by A. C. O'Brien

Created on: March 12, 2010   Last Updated: November 11, 2010

My love of camping started years ago when I went out tent camping with the Girl Scouts here in NJ. I have many fond memories of those outings. Among them there is a special fondness that has developed for the wild life encounters that occurred both within our camp and on the trail.

These days I escape to my favorite camp site on a small lake in North Western NJ. I still use a tent but, yes I admit, a few amenities have been added for comfort. The wildlife still remain a constant part of the experience. Deer feed on the grassy field above the lake, they come down to the lake for their morning and evening drink, sometimes they stand still as statues, then we quickly grab the camera with the zoom lens for pictures. The deer are not tame, they do not allow you to approach them. Such photo opportunities are reserved for hunters with their lifeless carcases or standing alongside a stuffed animal after the taxidermist has done his work.

During my many camping outings I have seen deer, coyote, bears, wild cat tracks - 3 1/2 inches wide (never the cat), wolves, and of course the raccoon.  The bear in Canada, the coyote I saw in Utah, the raccoon, and wild cat tracks in Southern NJ. The wolves I saw in Colorado.  The deer seem to be the one constant that I see in almost every setting. If you want to draw deer to a particular spot you could put out a salt lick to draw them closer. They can smell the salt and it will be irresistible to them. Just be careful not to get too close to them. They do not attack nor have sharp teeth but they often kick as they escape. They will leave you both bruised and bloodied from their sharp hoofs.

Another danger to consider from deer coming close to your campsite is the deer tick. This little bit of wildlife carries the nasty and debilitating Lyme Disease here in the North East. If there is tall grass or low bushes near where you want set up your tent, think again. Find a spot free from anything higher then ankle deep to avoid the deer tick and the ensuing Lyme Disease. If while enjoying the great outdoors, you do find a tick hanging onto you, remove it immediately or find someone who knows how to remove it. It is not difficult to remove but doing it wrong could leave you with more then a few problems.

With a few common sense precautions you should be able to enjoy your camping experience and deer viewing with out problems.

Happy camping.

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