The Zumwalt Prairie, located in the northeastern corner of Oregon, is an open bunchgrass prairie that is home to an abundance of wildlife.  It also draws visitors and photographers because of its beautiful undulating terrain, wide-open landscape, and views of the Wallowa Mountains and Idaho’s Seven Devils mountain range.  Wildlife that inhabit the prairie include deer, elk, and many kinds of birds.  Numerous raptors can often be seen including various species of hawks and both bald eagles and golden eagles.  Deer and elk are almost always present.

A photographer friend and I spent a beautiful spring day out on the Zumwalt Prairie.  We took our time driving through it and finding interesting landscapes to shoot.  As the day was coming to a close, the sunset was beginning to look promising.  We stopped at one area and photographed for a while before continuing back toward town.  The clouds and light continued to develop and it was turning into a situation with a lot of photographic potential.

At one point, I looked toward the west and saw these two bucks in the golden light.  They watched me for a few moments as I photographed them, then turned to head off down the hill.  This was one of those situations in which everything came together just right.  A perfect way to end a wonderful day of photography.

Photograph was shot with a Fuji X-T2 camera and a Fuji XF 50-140mm f/2.8 lens.