Where to See the Deer
Combine this ecology lesson with a snowshoe experience or a Sunday drive. Take Highway 11 South and exit the Hemlock Rd., Trout Creek and Port Loring exit. Take 522b to 522; in Trout Creek turn west on to Highway 522; travel 39 km to Little River Rd and turn east (left). Set your odometer. Travelling slowly, you will see deer tracks on and crossing the road; you are almost guaranteed to see a deer.
Travel 3.9 km and you see the remains of the former interpretative trail signs; park, tight to the snow bank, alongside the road. (You can travel another 0.9 km and turnaround at the snowmobile OFSC c105d trail.) The former walking trailhead is at WGS 84 17 T E597257 N5085675 or N45° 55’ 03.9” W79° 44’ 45.0”. Follow the faded blue blazes north eastwards. Within 100 m you will see the viewing platform where you once could see deer feeding, from above. There was a supplementary program where a grain mix was provided as a food source and viewing opportunity. You can see what was, ; the elevated structure is now on the ground.
It is a great snowshoe through a hardwood forest. You can follow the trail in a clockwise orientation, veering south to southwest, then crossing the Little River Road, now on the west side of the road, and travel NW while winding your way back at the former trailhead. You are never too far from the road; it is about a 2 km for the loop. For anyone this is better than turning to page 47 in the text or watching YouTube; a natural lesson relating fauna behaviour to flora attributes. Follow the deer tracks; they take the path of least resistance, as you will too. Contact the author at [email protected] or www.steertonorthernontario.ca for Google Earth maps and more.