White-Tailed Deer

What: White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus)

Where: New Jersey (multiple locations)

When: December 2017

How: Telephoto lenses, close-ups.

New Jersey has the highest number of deer per square mile. A recent study shows about 14 deer in one square mile. That makes it a LOT of white-tailed deer in the state. In most of our photo tours, we get to see these beauties and love taking pictures of these. Actually, over the period of time, some of them became our favorites and we even named one doe - Dory. It's white patterns made it very noticeable for us, and also the fact that it doesn't really shy away from our cameras, rather stays there and poses for it :).

Meet Dory (above). This picture was clicked at Sandy Hook, New Jersey at a spot where we tend to bump into Dory time and again. 

Hunting of deer in New Jersey is a big thing with hunters spending over 100 million dollars each year, which helps many businesses. Despite being adorable, as they are, they do have a negative impact on ecosystems, cause car accidents, and are hosts to some disease-causing pests, like the ticks that cause Lyme disease in humans. 

They are however, a treat to photographers and are more than appreciated and adored by them. 

In terms of photography, the white-tailed deer is not considered a threat to humans, but in some cases, it is possible that they attack people, therefore one should always try to keep their distance and use telephoto lenses while clicking pictures of any wild animal for that matter. 

White-Tailed Deer are found everywhere in New Jersey, but there are some state parks where hunting is prohibited, we noticed that these deer are not scared of humans as much as those who live in areas where hunting is allowed, for obvious reasons. So if you really want to spend a day shooting deer (with your camera of course) we highly recommend Sandy Hook because you can cover a lot of area in your car, and can spot deer while driving, and then you can park in the nearest parking lot and walk towards the area since you have already spotted the ones you want to click. 

And if you ever see Dory, say hi from the Photo Chasers for us please :)