Deer Cam

By day, squirrels, woodchucks and plenty of birds like mourning doves, blue jays and crows. There are also turkeys in the area and they stop by from time to time. At night, raccoons and rabbits come in, often alongside the deer. There are also foxes and coyotes in the area, but their appearances have been fleeting.

Deer are crepuscular (25-cent word) animals, which means they're most active around dawn and dusk. But remember, these are wild animals and they do what they want. There is frequent deer activity throughout the night, and occasionally they'll pop in during the day, especially during a cold spell.

As for the time of year, the only time deer activity seems to wane is from mid- to late summer, when they've got a smorgasbord of crops, fruit, acorns and other nuts to feed on. By fall they start coming to the feed in larger numbers again, and that lasts through the winter and into the spring.  

Your donations for corn are welcome and any amount you're willing to spare is greatly appreciated (as you've seen, those guys can EAT). Please make check or money order payable to Great Northern Outdoors and mail to:

Great Northern Outdoors
117 N. First, Suite 109
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
ATTN: CORN MAN

And thanks to all who have asked!

Yes. The feed you see is not a bait pile per se -- no one shoots deer as they're feeding there. But the property is hunted by the landowner and his family, sometimes very close to the Deer Cam. Buckeye Big Bucks were harvested on the property in 2006 and 2007.

The GNO Deer Cam is a contraption of our own making, and for now that information is proprietary. We can tell you that the camera itself is much more than a Web cam you attach to your computer, for a variety of reasons. Among our greatest challenges have been band width, getting a 24/7 power source into the woods, and protecting the camera from overheating, freezing, moisture, chewing animals and lightning.