Pronghorns and their Country (Page 4): I do both. I get very close. Sometime as close as 10 yards, and also use a telephoto lens. Just for example, here's a shot from inside the blind...

buglinbilly Loc: Murray, Utah

joe-fl-mt wrote:

How did you get so close to the animals, or did you have to use telephoto?

I do both. I get very close. Sometime as close as 10 yards, and also use a telephoto lens.

Just for example, here's a shot from inside the blind where you can see the sides of the blind openings and the antelope just outside the blind.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/5-2.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/24.jpg

Notice in the first photo there is cow behind the antelope.

dane004 Loc: WYOMING

This is the best collection of Pronghorn photos I have ever seen. Thank you for sharing

buglinbilly Loc: Murray, Utah

dane004 wrote:

This is the best collection of Pronghorn photos I have ever seen. Thank you for sharing

Thanks to all of you for your nice comments.

Antelope are not easy critters to photograph. We all owe many years of bowhunting them for the knowledge it taught me to be able to do this. There are a ton of photographers far better than me in that light. But there are few that understand and are willing to do what is necessary to get good antelope photos.

I know many of you are opposed to hunting, I understand and accept that although I would not agree with most of your thinking. But bowhunting is what brought me into photography and it has now become my passion. I am not very good at it and I don't understand a lot about it. but I have found out that if I can get close to a critter, I can usually walk alway with a pretty decent photo.

It's hard to get a good photo from 100yards away, even with the best glass around. It's much easier when they are 15 or 20 yards away.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/2011%20Antelope%20Rut%20Hunt/407.jpg

For example, even though I was zoomed out to get the group, I was still close and thus a decent photo.

At that range its pretty easy to take a photo like this.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/2011%20Antelope%20Rut%20Hunt/396.jpg

But it would be impossible to get a photo like that at this range on this antelope.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/2011%20Antelope%20Rut%20Hunt/409.jpg

Well its time to go help the wife do our weekend cleaning. Have a good one. Bill

Emmett Loc: Onalaska, Texas

I know what you mean about bowhunting. I did it for years and never had a camera with me. Lots of animals up close, some close enough to touch. Now I don't bowhunt so my camera is my weapon of choice. (Except for two legged prowlers)

Roger Sr. Loc: Central Coast of California

Emmett wrote:

I know what you mean about bowhunting. I did it for years and never had a camera with me. Lots of animals up close, some close enough to touch. Now I don't bowhunt so my camera is my weapon of choice. (Except for two legged prowlers)

I also have been a bow hunter for more then 50 years and still am just not as much as at one time or as heavy of bows

buglinbilly Loc: Murray, Utah

Here's an example to which I speak about getting close.

This photo was taken with my Panasonic FZ-35 point and shoot camera. But I was close and therefore you can see a lot of detail that one could never get if it was taken from 30-40 yards away, even with a very good camera and very expensive lens.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Badgers%20and%20Rock%20Chucks/1-1500.jpg

Now back to some antelope photos.

This photo was taken with my old FZ-50 Panasonic camera a few years back and before I had purchased my first DSLR.

It shows a buck antelope that came to a waterhole my son and I were sitting. It was still too dark to see the buck on the bank, but you could see his reflection in the water and so I took this photo. I know its not a great photo, but its still one of my favorite as I was beginning to learn and getting hooked on photography.

buglinbilly Loc: Murray, Utah

Here's a photo I took a few years back just when I was beginning this camera stuff. This buck came in so early in the morning you could not see him on the bank, but I could plainly see his reflection in the water, and I took his photo with my old Panasonic FZ-50 camera.

I know its not a great photo, but things like that turned my onto photography.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/xxz1.jpg

Here's another of that same buck.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/60-1.jpg

buglinbilly Loc: Murray, Utah

Harlo '55 Loc: MONTANA

Too cool!!!!!!!!! That one, among others today, goes up on my reloading wall!! Backing up my Nikon is s Canon 1200. It's great outside because of the view finder

buglinbilly Loc: Murray, Utah

Here are some others.

Notice the side of this buck. He had been in a fight. You see many bucks that time of year all beat up so to speak. Many limp from their fights, but they keep running and breeding thank goodness.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/68.jpg

This was taken early morning with low light. But the buck paw the ground and then urinate and dedicate in their scrape. It's a very common occurance during the rut.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/46-5.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/10-4.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/52-3.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/Antelopeaction.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/51-3.jpg

I hope its okay to show this photo. If it offends anyone I will remove it. But its part of what happens during the rut and I try hard to capture what really happens as most people drive their cars or take their naps or go to lunch.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/4-4.jpg

And the result is in late May or early June of the following year, the does give birth to from one to three fawns, but generally twol

Here is one of my favorite all time photos. It was taken when I was too dumb to get all their legs in the photo, and now I know I wait the day when I can recapture a similar photo of two young puff balls.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/59-1.jpg

In August bucks will run together and within a month will be fighting as worst enemies.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/45-1.jpg

I have seen them run so hard for so long, that when they come to water their sides look like a bellows and they are breathing so hard that can't water for several minutes. Then they water and they off chasing the ladies again.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/76-1.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/28-3.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/79-1.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/191.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/40-5.jpg

Here's another of my blinds and the way it looks at a waterhole.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/34.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/150.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/7-2.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/1.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Country/148.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/2011%20Antelope%20Rut%20Hunt/463.jpg

And here's a photo taken out of one of my blinds over top of my noisy camera with my quiet point and shoot.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/2011%20Antelope%20Hunt%20Photos/220.jpg

And on a rare occasion I even have a few coyotes come into water.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Hunt%20Part%201/cooyote.jpg

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq22/buglinbilly/Antelope%20Hunt%20Part%201/coyotebustclose.jpg

Well I have most likely bored most of you so I will call it quits for now. I have thousands of photo much like I posted. And hopefully I will have thousands more by the end of this year.

I am already looking forward to getting back up there and getting a few blinds set and taking photos. I learn a lot each year about the antelope and about taking their photos and so hopefully I can walk away this year with better photos than I have ever taken, I guess time will tell.

Thanks again to all of you who have been so kind to me.

Have a good one. BB

mwh2385 Loc: Fairfield Glade, Tennessee

Great Job!!!

gessman Loc: Colorado

buglinbilly wrote:

Thanks again to all of you who have been so kind to me.

Have a good one. BB

Most excellent! I commend you and thank you for sharing with us.

Photo-Al Loc: Sonoma County, CA

We drove from CA back to the Black Hills back in 06, and (camera) shot some Pronghorns in Wyoming east of Buffalo and in Custer State Park. Your shots are great. How close were you to the Badger? I grew up in South Dakota, and learned that you really don't want to mess with a Badger ...

tramsey Loc: Texas

Excellent. I am instilled. I am going Pronghorn hunting, we have 'em here and they're only about 200 miles away.
How long would it take after you entered your blind for the animals to start coming around?
These are thee finest pronghorn, badger photos I have ever seen! Thank you so much for sharing.

Cherokee Loc: Riverton, Wy

Absolutely wonderful photos. I live in Pronghorn aka antelope country and have had no success in photographing the elusive critters. They are extremely skiddish. What camera and lens?
I have tried with a 300mm.