When winter’s bitter winds blow and snow falls, it can be hard for some of us to muster up the will and energy to actually spend time out in nature. Still, connecting with nature is important for our health, even in cold weather. Now, viewers around the world can take advantage of Gaylord, Michigan’s elk cam and get a taste of the outdoors from the comfort of home. With this livestream, nature enthusiasts can watch the 60-member herd in Elk View Park as the large mammals enjoy a Midwestern winter. You can tune into the elk cam here.
“In a tourism study conducted in 2017, we learned that approximately 60% of visitors to the area participate in elk viewing,” Christy Walcott, director of marketing and communications for the Gaylord Area Tourism Bureau, explained in a statement. “Elk viewing is a highlight not only for visitors, but locals as well. It’s a pastime we’ve all enjoyed in Gaylord and many people want to hold on to that experience and share it with others.”
The camera is run by the Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau, in partnership with the Otsego County Commission on Aging (OCCOA) and the City of Gaylord.
The city’s elk herd roams on 108 acres in the outdoor tourism hot spot in Michigan’s lower peninsula. The webcam has been placed near their feeding area, where they are fed corn, hay, sugar beets, and vitamins. Some of the male elk (or bulls) weigh more than 800 pounds and are over 6 feet tall. The city’s herd began with three elk who were rescued when a local nature center closed.
The area is also home to a large wild elk herd that visitors can watch at Pigeon River Country State Forest. While the animals were once native to northern Michigan, they disappeared from the area during the late 19th century. This current wild herd can be traced back to 1918, when seven Rocky Mountain elk were brought into the Gaylord area. The herd steadily grew to close to 1,500 elk by the 1960s. However, their population dropped in the mid-1970s due to poaching and
reduced habitat quality. Since then, both the local government and private sector have worked to manage the elk population. Based on a 2016 aerial survey, there is an estimated population of 1,300 animals, making this one of the largest free roaming elk herds east of the Mississippi.
Wild elk are in the Pigeon River Country State Forest area all year-round, but September and October are considered the best months for elk viewing. This is when the bulls are trying to establish dominance for mating rights with the herd’s females (or cows). The bulls make loud vocalizations (called bugling) and break up brush with their antlers in an effort to impress cows and intimidate their rivals.
Additional elk cams are set up at various times of the year in other states, including Pennsylvania and Virginia. Unedited natural webcams offer people of all abilities an accessible way to connect with nature, while also entertaining and educating.
