Normally, when I spot these tagged/collared Columbian White-tailed Deer at the Ridgefield NWR, they’re moseying around, chomping on grass. Oct. 14, 2015, at the refuge, I was slowly driving the auto tour route approaching marker #7, when I spotted this doe in the field to my left, galloping toward me maybe 200 yards away. It’s as if she was being chased but I could see nothing behind her. I stopped quickly and pulled up my camera to shoot out the window and I wondered why she didn’t make a u-turn and run away from me. She kept running parallel to the road and toward me as I took shots. The deer finally stopped about 120 feet away and was very nervous and seemed panicked, having a hard time deciding whether to continue parallel to the road requiring her to jump a small creek or to cross the road in front of me. She decided to continue straight on and jumped the creek. Maybe she was looking for her offspring but I saw no other deer around.
Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1600, f4, ISO 800, 500mm, 11:47 a.m.
