head.
And not just any “he.” A 10-point buck, the kind that usually lives only in trail-cam fantasies and hunting camp stories. Suddenly, the morning became less about walking and more about trying not to trip over my own excitement as I raised the camera.
Click.
Buck Behavior 101 (The Part I’d Pretend I Knew All Along)
If I wanted to sound scholarly, I’d explain how bucks are shy, secretive, and rarely step out of cover except during the rut. That they use a combination of:
- Scrapes – their woodland chat rooms, where they paw dirt, pee in it, and decorate with facial-gland perfume on overhead branches.
- Rubs – flashy antler graffiti on saplings that say: “I’m strong, I’m dominant, and yes, this is my gym membership.”
- Droppings – nature’s version of timestamps, letting others know, “Yep, I was just here. Move along.”
Put together, it’s their version of a forest-wide dating profile mixed with a warning label.
But on this particular morning, I didn’t need all that knowledge. All I needed was to look down a path, decide not to turn around, and be there when one of nature’s most magnificent creatures decided to give me a moment I’ll never forget.
Click.
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