An afternoon with a legend

Source: The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.mini storageNov. 10--When I was a teenager I hung pictures on my bedroom walls like most kids do.Mine were a little different, however.I was an avid reader of Deer and Deer Hunting magazine, and I marveled at the beautiful photos of whitetail bucks in each issue. My favorites I carefully cut out and taped to the wall, creating somewhat of a shrine to deer.The photos were taken by renowned wildlife photographer Leonard Lee Rue III, and every time I gazed at them I wondered about the story behind each.Where did he find this buck? How long did he have to wait for it? What did it do after the photo was taken?On Friday, I was able to pose those questions and many others to the source himself when Rick Koval and I were invited to Rue's New Jersey home to interview him in person.The interview will run in the deer season preview that I am putting together for later this month.Rue, who is now 87, is considered one of the foremost authorities on white-tailed deer in the world. He saw his first deer track in 1939, sold his first photo in 1949 and since then has become the most published wildlife photographer in North America. He has sold thousands of wildlife photos and his work has graced the cover of virtually every nature, hunting and wildlife magazine at least once.He has written more than 1,500 columns and over 30 books.On Friday, when Rue and his wife Ursula welcomed us into his home, I had the opportunity to see where it all begins.Rue's home in rural New Jersey isn't so much a mecca to all his accomplishments but a tribute to deer and other wildlife. Paintings by fellow artists adorn the walls, as do the mounts of several monster bucks -- some of which served as subjects for his photos years ago. Shed deer antlers sit on just about every shelf, and in his living room a camera with zoom lens sits mounted on a tripod, ready to go to work at a moment's notice.Several large picture windows line the living roomself storage overlooking the expanse of woods and swamps just outside the house. Inside, there is a long table where Rue sits, watching through the picture windows for any wildlife to appear outside.The camera is always ready, he said.As we sat and talked, the conversation focused on deer, wildlife, photography, writing and life.Even though Rue's latest book, Whitetail Savvy, is his most comprehensive work on deer, he admits there is still much to learn.That's what fuels Rue's passion for wildlife -- the fact that there is always a new direction, a new mystery to solve."I want to know everything I can about every animal," Rue said. "I'm a naturalist first, and a photographer second."The hallways leading to Rue's office are lined with decades of magazine covers featuring his photos. There are more than 1,800 magazine covers that have featured Rue's photography.File cabinets and metal shelves stacked with boxes contain literally millions of photographs that Rue has taken, covering just about every mammal, bird, reptile and amphibian in North America along with species from all seven continents -- which Rue has visited during his career.Today, Rue admits he can't venture into the woods like he used to and much of his observation isn't done from a blind but from the large picture windows in his living room or the deck surrounding his house.But his eye is still sharp, as is his desire to learn and share what he has experienced. Rue said he is currently working on several books, including one about woodchucks and another about the Canada goose.Most importantly, Rue's passion to photograph wildlife burns just as strong today as it did when he sold his first photo in 1949."Every day I am just as anxious to grab the camera and see what I can capture," he said. "That will never change."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) Visit The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) at .timesleader.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉