Nah, I think everyone's just jealous. Very nice Barry.
How close were you to the deer?
Thanks Sam. The focal length on the exif shows 280mm (or 420mm @35mm). Took the two close shots from the vehicle, hand-held with shutter speeds of 1/45 and 1/20 (have to love IS!). I'd guess they were about 40-60 feet away. They were quite nervous about my stopping and soon crossed the road in a hurry. :-)
left a couple comments, all great captures. Ive heard a lot of good and bad about that lens but looks like it preformed excellently for you :)
Thanks! I'm getting some good mileage out of that lens for sure. It's heavy, but I think that actually helps with keeping things steady, in addition to the in-camera IS. Wide open it's not bad, it sharpens up pretty well up a stop or two (those two were taken at F5.6).