Deer-Credible Story From Snow Field

Sunday afternoon I went for a hunt, but these shots haven’t hurt a single animal! For the first time, I had to settle for one single deer from behind, but for the second time, I got a foolproof tip. In the first thirty minutes, I haven’t me a single soul, then suddenly I caught a glimpse of a herd of 30-40 deer and I couldn’t believe my eyes! They were on their way fast, as you can see on the photo below.

Then I decided to go around the fishpond, so we can meet halfway, since the herd went towards the pond. However, soon I had a big surprise once more, as I found another group of 20-30 individuals.

I was planning to get closer to them and luckily, my clothes seemed suitable, since I was wearing a light gray jacket with a hoodie and a pair of jeans, and my patience proved to be effective. I’ve spent about three hours in the -4°C weather in the wilderness and I enjoyed every single moment of it, so much so, that I didn’t have time to feel the cold, if anything, I was feeling warm because I had to do one fourth of the trip squat walking. So yeah, hello, muscle soreness, but who cares after an amazing experience like this?!

When one group got scared and ran away, I started to approach the other, and yes, first I had to sneak and stealth in the snow-white field, then, as I was getting closer to the herd, I switched back once again to the beloved squat walk. After that I was trying to reduce the distance between us, meter by meter.

The real miracle happened when I was squatting and one of the deer started to gallop towards me. I couldn’t even dream of something like this, that instead of receding from the lenses of the camera, one curious individual would come closer in a rush. I was squatting in an ideal position, totally still, waiting for what will happen next as I was already seeing the headlines in front of me: „deer attacked a Hungarian photographer”. Only my clicking finger was moving – it was a truly incredible moment!

In this moment, the deer could be about twenty meters from me, but it is hard for me to remember the exact details, as I became quite emotional because of its honorific visit. After a couple seconds, it perceived the possible danger, stroke a pose from the side as well, and then, in a flash, turned its back on me and ran away.

While I was switching between the herds, I saw something on the field that looked like a tussock, but turned out to be a rabbit, a beautiful hare, to be exact. Obviously, it hasn’t hesitated for long, and went down the rabbit hole.

I found a spot on the field where the undergrowth was a bit higher and provided a perfect cover for me, even though we are talking about a 30-40-centimeter long grass, but it allowed me, for yet another time, to get incredibly close to the herd.

Thank you for your attention and for the opportunity. I apologize for the quality of certain photos, but my equipment was nowhere near a wildlife photography one – more experienced photographers simply called me determined. If you liked to pictures, please follow Gabor Matesz Photos on Facebook where I offer a diverse scale of nature photos.

Enjoy the photos!