I like to use this with Aperture Priority when I am most concerned with composition and depth of field.
When shooting stationary animals, use One-shot or Single Autofocus (AF-S). The camera focuses once for each time you half-press the shutter button or press the Back Button Focus. This locks the focus, so that you can recompose the shot and maintain focus. I like to use this with Aperture Priority when I am most concerned with composition and depth of field.