Show Some Respect

I have been meaning to write about this subject for some time now, when I ran across this photo on a message board about Axis Deer, I felt it was about time to get it off my chest.  (I am not dissing the hunter, I wasn't there; he may have been alone when he took this photo, but he could have taken a few moments to “clean up” the shot (photo) that would have yielded a much more respectable photo. 

Not too long ago I read an article in some publication about the best methods for a great after photo of your whitetail.  What the article didn’t address in any depth was posing the animal in a respectful manner; after all, this animal just gave its life so the hunter could experience the thrill of the sport and put meat in the freezer. 

Last season one of my hunting buddies took his first Texas Whitetail buck and was getting ready to dress him when I said, “Hey, did you get any pictures?”  “NO” they replied.  They got ready to snap a few photos and I interrupted.  “Hey, don’t take a picture with him lying on his side with his head all down on the ground.”  I proceeded to “pose” his victory in a manner that displayed a bit more R*E*S*P*E*C*T for God’s animal he had just harvested.

Now that I look back on it I feel bad that I intervened in the matter; that was his business.  I couldn’t help myself though.  It’s now one of those things that I am really passionate about; even more so now that I am solo filming my own hunts.  Why, because I am guilty of doing just that on the first deer I hunted, and the photos make me feel somewhat ashamed.  I got overly excited and forgot to think about the animal. I was more concerned about taking a "proof of kill" photo thinking that I needed to document a point in time, I was just trying to help my buddy from ever feeling the same way and also have some great photos that would remind him of the thrill of the hunt and the magnificent animal he had harvested.