Eye Contact

In the history of human kind, have there ever been words written that adequately describe what it does to you when you are alone in the wilderness and a wild beast stares you directly in the eyes? I had been looking for this fellow. Well, not this guy specifically, but knew that when there is a dominant bull managing a herd of females in mid October, there is very often a number of satellite bulls lurking somewhere in the surrounding area. This late in the rut these secondary’s have been pushed away from the action. It seems they tend to hang around the general area in the deeper bush and shadows keeping an eye on things in case some kind of an opportunity arises. Having given up battling with the “Big Guy”, their frustration leaves them in a bit of a foul mood and there are usually more battles among this group than there are challenges to the king. I first spotted this guy crossing a small meadow as he was circling the herd staying out of sight in the deeper trees. Thinking I knew what he was doing, and knowing the area, I headed for a spot that I hoped would give me good light and a decent background…and a good escape route for both him and me. This photo is the moment he spotted me. He hung around long enough to evaluate his predicament, and then decided I was neither a threat not a competitor and calmly moved on. The entire moment was fleeting and easily a more intense experience for me than it was for him.