Brownville's Food Pantry For Deer

04/05/2026

Good Morning Everyone! It’s been two weeks since deer cams shut down ending Season 17. We’ve been VERY busy upgrading our network equipment, organizing/stocking supplies and installing the duck boxes along the pond. We have less than a dozen deer still visiting and they will likely all be gone in the next week. A pair of mallard ducks and two pairs of woods ducks have been visiting frequently. We first noticed the wood ducks the morning of April 1st, hastening the install of the boxes around the pond that afternoon. We were worried of the frost in the ground making the install quite difficult but all went in smoothly except the last one we ran into about 4” of frost. All boxes are equipped with cams that we can pull video/photos from if we have ducks move in and nest. Fingers crossed we have some move in but from my research it may take a year for the ducks to “warm up” to a new home. We also have quite a bit of action in the area with the turkeys, raccoons, skunk, fox and other birds likely making a duck hesitant of moving in. We’ll have to wait and see. Ryan’s Bird Buffet “Ground Cam” is up and running capturing many visitors along with the Buffet Cam and the PTZ. All the new network equipment is installed and now I’m just trying to learn about all the correct settings to optimize it. My goal is to have ALL cams running glitch free at 4k 60 frames per second giving the viewers the absolute best visual experience possible through YouTube. We are currently able to do 30fps easily, but the jump to 60fps is incredibly difficult to do without optimum conditions. Most people won’t even notice, but the increase in frame rate gives a more life like feel and smoothness I’m striving for. As soon as the yard thaws and starts drying out we will be cleaning debris and reseeding the food plots. We have 75 brook trout on order from the Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District that we’ll be stocking in the pond on May 6th. We hope you are all having an awesome off season, enjoying the wildlife with us, and have a very Happy Easter!

03/21/2026

Good Morning Everyone!
We’ve reached the end of Season 17. The deer cams will go offline tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, followed by our end-of-season video recap.
This morning’s feeding at 9:00 AM will be the last of the season. Over 95 feeding days, the deer consumed:
• 86,000 lbs (43 tons) of native oats
• 14,400 lbs (300 bushels) of apples
• 900 lbs of acorns
• 1,500 lbs of sweet feed
We experienced an average winter for snowfall and well-below-average temperatures. At our February peak, we estimated 220+ deer visiting daily. Most have now headed home. The few still stopping by are coming mostly at night and eating very little—their natural browse is exposed and abundant again.
We always miss them when they leave, but we know they had an awesome season here. They’re departing fat, sassy, and full of pep in their step.
This year brought so many memorable moments:
• Lefty’s return on opening day, looking emaciated, and watching him steadily regain his strength and health
• Champ arriving with a severe shoulder injury, now fully healed, adapted, and running strong with the herd
• The endless entertainment from “Tappy Toes” claiming her spot at the trough
• Capturing stunning Northern Lights displays
• And lately, watching the deer burst with energy with the “zoomies” around the yard, almost celebrating another successful season of survival
Ryan’s Bird Buffet will stay on 24/7, along with Richard’s PTZ. Over the coming weeks, Ryan and I will be installing wood duck houses around the pond, and the PTZ will capture the beautiful waterfowl visitors.
We’re also planning a major networking upgrade soon, which will take most of the cameras offline for much of one day—I’ll give plenty of advance notice. Once complete, Ryan’s Bird Buffet “Ground Cam” will come online.
In the off-season we’ll continue expanding and reseeding food plots, rebuilding troughs, stocking the pond with trout, adding a new PTZ location, and tackling many other projects.
A huge thank you to our wonderful suppliers:
Cleaves Family Farm, Rowe’s Orchard, Three Rivers Feed, and Dover-Foxcroft Tractor Supply
And to our amazing chat moderators, loyal viewers, and everyone who has donated—your support keeps our mission alive.
Thank you all for making this another incredible season. We look forward to welcoming the deer back on December 16th!
In the meantime, please keep enjoying the wildlife with us through Ryan’s Bird Buffet & Richard’s PTZ. The food plots will be active at night til all the deer head home. Stay tuned in as we celebrate and support the beauty of nature year-round.
Have a good one, stay safe.
— The McMahon Family

03/13/2026

Good Afternoon Everyone! Less deer are showing everyday. Much of the ground is now exposed and the deer have made it through another harsh Maine winter. We are expecting 3-6” of snow tonight but it won’t be around long as we’re also expecting rain and highs in the mid 50’s next week. Our last day of feeding will be on Saturday the 21st, with cameras going down on Sunday . We are fortunate that Lefty and many others are still in the area visiting as they could be heading to their summer range any day now as many already have. We hope you all enjoy the final week of Season 17. It’s been an awesome season. We’ll do our end of season post on the 21st with all the updated feed totals, off season plans and our farewell. Thank you ALL for enjoying the wildlife with us. Have a good one, stay safe.

03/07/2026

Good Afternoon Everyone! It’s a mess outside. With the rain we received today most all untreated surfaces are glazed over with ice. We were going to feed before we headed out to Ryan’s basketball tournament at noon but it was still raining and slick. As soon as we’re back around 3:30 we’ll get the troughs filled. The deer have been mostly showing later in the evening so it should be an anxious crowd tonight. We were able to successfully relocate our 3rd coyote of the season last night and as I went out this morning to help with its transition I found Vincent’s right side antler!!! We’ve found multiple antlers and put in MANY miles searching and still are on the lookout for his other side. Temps are forecasted to be near 60 degrees mid week so our snow pack will be dwindling quick. As of now we have no end date but would predict it to be around the 20th as long as we don’t receive any large snowstorms. Once the ground is exposed the deer know it’s time to go to their summer range. We will give at least a weeks heads up before cams go down. Thank you all for enjoying the wildlife with us and have a good one!

03/01/2026

Good morning Everyone! We are 19 days away from spring. The snow pack has been dropping steady and mud season is right around the corner. The deer have slowed on the feed consumption as they transition back to their natural browse with the fresh sap running. Rain is predicted later in the week and many of the deer will be heading out soon. We are estimating around 150 deer are visiting daily with most of them arriving after 4pm as they also transition back to their nocturnal schedule. It’s been an awesome season. Vincent shed both of his antlers on the 23rd (lost his first shed on February 26th last season) and we’ve logged over 55 miles searching. We’ve found multiple sheds the last week, but sadly we’ve yet to find his. We haven’t given up hope and will continue the search and also have a tracking dog come in at the end of season to try and find any we missed. With the low snow pack the “yard” is vast. The deer are traveling 2+ miles around the Pantry making the search like finding a needle in a hay stack. If we had a higher snow pack the deer would congregate closer as traveling burns much needed energy. We are putting out around 800 pounds of oats daily and this total will lower in the following weeks. On average we feed 90-100 days a season and we are at day 75. Mother Nature dictates our day of closing. Once the ground becomes exposed and the natural browse is easily accessible the deer head out. It’s usually a fairly quick process, one day 100 deer, next 50, then only a few remain. We’re always sad to see them go and hope for their safe return but are also filled with joy knowing they had another awesome winter of survival. Thank you all for your continued support and enjoying our last weeks with the deer. Have a good one, stay safe.

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02/24/2026

Thank you very much Harold Allen for this incredible tribute. This is Harold’s 3rd awesome tune he has made for the Pantry. They are on most major streaming services. We use our Alexa. You can ask her to play “Brownville Deer Pantry”, “Brownville 2, Winter Song” and soon to be on streaming sevices “Richard’s Winter Light”. Thanks again Harold and awesome job!!

https://suno.com/song/7da5bb1a-713a-49ba-aa41-3e311d43ed44?sh=9AX9EP1eVtPlOzrGin

Listen and make your own on Suno.

02/17/2026

Good Morning Everyone! Spring is in the air. With the freeze/thaw cycles the sap starts flowing this time of year with the mild days and freezing nights around mid February. With the sap it gives the deer much needed nitrogen and amino acids that they process into proteins which gives them an excellent nutritional boost. The deer visiting the Pantry are able to receive these beneficial proteins all winter with the supplemental feed. It’s the deer not getting supplemental feed that benefit the most as sapless browse is very low in nutritional content. It’s this time of year we start to see the deer visiting the Pantry transitioning back to their natural browse. The sap is also likely tasty to them, and a welcome change in flavor from the native oats we feed. Sap shows a sign of spring and is an indicator that we don’t have many weeks left with the deer visiting. If the deer who aren’t getting supplemental feed have lasted til saps flowing good (around the first of March) they have a much higher likelihood of survival due to the sap and better weather. We’ve noticed the slow down in the feed as there has been oats left in the troughs the last two mornings. Vincent is still supporting his full headdress along with a few other bucks. Champs wound is almost fully healed and he is bearing full weight on his injured leg. Shaggy’s coat is filling in nicely and looking healthier than he has in years. Lefty has filled out VERY nice along with most of the others visiting the Pantry. The deer are thriving, not just surviving. We’ll be seeing the “zoomies” (deer playing and zooming around the yard) in the following weeks as the deer sort of celebrate another winter of survival. We’ve logged over 50 miles shed hunting/area inspection this season and have found one deer carcass. We’ve relocated two coyotes. In the following weeks we will see the numbers starting to decline as they head back to their summer range. Browsing on the fresh saplings along the way. As they leave, newcomers will follow the trails back to the Pantry. It’s usually around the first of March we see these newcomers. The newcomers are usually very noticeably emaciated and we can see the struggle the deer endure who aren’t visiting us through the season. This has been a tough winter on the deer. The Winter Severity Index will be elevated along with the Winter Mortality Rate. Thank you all for your continued support and helping us to lower the mortality rate in our area. Please like and subscribe to our youtube channel @ https://youtube.com/ and join our fan page for many photos and videos shared by our incredible viewers @ https://www.facebook.com/share/g/177fNw4egy/?mibextid=wwXIfr . Have a good one, stay safe.

02/08/2026

Patriots for the win!!

Officiated this year by Lefty, the apple king himself. First bite wins.

02/08/2026

Good Morning Everyone! Join us for the The Deer Pantry Super Bowl Prediction @ 8:45 this morning on the “Trough View” cam. First bite wins. Go Pats! https://www.youtube.com/live/XwLug9jR7lA?si=gKH_XgKbXOft7qn0

02/04/2026

Good Morning Everyone! We have fed for 50 days so far at the Pantry. Our season usually lasts around 100 days. Once sap starts running and their natural browse is easily accessible the deer head back to their summer range. It’s been an awesome season so far for the deer visiting the Pantry. For the ones not getting any supplemental feed it’s going to be a struggle. February is the toughest month for the deer who are not visiting the Pantry. In the fall the deer will gorge to build up a fat reserve to help carry them through the winter. This reserve is a lifeline this time of year as the snowpack makes browsing scarce and the cold has them burning calories quickly. The mature bucks coming out of the rut and the fawns deplete much of their fat reserves earlier than the others. It is February when the deer really start suffering. We’ve had bitter cold and above average snowfall. Maine’s average winter mortality rate for deer is around 10%. If they are able to get through this month, March brings warmer temps and sap starts running in the trees offering much better browse options. Luckily the deer visiting the Pantry have no worry of suffering of starvation. We are still estimating around 200 deer and around 30 turkeys are visiting daily. Our acorn supply is getting low (around 200 pounds left) as we were only able to collect around 800 pounds of our 1000 pound goal after an exhaustive search. We are putting out 1000 pounds of oats and 100 pounds of apples daily. We still have a few buck holding onto their headdress with Vincent being one of them. It was February 26th last year he dropped his first one. The deer are thriving at the Pantry. A HUGE thank you to everyone who supports our cause. Please like and subscribe to our Youtube Channel @ https://youtube.com/ . It costs nothing and benefits our mission. Also please join our fan page @ https://m.facebook.com/groups/858819462691979/?ref=share for hundreds of photos and videos taken by our incredible viewers. Thank you all again for tuning in and enjoying the wildlife with us. Have a good one. Stay safe.

01/22/2026

Good afternoon everybody! Welcome to the calm before the storm. Temps today got into the 30s. It’s feeling fairly nice outside, but this is the last we’re gonna see of it for the next several days. We are forecasted to have windchills in the -40s this weekend and that can have devastating effects on all wildlife. We are fortunate that we’ve had average snowfall so far this season and the deer are still able to get around good, but sadly the younger, malnourished fawns that are not getting any supplemental feeding are going to struggle through the coming days. It’s these extended periods of severe cold that play a major factor into our states Biologist’s calculating the winter mortality rate, or WMR, of the deer. Luckily the deer that have been frequenting the Pantry the last month have a decent fat layer built up and the ones that haven’t still have some reserves as it’s early in the winter season. Some of the before and after photos from when they showed up til now, really show a huge difference in the overall health of the deer. This storm system that is bringing the Arctic chill down into our state is also pulling moisture up into most of the country. My mother is expecting upwards of a foot of snow in northern Arkansas and in southern parts they’re expecting around 1-2 inches of ice. It’s going to be a mess. Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers and everybody try to stay safe. We are estimating around 220 deer are now frequenting the Pantry daily. Vincent had an abscess develop on his chest a couple weeks ago and it has since drained and he’s doing fine. Champ has been visiting daily, getting around a lot better and his shoulder wound is healing. Shaggy is gonna have a tough time this weekend as his fur is not nearly as thick as the others. Biologists state he has a skin condition that affects his fur. Though he has been through severe cold before it’s gotta be tough on him. He’ll seek shelter and should be fine, but even on decent days, Shaggy will shiver. We have put some “Please Be Quiet” signs up by the roadside parking and they have helped a lot as most visitors have abided by them. Us and the deer thank you for being quiet. Anybody that wishes to visit the Pantry is welcome to with good viewing from roadside at 16 Rips Rd. Just bring binoculars for a close-up view as the troughs are around 100 yards away. Please join our Facebook fan page at “Brownville‘s Food Pantry For Deer Fan Page” for updated pictures and videos daily from viewers. Thank you all for your support and helping us care for the deer. May this storm pass and better days be ahead. Have a good one. Stay safe and stay warm.

01/04/2026

Good Morning Everyone! Brrrrr it’s cold out there!! The month of December went down in the record books as our coldest since 1989. The cold temperatures and lack of acorns and beech nuts due to the drought has many deer showing up to the Pantry. We are estimating 200+ deer are visiting and consuming 1000+ pounds of feed daily. It’s usually around the end of January that most of the herd arrives. We are thinking most have arrived early but do anticipate numbers to increase in the following weeks. We are keeping a close eye on “Champ” who has a severe shoulder injury believed to be due to a missed shot during muzzleloader season. He is showing signs of improvement but the injury will affect him for the rest of his life. It is tough to see him in this condition but know he has no better odds of survival than he does with us here at the Pantry. We still have multiple bucks hanging onto their headdress but most have dropped. Temps will be gradually increasing this week into the mid 30’s for highs so it’s going to give a much wanted reprieve from the sub zero temps we’ve had. A reminder to snowmobilers that the trail that went through the Pantry IS CLOSED. We’re sorry it had to come to this, but there were far too many disrespectful riders ignoring our signs and harassing the deer. There is a reroute completed and check Brownville,Maine Snowmobile Club page for more info. Visitors that wish to see the deer we have roadside parking @ 16 Rips Road with a very good view of the feeding grounds. Please bring binoculars for a close up view and remain in the vehicle and quiet as to not scare the deer. We also relocated the roadside donation box to allow visitors to donate from their vehicle without exiting and more out of sight of the deer. Many of the deer are showing HUGE signs of improvement bellying up these first couple weeks. Lefty went from ragged and worn to healthy and strong in short order. Thank you all for your continued support and enjoying the wildlife with us. Have a good one, stay safe.