I've got Weasel Fever?!? | Wildlife Photography in Jackson Hole

This was an excellent day of photography in Jackson Hole. While out photographing my favorite thing (great gray owl), I ran into a weasel in it's white winter coat! A landscape and wildlife photography vlog.
Please leave a comment, share, and subscribe if you enjoy the video!
Instagram: / stevemattheis
website: www.stevematthe...
Vlogging gear I use:
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Panasonic Lumix G85 amzn.to/2k3KS8p
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Rode VideoMicro Mic amzn.to/2iYCIeh
Cameras I use:
Nikon D850 amzn.to/2jqLLUP
Nikon D500 amzn.to/2hYnvJn
Fuji X-T2 amzn.to/2jso1zn
Fuji X-T20 (converted to Infrared) amzn.to/2Ad2p4D
Lenses I use:
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Nikon 70-300mm amzn.to/2FpeYcS
Nikon 600mm amzn.to/2hYZ8v2
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Fuji 16-55mm amzn.to/2Aby86e
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Supports I use:
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[@feraltweed]

I could have done the dialogue for you when you saw the weasel. I see one or two a year and it is always for just a split second. Congratulations on getting a shot of him

[@stevensakic4342]

Patience is the virtue of all photography. . fantastic video and photographs. .

[@slowlyrusting4044]

Great shots Steve. I am finding that what I enjoy most while watching your vlogs, is how you become a kid in a candy store as you walk around looking for "critters". Love the enthusiasm !!!

[@SteveMattheis]

Yep, I’m out there to have a great time!

[@patriciablyler6484]

I love your videos, Steve! They are just so entertaining!

[@erichagen7627]

Greats shots as always Steve. You have really motivated me to go out and hunt for owls also. Keep it up. Thanks

[@SteveMattheis]

Nice! Get out there!

[@inthewoodswithbigfoot3941]

Awesome evening! Thanks Steve!

[@CharjonMr]

Just love the Weasel :) My favourite family of animals are the Mustelids. Have you ever seen a Wolverine?

[@SteveMattheis]

I wish...

[@tristramstout8988]

Fantastic! I'm a bit jealous of your weasel shots. I say that because I spotted one myself this past winter. Totally impossible to photograph! I saw it for just seconds. I didn't have time to even budge the camera from my side. So, even being out there and fairly prepared doesn't mean you get the shots. You have way more skill than I do. I watch your videos and marvel at your accomplishments. I try to learn something with each one. You have a way of making it all look easy, but I know its really not.

[@SteveMattheis]

I appreciate the feedback!

[@ChrisHunt4497]

Thanks again Steve. Appreciate all the work you put in. I often think how do you manage to fit in your ’life’ around the owl hunting. The weasel shots are beautiful, so too the owl shots - love the backgrounds. Two owls and weasel is going to take some beating. Magic.

[@jamietitus6220]

You probably dont care but does any of you know of a way to get back into an Instagram account? I was stupid lost the login password. I would appreciate any help you can give me!

[@jettdexter6719]

@Jamie Titus instablaster ;)

[@jamietitus6220]

@Jett Dexter thanks for your reply. I found the site thru google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@jamietitus6220]

@Jett Dexter it worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D Thank you so much, you saved my account!

[@jettdexter6719]

@Jamie Titus no problem :)

[@VABrowneMDPhD]

Another awe-inspiring adventure! It was great to see the weasel, and to see healthy robust Great Grey Owls doing what they do best!

[@natpark182]

another super great video Steve. the GGO is #1 on our bucket list. my wife and do discuss how difficult it is to do video and stills both at the same time. your efforts are well appreciated.

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks!

[@nogroove3819]

Interesting the owl took off when the eagle showed up. We had a lot of ospreys at our camp in northern Ontario. All left when the bald eagles showed up...

[@SteveMattheis]

Yep, eagles kill owls for sure

[@TJackSurvival]

Those are really cool to catch

[@davidbryant4792]

It’s always a special day when I get home from work and there is a vlog from Steve Mattheis waiting on my IPad. I appreciate you. Love the images. My favorite are the owls but the weasel is super cool. Thank you.

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks for the kind words🙏

[@kmacfly59]

Another great video Steve!! Your images and your enthusiasm for wildlife are second to none. Thanks and keep them coming. I find it hard to believe you only have 3.9K subscribers, I have passed you link on to all my photography friends. Your Owl videos are the best on KZbin.

[@SteveMattheis]

Thank you sir!

[@owenbale]

Nice morning out Steve. Surprised to see the weasel when an owl is near. They are fast; I know the fun when we chase after mink here in the spring....small and fast and they blend into the environment so well.

[@SteveMattheis]

Yep, they both like the same type of prey...

[@tomdullage1531]

Love your enthusiasm, as always. So great to see the weasel in it's winter coat, you nailed a couple of great shots there. Lovely pictures of the eagle, too, as well as the owls.

[@SteveMattheis]

Thank you sir!

[@davewebster6945]

Fabulous video Steve 🙂 magical creatures in a wonderful snowy setting 😊. I appreciate very much you freezing your butt off to bring us these superb videos 🤗. I'd be dead of the cold in five minutes out there 😵. Those owls are such incredible birds though and worth the suffering 😊.

[@SteveMattheis]

Nah, just bundle up...

[@davecasey6213]

Owl shots - wow wow wow. The portability of that 300mm AF-S F4 pf (+1.4 III) along with my D7200 is where I’d like to end up. (Enthusiast). Always appreciate the effort/time you put in. Ya gotta be there to capture the moment.

[@GaryGough]

Brilliant. The Eagle shots are sublime. The Weasel looks like a stuffed toy :) Ever use a pop-up hide?

[@SteveMattheis]

Rarely. I’m usually too impatient but on occasion I will use one. I’d rather be moving around most of the time (I’m working on it...)

[@mickmckean7378]

Awesome Steve, I can tell you I really appreciate your videos. Yours is one of the channels I like to have going while editing my own bird images. Keep it up mate, very entertaining and your love for the wildlife really does show through.

[@SteveMattheis]

Excellent, thanks for watching!

[@jblanford926]

Glad I found your channel . Wish I would’ve found it two years ago when I was in the Tetons.

[@tedcomeau2671]

Great video and pictures I am envious of you're kit and you use it like a pro well done from Manitoba

[@SteveMattheis]

Thank you sir!

[@oldfartmtb]

Another excellent video! Really enjoy the footage you present and the images you capture!! Keep up the awesome work!!

[@SteveMattheis]

Cool, thanks for watching!

[@eiricnj7664]

Very nice, fitting music and very great photos too, specially the weasel shots.

[@ChrisSmith-wz4cc]

You do an amazing job with the photography and video Steve very entertaining, Thanks for doing what you do each week...

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks!

[@divinerdetective44]

WOW, love the weasel; all of it!! You deserve the great gear, you've got the chops to use it.

[@Hellgap50]

It’s funny how we don’t forget the great shots we missed don’t be hard on yourself I’m sure you’ll make up for one missed shot lol

[@SteveMattheis]

Yep, some of the missed shots are hard to forget

[@LilReevesy9]

Great video as always! Well done on your fantastic Weasel shots, love the contrast on the dark background!

[@POPOkakaFURZ]

Great video as always and really love that shot of the weasel at 21:11 !! Awesome work :-)

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks!

[@twdenman1]

Nice weasel shot. Eagle, weasel, and two owls. Yeh, I'd call that a great day! Ted

[@SteveMattheis]

Yessss!

[@kjellh.3197]

great picture and great program. am following you. am a streamer also on twitch And am hobby Photographer have been t hat for 11 years" And i got my glow back now mate looking at you. And now i cant wait to get out to shot picture and we are heading for autom with awsome colors to" thanks mate for giving me that litte inspiration back. cos i have been off phtographing for some months cos got boored" but Now Am on it again mate.And wil shhot some videos on my youtbe when i go out for photpgraphing.

[@wyndaniels2481]

Another grest vlog Steve, stupendous eagle and weasle shots

[@TouchofAlaska]

Again, like always... GREAT pictures!!!

[@drosod8044]

Been following you for about a month now. Your images are fantastic. I get to Jackson a couple times a year but haven’t had the kind of success that you have. Hope to run into you someday.

[@loosecannontv614]

Lovely pics there Steve

[@SteveMattheis]

Thank you!

[@whafrog]

Great shots, including the weasel! They certainly move fast. I had a mink encounter on the weekend but unfortunately no shots were in focus. Practice practice practice!

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks! Yep, always practice - great point!

[@bobrooney5702]

Awesome Steve...my two favorite birds of prey...very enjoyable video and still shots. You definitely have the multi-task thing down :)

[@bobrooney5702]

Let’s not forget the white weasel...icing on the cake :)

[@maxlohrberg5317]

The first weasel shot was the best!

[@johnfuqua1143]

I appreciate your dedication, to getting us the video and hope the reward of the viewers watching them, make up for the loss of captures of photo's I know I enjoy each and all of your VLOG's Keeping searching on. and happy wesseling ;)

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely miss some photos but I like making the videos too, it’s fun (but hard work)!

[@60secondmediauk]

came across your channel tonight, love it!! wish we had such interesting wildlife over here in England!! subscribed.

[@SteveMattheis]

Cool, thanks!

[@susanbradley3174]

Thank you for taking the time to makes these videos. They inspire me.

[@SteveMattheis]

Sweet! Thanks!

[@SidBonkers51]

Exceptional weasel shots Steve, what a lucky encounter.

[@SteveMattheis]

No doubt!

[@simplyoutdoors1321]

This is appreciated I am going to binge watch all your videos..Very cool work!

[@SteveMattheis]

👍

[@halteske6475]

So jealous!! Great photography, Great Videos keep up the great work!!! I have to drive 6-7 hours to photograph GGO.

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks. 6-7 hours? Sometimes I hike that long and never see an owl!

[@SuperFucdat]

Great video Steve. Really enjoy you stalking & shooting the owls, but also loved that weasel. Keep them coming. Noted you were using the old version of the 600mm f/4, have you tried the newer version which is supposed to be a lot lighter? That might help those sore shoulders.

[@SteveMattheis]

The new version would be great! Paying for it, not so great... ha!

[@davidbennett3745]

Another great video Steve. I think your weasels are stoats in the UK, our weasels are tiny with a long mouse width body, stoats are more rabbit size. The stoats do change to white in some areas in winter but stay brown mostly, perhaps due to our lack of snow.

[@chris5355]

A weasel is weaselly identified, but a stoat's stoatally different.

[@SteveMattheis]

I’m not positive, but I believe this is a technically a short-tailed weasel, also called an ermine.

[@haraldhuber8414]

amazing as usual

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks👍

[@gojoe36]

Great shots. Nice catch on that weasel

[@findus605]

Fantastic video as always, keep up the excellent work 👍

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks!

[@BrianHorsey]

Stunning vlog again, Steve. Thanks

[@georgefourlaris7948]

Love your videos Steve! Please keep up the great work!

[@SteveMattheis]

👍

[@f2.8images]

Super captures Steve. Love the bald eagle :-)

[@ginabroma]

Great shots of beautiful animals!

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks!

[@markstevenson3047]

Great set of flight pictures !

[@timherbert3955]

This video reminds me of a photo taken by another Jackson photographer of a Great Gray Owl with a white weasel in its beak.

[@SteveMattheis]

Yes, that is an amazing photo! Mike Jackson is the photographer (assuming we are talking about the same photo)

[@timherbert3955]

Yeah, I didn't know if it was kosher to mention another photographer on your page.

[@SteveMattheis]

Not a problem - he's a friend of mine

[@timherbert3955]

You ought to do a video with him.

[@erichanson7429]

Great shots, fun video!

[@MikeGilroyAK]

That picture in picture clip was really cool!

[@chrislj2890]

Great shots, but there for a minute I was afraid the great gray would get the weasel. Sure wouldn't want to see that.

[@SteveMattheis]

That would be a really cool photo... A friend on mine saw that once and got some excellent photos. Mike Jackson www.bestofthetetons.com

[@chrislj2890]

Wow, thanks for the link; his work is great, and I really like the foxes.

[@antont7357]

Beautiful animals....love your camera gear! Wow, two D850's!

[@SteveMattheis]

Yes, I feel very fortunate

[@isoawe1888]

Another great video. Thanks. Is Jackson Hole your home base ?

[@SteveMattheis]

Thanks! Yes it is.

[@kieranlehane]

I arrived in Jackson Hole yesterday and It's so nice. First time out here

[@SteveMattheis]

Sweet! Have a great time, good luck out there...

[@kieranlehane]

Thanks. Went to the Elk Refuge today and went on an 8 hour tour. Saw a lot of cool wildlife

[@rolandrick]

Yeah, was fun watching. The 600 you kept filming the owls perch. Ist that the 300 PF on the other body? Without TC? Two D850 I assume, aren’t they?

[@SteveMattheis]

Yes, the 300pf. It is excellent!

[@CreativeScott1992]

Love your videos keep It coming :D greetings from Norway

[@la_mitchell]

I would be delighted for a night like that Steve ...... the Weasel shots were fantastic....... do you have to travel far to find the Owls or are the close to your home?

[@SteveMattheis]

I was delighted too! I generally have to drive between 15 minutes and an hour to search for owls, then usually have to hike quite a bit to find them.

[@datdudenosense]

nice video.....awesome shots!!!🖒

[@buc71x24]

Outstanding, damn your good, made my day!

[@manxjohn73]

Lovin your channel

[@SteveMattheis]

👍

[@tyke4873]

Bold Eagle ,Nothing Great .Man Your Spoilt living there ,Don't get me wrong we have great Wildlife over here in the uk ,With Weasels and Stoats been one of my favorite ,But at the Minute i'm out with Barn Owls and Long Eared Owls,With the Resident, Short Eared Owls ,Breeding at this time ,i leave the be a while till i know the young are doing well ,Then i flip back over to them for family shots,Once i know there on there way to adult Hood,Love the post great info beautiful country.There are only a few Places in the Yorkshire ,where the Hares and weasels carry the white Gene,Most of the Country they stay there normal color,But near where i live on the Moors they do turn white,Along with Grouse and Tarmagan.

[@rschellie]

I really appreciate your video's and the great images you capture. I do have to chuckle though, I'm subscribed to a bunch of wildlife and landscape photography channels on KZbin and a common thread is that it's not the equipment, it's the photographer capturing the image in the right light with good composition that makes the photo (with a little luck). Then I see you running around the woods with two D850's with battery grips, 600mm f/4, 300mm F/4 PL, and Gitzo tripod with a gimbal head ($25,000 or more worth of gear). The equipment must count for something, none of you professionals are running around the woods with a D3300 and a 70-300mm kit lens. Keep the video's coming.

[@SteveMattheis]

Yeah, that's a topic that could take hours to dive into... But... I will say that Sports and Action Wildlife photography is very demanding as far as equipment goes. Those disciplines in particular require pushing equipment to the limits so it is often necessary to use the expensive stuff. That said, a great photographer with mediocre equipment will always perform better than a mediocre photographer with great equipment. And for the record, I am often running around the woods with one DX body and a $750 lens - and I often make great photos with it.

[@stephenlikestools6846]

That is the D500 DX body and Sigma 100-400 Contemporary Steve is referring to. He didn't have good luck with the Tamron version even after trying about four copies.

[@rschellie]

Around time 6:50 he refers to it as the 300mm F/4 which I assume is the Nikon 300mm F/4 PF ED VR Lens and he states that both camera bodies he is using are D850s.

[@cillyede]

Great again! Thanks.

[@SteveMattheis]

👍

[@bobgrutzmacher9976]

Shooting from a vehicle when it's cold outside is always a problem. Heatwaves! Lately we have been bundling up and turning the heater off while driving around thinking that part of the problem might be coming from the warm air inside the cab. Your thoughts on this problem.

[@SteveMattheis]

No doubt, it’s a problem and there’s no great solution that i know of. Often the heat waves can be caused by the hot air from under the hood too so the farther you can get away from the vehicle, the better.

[@dakmandotcom6682]

Hey Steve...just to add to the questions you've got, what focus mode are you using for the in flight shots, and do you stick to it all the time? The other question is more about the owl behaviour, do they not fly with their prey to a perch to eat or do they strictly feed on the ground ?

[@SteveMattheis]

I generally like to use group area AF for birds in flight. Owls will do either. Sometimes they eat it on the ground, other times, they will fly to a safer place to eat. Being on the ground leaves them far more vulnerable to predators.

[@edwardlee1815]

Nice

[@davidrichards2215]

Awsome video:)

[@jackcurrie389]

Hey man awesome content, I’m a 12 year old wildlife photographer and have seen some spotted owls around my area! I was wondering what time they are usually active because usually I go out 40 minutes before sunset and I usually see them but i also have to use a high iso, so it’s a little noisy. Thanks

[@SteveMattheis]

That's cool! Photographing owls is a technical challenge for sure. Ideally we'd all have a 400mm f/2.8 with the latest and greatest full-frame camera - even then it can be a challenge! Owls are generally active in low light and we just have to deal with it as best we can. My advice to you is to find the owls, respect them, try to make compelling images, and worry as little as possible about noise. Crank up the ISO and make cool photos! Seriously, unless you're going to print the photos very large, the noise is rarely a problem. I shoot at ISO6400 and 12800 regularly because I'd rather have a noisy photo than a blurry photo (or nothing at all). Have fun, make compelling images and forget about the noise...

[@jackcurrie389]

Thanks man I appreciate it, it would mean a lot to me if you could check out these owl pictures I took and let me know if it’s a spotted owl or barred owl. I live in New York so I figured it was a barred owl but I’m not sure. instagram.com/p/BhDF9vOnuHT/

[@tyke4873]

Do you not check your Images while out in the field,I have often thought about just making sure setting are ok ,Then waiting till i get home to check,But i all ways worry they may not be very good,and it may have been something i could have changed while out

[@SteveMattheis]

Yes, I check images all the time, mostly for proper exposure. But it’s sometimes hard (for me, at least) to know what the image really is going to look like large, versus on the little screen on the camera.

[@daviddaniel9982]

Hey Steve, what kind of gloves/mittens are those? I don't recognize the logo.

[@SteveMattheis]

Eddie Bauer

[@stuartrobson15]

great video again bye the way what make of gloves are you wearing.

[@SteveMattheis]

Eddie Bauer

[@MSchumacherfan]

I heard the 300 f4 Pf had issues at certain slow shutter speeds, any experience with that ?

[@SteveMattheis]

I don’t. I believe Nikon fixed that very early after release with a firmware update. The lens is fantastic.

[@amused2deth]

Do you use single focus point or multiple?

[@SteveMattheis]

Depends. For owls in flight, my mode of choice is currently group area AF. It is soooo good.

[@Piciamon]

Actually this is stoat :)

[@SteveMattheis]

That’s what i hear...

[@kieranlehane]

Btw what do you use your Fuji cameras for?

[@SteveMattheis]

Photographing my kids, infrared, and I use it more in the summer when I’m not wearing gloves (the buttons are small and harder to use with gloves)

[@kieranlehane]

Thanks :)

[@nidheesh.k.b6105]

Find a sonwy owl for mee 😅

[@SteveMattheis]

I wish

[@daviddowling9830]

I was hoping for some recently disembowled duck and intestines scattered about,disappointed.

[@SteveMattheis]

We are all disappointed. Hopefully I’ll find some more soon...