Morning in the flood meadows. A vocal duel between red deer stags.

Another excellent morning! The sun is bright, there’s a light frost, and the grass is blanketed in rime. My wife and I set out at dawn once again in search of red deer.

The first thing we encountered was the same harem we’d seen yesterday. The deer were standing very close to the road, and we accidentally startled them as we drove by. The whole group galloped off toward the forest. A bit further on, we spotted a young stag—one that usually stays near this harem. We managed to get a few shots of him, though the light was still very limited.

We decided to head over to the flood meadows. These are vast, open expanses—in places, the water is ankle-deep—and it is precisely here that red deer are currently roaming and bellowing.

No sooner had we stepped out of the car than we heard a roar. The sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon, and we walked straight toward it. We tried playing a recording of a stag’s call; the deer responded immediately! A true vocal duel ensued: he would roar, we would answer; we would call out, and he would bellow back.

Soon, however, it became clear that the deer were gradually moving further away—perhaps our call had sounded too persistent or too provocative. We decided to stop experimenting and simply followed the sound.

Before long, we spotted two large stags. They were standing about 200 meters apart, roaring loudly as they asserted themselves. A third stag kept his distance.

We managed to approach cautiously and find a good vantage point. The deer certainly noticed us, but they didn’t bolt. For another fifteen minutes, they stood there, calling back and forth, while slowly moving further and further away. When I tried using the call again, they finally decided to move off—quite calmly, without any panic.

But what a shot I managed to get!

The silhouette of massive antlers set against the backlight, with the sun’s golden blaze washing over the meadow. It’s precisely for moments like these that I’m willing to get up long before dawn, time and again, and head out into the fields.

I’m very pleased with today’s shoot. Sometimes, a single frame is all it takes to make the whole morning a success.