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Young Buck


Young Buck
Photo Information
Copyright: Rick Price (Adanac) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1031 W: 1 N: 3945] (13270)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Black & White
Date Taken: 2008-03-22
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon 40D, Canon 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/800 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2008-03-22 20:20
Viewed: 468
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Hi all, sorry I have been popping in an out lately, but today I'm posting a young Pronghorn buck that I saw today, hope you like him.

Pronghorn
Antilocapra americana
General Description

By Gustave J. Yaki


The Pronghorn is often incorrectly referred to as an antelope. In fact, they now are the sole surviving species in a family of their own, midway between that of antelope and goat, as is indicated by its generic name. Fossils date back to nearly 30 million years ago.

Once numbering from 40 to 60 million prior to the arrival of Europeans, they were soon almost driven to the verge of extinction. Strong game laws and milder winters prevented them from going the way of the Passenger Pigeon and Bison. In winter, when the hills and open country becomes snow-covered, they band together and drift into the valleys. Unlike deer, they cannot jump over objects, so with the fencing of the western rangeland, many perished in snow storms, huddled together in corners. A narrow gap would have permitted them to pass through while preventing livestock from doing so. Today most fences are constructed high enough to allow them to crawl under, unless it is blocked by snow. Woven wire fences are absolutely fatal barriers to their movement.

They are the fastest mammal in North America, achieving speeds of up to 96 km (60 mi.) per hour for short distances, and can maintain 66 km (40 m.) per hour for up to 6.6 km (four mi.).

Besides their incredible speed, they also have remarkable eyesight, seeing movement up to 6.6 km (4 mi.) away. As well, their large eyes protrude so far from the sides of their head that they almost have 360 degree of vision.

Their maximum life-span is twelve years, but it averages out at about four and half years.

Mainly browsers, they also eat many weeds, some grasses and alfalfa but their preferred food is sagebrush, especially important in winter. They need water to drink.

Beginning in mid-August, the bucks start to assemble a harem. If they are lucky, this will average seven does, but this ranges from two to fifteen. Most of the kids play together, ignoring their elders at that time. After a gestation of 230-240 days, the female seeks privacy, giving birth, usually to twins, most often in a well vegetated valley or on an island in a lake. The young rise to nurse on wobbly legs during the first hour and can run on the second, although awkwardly. By the third day, they are difficult to catch. The female stows them, if twins, some distance apart, then retreats about 400 metres, keeping a watchful eye on the area where she has hidden them. The young appear to be odorless so predators find them difficult to locate for the first few days. After that, the female decoys any dog or coyote away from the caching area. The kids follow the does at four weeks, begin grazing at six weeks and are weaned at four months. Although independent, they follow their mother during the first winter. Being highly gregarious, they stay together in small herds most of the year, except in the spring, when adult males leave the does and younger stock, not rejoining them until autumn. The juveniles reach reproductive maturity at that time, at 15-16 months of age.

Both sexes have permanent horn cores which are covered by a layer of skin with specialized hairs. About the end of October, the old horn sheath becomes detached and is shed, revealing the newly developing horn sheath, which continues to grow until early July. That of the males at 25 cm is about twice as long as the females.

Their range is mainly the treeless, grassland areas of western half of North America, from the Canadian Prairie provinces south into northern Mexico. To most readily see them in Alberta, travel to the SW part of the province. In summer, they are frequently seen along the Trans-Canada highway between Brooks and Medicine Hat.
angela926, eqshannon, gerbilratz, bobair, jaycee, Proframe, JoseMiguel, ramthakur, CeltickRanger, earthtraveler, NinaM, Alex99, Miss_Piggy has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To joey: ThanksAdanac 1 03-24 17:29
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Rick,
Very good close up, excellent composition and pov, superb sharpness and good depth of field, lovely natural colors and nice detaisl.
angela

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC3QV86P7C0

Greetings Rick;
Your POV is only outdone by your DOF control and the ISO/ASA was spot on. I particularly loved the f stop, in a way which tends to throw the DOF off by just a millimeter. ILI...LOL...What a good image. U have My best. SYL8R
B;
PS---あなたの批評は入れられました。

  • Great 
  • demeve Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 505 W: 8 N: 1048] (3884)
  • [2008-03-22 21:46]

Hello Rick,

Very nice portrait, beautiful colors and superb sharpness

Everton

Hello Rick. One of the most amazing North American animals, I believe they have a phenomenal size heart/lung capacity enabling them to carry the speeds you so well described. A wonderful capture of this animal,the eye contact is superb. TFS

  • Great 
  • bobair Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 361 W: 75 N: 1094] (4086)
  • [2008-03-22 23:09]

Hi Rick,
he sure is a handsome young fellow and very clean looking at that.You have caught excellent details with fine colour and the portrait crop works well.It is a shame that these animals were almost driven to extinction but people in the past almost always looked at nature as something that if it could not be tamed needed to be destroyed.Thanks for sharing this photo with us,it gives me a reason to go out to Brooks or Jenner sometime in the future.All the best on this now Easter Sunday. Bob

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1657 W: 8 N: 4252] (13851)
  • [2008-03-22 23:32]

Hi Rick,

What a wonderful find this Pronghorn was and what a beautiful portrait. He has such a nice expression on his face. Lovely colors and your usual sharp details. The background is perfectly suited to him.

Jane

Hi Rick,

Beautiful portrait of this lovely buck.
Wonderful fur details and color softness.
Love the way the colors in the BG matches the colors of the fur.
Beautiful work. TFS!!!

Best regards and I do wish you and yours a Happy Easter.

Harry

Hello Rick,

Just marking,
Mariki

Hi Rick,
What a beautiful portrait!
You were really close, and I like the clear image got of this young buck.
The animal's fur looks great, the focus was the proper one.
Congratulations and thanks for share.
My best regards,
JM

Eloquent portrait of a Pronghorn deer, Rick.
The animal looks majestic and I like its moist eyes.
Well done and best regards.
Ram

Hello Rick,
Very beautiful portrait of this young Buck. Great sharp details in the fur and excellent soft, clear colours. Very good DOF.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Rick,
a splendid portrait of this Pronghorn!
Very good DOF that has blurred the BG perfectly.
Sharp (though could do with a bit more) and with superb detail.
Seems a little flat to me so I did a workshop to improve the contrast.
Nice light and colours.
Superb eye-contact.
Another superb shot from you Rick!
Cheers,
Joe

hello Rick

lovely close-up and portrait shot of this Pronghorn young buck,
excellent POV and framing, excellent DOF, lovely luminosity of the
image and softness of the colours, excellent sharpness & details,

TFS

Asbed

Bellissimo primo piano, ottimi POV e composizione, molto buoni i dettagli del pelo e molto belle le tonalità delicate dei colori. Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

Fine portrait of this Pronghorn Rick. The animal looks healthy with it's beautiful fur coat. Super focus, comp, and light.
Well done, TFS Richard

  • Great 
  • NinaM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 537 W: 0 N: 1314] (4391)
  • [2008-03-23 19:49]

Hi Rick, beautiful animal in great light. You composed the picture perfectly, as a portraitist of animal as good as you can be, with nice and natural colours. I have never seen an animal like that and you are right, it looks like a goat, and I thought it was a goat even though it's not exactly a goat... thank you for the interesting notes too,

Francine

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3060 W: 231 N: 5811] (19544)
  • [2008-03-23 21:00]

Hello, Rick.
I really like your young pronghorn. : )
Amazing sharpness on that soft fur.
The colors are soft too.
Great big liquidy eyes.
TFS : )
ManYee

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1671 W: 24 N: 4846] (15806)
  • [2008-03-24 0:39]

Hi Rick,
Wonderful portrait shot of this young buck with nice eye contact and expression. Very impressive sharpness, colours, lighting and DOF. I like your chosen POV to portray it and this excellent composition. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-03-24 20:54]

Hello Rick

Great portrait of this pronghorn,as you know we don't have these here,and it looks quite exotic to me.
The focus is spot on with sharp details.
Lovely warm lighting and soft colours.
Great eye detail and catch light.
TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2008-03-25 4:05]

Hi Rick,
love this one, specially the soft color theme.
Very nice crop on this one, detail und sharpness are excellent.
Sky

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2974 W: 148 N: 4396] (14263)
  • [2008-03-29 11:55]

Hi Rick.
Wonderful refined portrait picture of the cute young animal. I like all. Delicate colours and nice art-soft sharpness of the animal image. Bokeh is so nice, its blurriness is amazing. Cropping is perfect. Bravo. Well done.
Alexei.

Hallo Rick
A Pronghorn buck portrait that you can be very proud of. This is a great photograph captured in fine style. Although this is still a youngster this buck surely has a set of lovely and beautifully to be horns, and I do like the slight curl in them. What a stare! It really has eye contact with you. Nice pose and composition. Very good detail on the big ears, wettish snout, and not to forget those beautiful big eyes. One can see on the fur that this is still a young buck. The hairs still looks very fine and soft. Thanks for sharing, and have an enjoyable day.
Best regards
Anna

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