My mom taught me “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” That’s wise advice, so I’ll try to construct my comments below to be helpful instead of hurtful. I hope this text doesn’t come across as a rant.

Each fall my Facebook feed is filled with photos of happy hunters posing with whitetail bucks of all sizes and shapes. And I love to see them. A great photo of a doe is excellent, too. Avid deer hunters dream of pursuing whitetails all spring and summer, and many of us put in a lot of work planting food plots, hanging treestands, building ground blinds, trimming shooting lanes, etc. So it’s wonderful to see a hunter rewarded for his or her efforts.

Thanks to smartphones, it’s never been easier to shoot decent photos of your buck or doe. A buddy can shoot several images of you with your deer, then you can ask to view the pics to determine if something needs to change to improve the scene (different shot angle, background too busy, etc.). Click here to read an article I wrote titled, “Top Photo Tips for Capturing the Hunt.”

Now for my top three pet peeves. In no particular order, here’s what causes me to shake my head when viewing some pics. Important note: I don’t want to disparage any deer hunters in this article, so I’m showcasing only what I believe are excellent photos. All of the images are from Facebook/Trophy Bucks of Iowa. You’ll see their logo on the pics.

1. Similar to anglers who hold a 3-pound bass at arm’s length toward the camera to make it look like a 6-pounder, some deer hunters work hard to make a 115-class buck look like a 135-incher. Be proud of whatever you shoot. The only people you’re fooling by positioning yourself far behind a buck’s rack are those Facebook friends who don’t hunt. The rack might fill the frame and look huge, but your fingers and thumb holding the main beam look huge, too. And if you hide your fingers and hold up the buck’s head by bracing your hand behind the deer’s neck or jaw, I’ll probably assume you’re trying to make the buck look larger than it really is. Sit behind or beside your buck, hold it naturally (with bent elbows), and smile for the pics.

2. I ended the last paragraph with the advice “smile for the pics.” You’ve just killed a buck or doe and you’re happy about it (I hope), so smile. Stop trying to look badass with a serious stare; you’re not a Navy SEAL. And you don’t have the acting skills of Tom Hanks, so don’t try to pull off some “I’m so overwhelmed by taking the life of this majestic creature” melancholy facial expression. Just smile. Note: Take some smiling pics while looking at the camera, and some looking at the buck’s rack. 

3. If you’re going to take the time to shoot pics of your buck or doe, then please put the deer's tongue back in its mouth, and wipe off any excess blood from its mouth, face or neck. I’m not saying you should groom the deer so it looks like it died of fright. That said, no one wants to see a blood bath.

(Photos from Facebook/Trophy Bucks of Iowa)