McCloud Prairie Maze

September 6 through October 31, 2025

Oh deer! We sure do have a good reason for you to come out to McCloud Nature Park during the months of September and October – our 2025 McCloud Prairie Maze celebrating deer!

It’s not terribly difficult to view deer in McCloud Nature Park, as they find the thick woods and the plentiful food sources that the woods provide to be a great place to hang around. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the only deer that are native to Indiana and the only members of the deer family to be found in our state.

The annual deer breeding process, known as “rut,” takes place during the fall months, primarily in October and November. Fawns (baby deer) are born in late May or early June after a 200-day-long gestation period, and they generally weigh between 4 and 8 pounds at birth. They grow rapidly, though! The average adult male (or “buck”) weighs about 175 pounds, while the average adult female (or “doe”) weighs in at about 120 pounds.

Deer are quite good athletes. They can run as fast as 35 mph and leap up to eight (8) feet! They are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants, nuts, and soft fruits, not other animals.

Want to learn more about deer? Stop in at the Ray & Mary Benson Nature Center and ask our naturalists! They’ll be happy to visit with you!

The correct path through the maze is one (1) mile long. Be sure to explore the McCloud Prairie Maze by October 31! Bring the fawns, too, as this maze is appropriate for all ages.

Admission to McCloud Nature Park and the prairie maze is absolutely FREE, and both are open from dawn to dusk daily. To access the prairie maze, park in the Ray & Mary Benson Nature Center parking lot. Maps to the maze are available in the kiosk outside of the Nature Center, as well as in the kiosk at the entrance to the maze, and at the bottom of this page.

NOTE: No hunting of any kind is allowed on any of our properties. The only things that can be pointed at deer in our parks are cameras and fingers as you gasp, “Look over there!”