My Assignment…

My assignment. To find the Sable herd and take good photos representing the herd for prospective buyers. Sable Antelope are found in Eastern Africa and are endangered due to poaching in their native habitat.

Well, luckily for me, the herd moves only about a 1/2 mile a day so once they are spotted somewhere I can assume they are still in the vicinity. It is really cold in Texas right now. If their bellies are full and digesting, their bodies stay a lot warmer. We have been throwing alfalfa out for them daily so they aren’t as skittish as usual. If I find them, I should be able to get a few good shots.

I started the quest for the hidden Sable after lunch. Driving slowly I could feel the road was still a little squishy from the rain and snow of a couple of days ago. I hopped out to lock the hubs for 4X4. The water puddle in the road was frozen and had some cool cracks and bubbles stuck in the ice. I reached into the truck to grab my camera and I heard Punkin start whining. Looking up at her I followed her gaze through the trees and saw some Whitetail Deer staring at me. I wondered what I look like. I’m in a huge orange coat with the hood pulled over my head and hunched over in the road. I know I don’t look human. They snorted and ran off.

Jumping back in the truck, I drove down the perimeter fence looking through the brush. Surely I’ll see them. I kept stopping, thinking I saw one through the trees but it was just the reddish brown color of dead cedar trees.

Finally, I spotted them lying in the sun on the west side of a hill. The KR Bluestem grass is golden after the first frost and the dark red of the Sable’s coat stood out in the sun. Inching the truck closer and closer, I stopped as they started to move off. If I stayed in the truck they might tolerate my presence. Rolling the window down all the way, I sat in the open window and started clicking away before they spooked and ran. When I was satisfied, I started to compose my shots with a bit more care and actually got a few good ones!