WHAT ARE THE BEST TIMES TO SEE DEER

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. Last fall a really nice 10-point buck started showing up right around 5:30 every day. Of course, he vanished right before the gun season and hasn't been seen since – dead or alive. We think he's still out there.

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. You know that massive herd of raccoons you see every night? We've seen that many deer at one time, too.

What other animals will I see?

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 the raccoons take over; lately we've seen as many as 15 at once. (Don't be surprised if that number dwindles in the coming weeks when raccoon season opens. We aren't that fond of feeding them.) There are also foxes and coyotes in the area, but any sightings of those or any other night creatures will likely be fleeting.

Is the area hunted?

Yes. The feed you see is not a bait pile per se -- no one directly hunts over it. 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.

What kind of camera is it?

The 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 the challenges we've faced are getting the camera into the woods but close to a 24/7 power source, protecting it from overheating, freezing, moisture and chewing animals, and band width.

What's with the five-second delay?

The Deer Cam provides live streaming video, but the available band width means the image can only transmit so often. At this point in time that's about every five seconds.

Why does the Deer Cam sometimes malfunction?

One word: Lightning. The deer cam is a fairly high-tech device that is sitting out in the woods open to the elements. The lightning strikes actually have a greater effect on the video board than the camera itself, and we have corrected that problem. Will the camera malfunction again? Probably. But we have a backup camera and other spare parts on hand to ensure that the Deer Cam won't be down for long.

Are any improvements in the works?

Yes. We're actually developing a higher-quality camera that we expect to install before winter. We're also working on a live chat window so site visitors can chat live about what they're seeing. In addition, we're working on a Fish Cam that we hope to have ready when spring returns. It will be placed on a dock in a small but very productive lake in southern Michigan. Bluegills and sunfish congregate around that spot, which attracts cruising bass and northern pike. We've also seen yellow perch and bullheads, plus muskrats, turtles and waterfowl.