Feeding

Michigan deer baiting ban would be lifted during hunting season under Senate bill, MLive, April 12, 2019

An outright ban on deer baiting and feeding in the Lower Peninsula meant to stave off chronic wasting disease could be reversed under legislation considered by a Michigan Senate panel this week. The state’s Natural Resources Commission approved the ban last year as part of a series of changes to deer hunting rules designed to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease, a contagious and fatal neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose. It went into effect Jan. 31, 2019.

Group petitions city to ban deer feeding in Ocean Shores Spokesman-Review, Aug 7, 2017
Apples are “like junk food for deer,” Anderson said. “Apples are extremely bad for their stomachs. They cause early death, and cause them to produce unhealthy fawns. Apple feeding stations cause deer to herd up in areas and cause extreme danger for public collision. When deer lose their fear of humans, the behavior results in deer being hit by cars.”

Farmington Hills approves ban on feeding deer, Oakland Press, June 13, 2017In an effort to control the deer population, the Farmington Hills City Council voted unanimously Monday, June 12, to make it illegal to feed the animals.

Corn Toxicity: Acidosis in White-tailed Deer, Buck Manager, Jan 13, 2016The disease termed acidosis can occur anywhere when wild or domestic white-tailed deer, cervids or ruminants ingest large quantities of readily digestible carbohydrates. Often times, these food are grains such corn but acidosis in deer can also be caused by beets, apples and any other high carb, highly fermentable food. Acidosis is whitetail is characterized by indigestion, a static rumen, dehydration, diarrhea, toxins in the blood, a lack of coordination and death.

New Hampshire Neighborhood Residents Accidentally Kill Deer Herd by Feeding It, Realtree, March 27. 2014When examining the contents of the deer’s stomachs, the men found corn, hay and deer pellets, which were put out by well-meaning neighbors.

Fed, then dead: N.H. supplemental feeding kills 12 deer; Maine deer also at risk, OutThere, March 25, 2015According to state officials in New Hampshire, a dozen deer were discovered, dead, in South Hampton. The deer were all within 300 feet of one another, and consequent autopsies of two deer showed that the cause of death was enterotoxemia, which is a condition caused by a rapid change in the diet of a deer.

• Baiting and Feeding, MI Dept of Natural Resources website.
  “Feed” means a substance composed of grain, mineral, salt, fruit, vegetable, hay or other food material, that may attract deer or elk for any reason other than hunting.
  • Feed volume at any residence cannot exceed two gallons.
  • Feed may be no more than 100 yards from a residence on land owned or possessed by that person.
  • Feed must be scattered on the ground. It can be scattered by any means, including mechanical spin-cast feeders, provided that the spin-cast feeder does not distribute more than the maximum volume allowed.
• Deer baiting a double-edged sword for Michigan farmers, MSU Extension, Nov 12, 2014The practice of baiting white-tailed deer with apples, corn, sugarbeets or carrots continues to raise controversy in the Midwest. In 2014, the state of Wisconsin has banned deer baiting in 35 counties impacted by Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Minnesotans continue to debate current penalties for violation of their statewide baiting ban, including revocation of deer hunting licenses for one year and the seizing of firearms and bows used to hunt over bait.
• Do Not Feed Deer This Winter, Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Outdoors, MI DNR websitewinter coat, fat storage, reduced metabolism, thermal cover, and sedentary behavior, help deer survive severe winters. Even with all the food they want, deer use their fat reserves and lose weight over winter. Deer in relatively good condition can fast for several weeks without harmful effects.
• FEEDING WHITE-TAILED DEER IN WINTER: NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THE SPECIES, Quebec, Press Release
• DEER MANAGEMENT ISSUES: BAITING / SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING, Alabama Wildlife Federation
• Feeding of Wild White-tailed Deer, New Jersey, Division of Fish & Wildlife
• Unexpected Items in the Diet of the White-Tail Deer, Blog, GeorgiaBeforePeople, May, 2012
• Winter Feeding of Deer: What You Should Know, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine.gov
• Feeding corn to deer could be death sentence, Farm and Dairy, February 18, 2010
• More Harm Than Good, New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife Department, Winter 2001
  Feed sites change the relationship between deer and their environment. Deer become habituated to feed sites and human assistance and no longer depend solely on the natural environment for their survival. This takes some of the “wild” out of wildlife and some of the heartiness out of the deer herd. Winter weather conditions help eliminate genetically inferior individuals from a herd. This strengthens a herd’s ability to produce individuals with superior traits adaptable to stressful environmental conditions.