Like I said, I’ve changed my tactics. I’m not known for being that patient, but am discovering that getting a decent shot takes patience. Normally, I just hike back to areas where I know the deer live and grab a few shots.
I’ll post a couple of before and after shots to illustrate why hiking back into their lair no longer gets the desired result. A few months ago I found this lean-to built back in one of their hiding spots. The picture above is what it looked like on Thursday.
This is what it looked like two months ago. The forest has become so overgrown that going back to where they live no longer guarantees getting deer photos. My change in tactics? I’ve written about deer runs before. Friday, I found a spot along a main deer run that looked well traveled, hid beneath a pair of trees and waited for the deer to arrive.
And they did. As a hunter my dad used to find a pine tree with low hanging bows and hide beneath them, giving him cover from being seen while the pine bows would mask his scent as well.
The Trail 
Your patience for some fine shots paid off. These are great! I used to see a lot of deer when I was trail riding. They would linger for a minute and check out the horse ‘with something on its back’.
Thank you.
Randy: I realize this is a belated comment re 6/13/09 photography, but here goes: FYI: “pine bows would mask his scent as well”, a comment from your dad. Bows is plural for decorations in hair or on packages. Boughs
would be correct in the context in which you were using it.