There seems to be a lot of people who like to feed the deer. I personally know four people and a couple days ago I saw a lady even crossing her street to feed what seemed a baby but clearly old enough to fend for itself.
We”ve all seen the articles against feeding wildlife but I”d like to elaborate with more specific information.
*The most important thing is that feeding wildlife can actually cause their death. A deer”s system is extremely sensitive to sudden diet changes.
It takes time for their system to adjust to unnatural foods and deer have actually died of starvation with a belly full of unnatural foods because they didn”t have enough fat reserves to carry them through the adjustment period.
*Feeding wildlife may cause or spread diseases such as Tularemia, Salmonella, Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, distempers and encephalitis. And wildlife carry parasites such as scabies, roundworm and Lyme. Also moldy or wet food can cause illness (I”ve seen deer with lesions).
*It can be dangerous if they lose their fear of people-A friend came out to her garage once to find a buck standing there.
*Feeding can lead to crowding which not only can transfer diseases but can lead to possible aggression, injury or death. Also younger ones are pushed to the end of the line at unnatural feeding stations.
Additional concerns are attracting predators (I”ve heard of bears, bobcats and coyotes here too), attack by domestic dogs (or pets being attacked), and habitat degradation-for other species too.
Yes, wildlife can have difficulty finding food in a hard winter and wanting to help them is understandable but a deer”s system is designed to handle coarse foods of leaves, twigs and buds.
Other natural foods are Forbs-which include wildflowers and other “weedy” plants. Also acorns and other nuts. Fall and winter foods that benefit deer with energy and fat include Blueberry, Coralberry, Clover, Ryegrass, Privet, Sassafrass, willow, honeysuckle, wild lettuce, muscadine, jessamine, sorghum and more. Go online for more.
Spring is almost here, so consider planting a “wildlife” garden or a berry bush (or two) but remember, people food can actually kill them.
Danielle Holliday
Kelseyville
