[Tnhunter]

There's little I like less than looking at the picture of someone's special harvested animal that looks like crap! If you want me to look at your nice deer, elk, moose, bear, bobcat, mountain lion, pheasant, etc. and your pictures look like crap, go ahead and keep them there. I'm not the least bit intersted in seeing your deer with blood pouring out of mouth and/or nose, blood pooled on the ground underneath, or blood all over the side of the body I'm seeing, end of story. How do you think these great pics look to antis?? That's anti-hunters for you that wondered. You say that you don't care what they think?? I've got news, you oughtta!! Once your picture goes somewhere on the internet, who knows where it might end up. As a hunter for the last 40 yrs, I am telling you, keep your nasty, bloody gorey pics to yourself. Blow them up, frame them and put then on YOUR living room wall! (made my point?)

People, please take some time and make your photos something worthwhile to see. If you shoot the world's record whitetail buck next week and take pictures ONLY of the buck on your tailgate with it's 3" bloody tounge hanging out and a 2" bloody hole in it's side, is that gonna be the one you want in your office, den, living room, trophy room???? Somehow, I doubt it. Hey, just take some time, wipe the blood away, tuck the tongue in (or cut it off!), set the deer (or whatever) in a nice area and take quality pictures for EVERYONE! Especially yourself. I can only promise that you will appreciate the pictures and that hunt much more years from now. Trust me, I am correct.

 

[hailstone]

Good point you make. I'll also make some photographic suggestions since I used too judge photography at out state fair for over thirty years. Loose the hats, caps etc. that shadow your face. Use the flash even in daylight--it fills shadows especially facial shadows. Watch your backgrounds--tree branches sprouting from someones head isn't cute. Move in close too your subject!! Nothing more aggraviating than the main subject being a small pin prick lost in the photo. Stage you animal showing off its monster rack or what ever made you want it as a trophy. Look at photos taken by professional guides with there clients and bagged game for good examples. Above all take lots of photos from all angles--high, low, front quarter, rear quarter. Try different things after all with digital cameras there's no film or processing costs.

 

[jodum]

I too do not care to see a lot of blood and gore type hunting photos. I saw enough of this while a state trooper. A lot of folks get their idea about hunters from the pictures and display of animals that they see. Just yesterday I saw a truck going through a fast food drive in window with a deer on the hood. I am sure the folks eating in the resturant enjoyed that view.

 

[roverboy]

I agree, I've took some bad pics of game in the past. Some were took in a hurry and didn't take the time to make it look good.]

 

[tpv]

Well, on the huting stories section I just posted some pictures of a dead antelope with blood and a trophy antelope head in a bag. Both pics were the only ones available at the time. Its very rare to see a B&C animal of any kind and that big antelope was already prepared for the taxidermist. My goat was shot through both sides, and both sides were bloody.
I considered the audience and posted it anyway.
In a previous post last year, someone posted a pig with the guts hanging out of the animal after it was shot through from one end to the other.
Bingo! that picture was my limit on bloodyness so I agree with you somewhat, but this is an experienced and mature hunting community on this site so I figured they'd understand.

 

[Shawn Crea]

Don't be too concerned with how we look to the anti hunters; there's nothing they approve of in what we like to do. The prettiest kill photo ever will never gain 'approval'.

No, a tongue hanging out of the mouth is never a good photo. Blood on the hide? I'm not going to use my last pint of water to wash blood off hair. That's hunting...there's going to be blood.

 

[kdub]

Yeah, you're right, Shawn. An effort should be made to gain the best pose of game. Sometimes you work with what you've got.

The head with the hide in a sack on top of the cooler was the best that we could do at the time. Taking off in the dark for the morning's hunt, the camera was accidently left behind. The outfitter took some field pic's at the kill site, but his camera wasn't available for downloading. The antelope was taken to a cattle catch pen where water and cleaning facilities were set up to skin and quarter the game. This was done by one of the guides while we were having lunch at camp. By the time the camera was found and we got back to the pen, the guide had skinned and butchered the goat. The resulting picture was the best effort.
Others may knock it, however, I'm pretty pleased with the head and think it will work up into a fine mount.
Maybe next time I'll see if the expert photographers might be willing to tag along and take what they consider appropiate shots.