Ask Jim Harris why he spends most of his free time in the woods with his Nikons and he'll answer with something like, “Why do you inhale oxygen?—It keeps you alive.”

Wildlife photography is how he shows his intense admiration for wild things and what it takes for them to get by day after day. He’s not interested in caged animals – his deal is getting to watch wild animals behaving normally, without them realizing he’s there. And that’s no easy task.

He captures many of his images on his own place, which is a story in itself. He purchased 76 acres of logged over junk in 1980 for no money down because it was so badly trashed and after 20+ years and tens of thousands of hours of hard work turned it into a viable, award winning forested wildlife habitat supporting myriad native wildlife species.

The last few years have found his passion directed at Black-tailed Deer of the Great Northwest. He has taken almost 30,000 images of Black-tails in the last three years, but says, “About 85% of those images have found their way to the recycle bin. Working with wild animals in their habitat is really tough. No matter how good you are at sneaking around — they’re better.”

So take a look. Enjoy the Turkeys, Deer, Ducks, Quail, Rabbits and others, but please try to appreciate what it took in hours and stealth to get close. You can email Jim at [email protected] with any questions or if you are interested purchasing an image or a custom collage made just for you or a loved one for a lasting memory.