The deer among us
White-tailed deer are common visitors at the cabins.
These handsome guests wander into camp usually at dusk and early in the morning. They are quiet souls, occasionally perking up their big ears when a car or loud voices approach, but otherwise seem content to graze and mingle among the trees.
Deer on the shore of Otter Lake.
When startled you can hear them clamoring quickly into the woods, making a mad dash out of sight. The deer's coat is a reddish-brown in the spring and summer and turns to more of a grey-brown in fall and winter, making them easily blend into their surroundings. They say older deer tend to have longer snouts and grayer coats.
Fawns arrive in the spring and are common tagging along with the does. Seeing a buck with horns is more of a rarity. Male deer regrow their antlers every year and shed them December through February. Deer are herbivores, which is why they chow on our gardens, flowers and trees. Fresh green shoots are especially tasty to them!
A deer’s main predators in Michigan are wolves, cougars and bobcats, black bears, and humans. Deer can run fast (over 40mph) and can jump high and far. They have been known to scale a car when crossing a road at high speed. With deer densities quite high in Michigan, it is common to see dozens of them in farm fields and it pays to be vigilant on roadways.
I find deer to be peaceful, inquisitive and respectful visitors. After all, we are really guests in their world.
Selected photos courtesy Mike Carron.