Some fresh air today ...

[R.J.]

Took a break from hunting whitetails today .... drove my daughter to school ... shoveled out from yesterdays storm .... took yesterdays deer to the butcher , and grabbed the dogs for a walkabout ...

We walked the snowmobile trails ... Spike and Sally were happy to see the trail boss come around to pack the trails ...





Third time this week I saw this sorry looking Yote ... today he was curled up shivering beside the back lane of one of the farms I hunt , his back hips didn't seem to be in sync as he moved across the field ... I helped him along his journey with a well placed .223 ( seemed the humane thing to do , he wouldn't have made it thru the winter in that condition ) ..



Scouting a couple farms for a Jack hunt later in the week ... this guy was trying to stay out of the wind behind a post ... a challenge to focus on him , the lens kept correcting to the plant in the foreground , as I tried to correct in manual , he decided he had enough of me ... ( approx 5 yards away from him )



This Jack was hunkered in heavy cover .... only had seconds to focus on him before he was off in a flash .... the camera never did get a good lock on him ... ( approx 12 feet away )



This cotton tail had just climbed out of his hole ... long enough to get a dusting of snow on him , then he was back down the hole ... ( approx 4:45 pm , another 5 yard shot )



Approx 5:10 pm ... poor light , I switched to 3200 ISO to get this low light ( no flash ) shot of a Jack coming from the field into the barn yard ...



Packed up and headed home .... a nice surprise ! .... Some whitetail tenerloin medalions , with leftover venison chilli and potatoes ... it dosen't get any better than that !



Wont be hard to get to sleep tonight .... the fresh air and walking have put me in slumber mode !

[wabi]

The yote's missing a lot of tail hair. Mange or been roughed up badly. In either case it's good you were able to end his suffering.
Spike looks like he's trying to tell you to put him in that warm pocket.
Great pics of the rabbits - and the plate of food looks good, too!
All I had for dinner was venison chili, but I ate enough to get me through the night.

[vixenmaster]

Thanks fer sharing a bunch of good photos!

[GREY OWL]

Nice pictures R.J. Looks like your rabbit population is right up there with Australia.

Now come clean, WHO MADE THE DINNER, YOU OR YOUR WIFE!!!!!


Grey Owl

[rutman]

Cool pics!
I must be getting use to your topic titles. I just read the title and new before I looked. R.J.
Appreciate your photography, Some day maybe I'll graduate to that level but for now my hands are full of other tools.

[R.J.]

wabi wrote :

The yote's missing a lot of tail hair. Mange or been roughed up badly.

Yep the way he was running he had a bad back end ... maybe been hit by a car ?

rutman and smokeploe wrote :

Appreciate your photography,

Thanks fer sharing a bunch of good photos

Thanks .... good to have a place to share with others that enjoy the outdoors ...


Grey Owl wrote :

Now come clean, WHO MADE THE DINNER, YOU OR YOUR WIFE!!!!!

My wife had it ready when I walked in ... I married a great woman ... not a day goes by I don't feel blessed by that choice about 23 years ago !!

[bobby jost]

All who have "mended fence's" or spent time afield with RJ, will attest, his positive ambition and ethical thinking is reflected in his photographic art.

Bobby J.

[saxman]

You did the right thing with the yote.
Nice looking meal.
Lots of sand out that way.

[Big John]

I'll second what bobby jost said!
Thank's for the pic's again RJ.
Somehow Spike always seem's a little out of place eh? But, he seems to fit right in too! Anyway's, for a dog with no legs, he still rock's!

[chris4570]

I would have shot the yote just the same as you. He had seen better days. Mother Nature isn't the nicest of mothers.

Great pics RJ. Great looking dinner!!!