Winter Feeding Deer

[Kyle Lancaster]

What are your thoughts on supplemental feeding of deer in the winter? As many of you know, we've had record snowfalls in the Mid-Atlantic. 1 snowfall of 24" before Christmas and the second and third within a week dumped 42". At these times, I'm always worried about our local neighborhood deer herd. It's a record snowfall for them as well. Anyway, I've been putting out corn and some "deer protein pellets" at the rate of 5 gallons a day for the 6-16 deer that we've been seeing.  Should I?

Thanks,
Kyle

[wvtradbow]

Here's an interesting article that was in our local paper Sunday about this very thing...http://wvgazette.com/Outdoors/ScottShalaway/201002100727

[Kyle Lancaster]

Thanks for forwarding that. I've heard that too, but I'm not sure that I agree. We live in the country near cornfields. As many know, a late picked or unpicked cornfield is a deer magnet in the winter. How would the author explain that?  Also, we feed beginning in Dec. when there are several cornfields still active. I've just begun to feed more since the heavy snows. Also, the deer seem to be staying in the 50 acres or so around the house. Oftentimes, they are bedding within view of the house. Also, there's available browse in the woods so I feel that we are supplementing and not substituting. Thanks,
Kyle

[Jack Denbow]

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries recommends not feeding deer. Here it is from their website.
 http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/news/release.asp?id=186
Jack

[BUFF]

Being from Texas I cant understand why you wouldn"t feed them

[mtnbow]

I hunt in northern New Hampshire, and if it weren't for the locals feeding deer there wouldnt be any.Even with feeding a lot dont make it thru winter.

[Kyle Lancaster]

Jack,
 PM sent.

[LKH]

When you live in the north and get a bad winter, a lot of the deer are NOT supposed to make it through the winter.  It's part of what made them big to begin with.  

You run the risk of doing serious damage to the habitat within a mile or so of the feeding station.  

I was raised in Int'l Falls, MN and winterkill every 6-8 years was normal.  It's surprising, but within a few years they really bounce back.  It also gives the habitat a chance to recover.

[vermonster13]

There was a story on the news the other night about a town in NH near a deer yard. They had 50 car collisions with deer in January. Folks were putting food out for them and the deer were crossing the highway to get it. That is going to put a serious dent in the herd.

dont feed them corn, givem something good like hay, the best you can buy......

[PhilNY]

I know I will get his name wrong but Leonard LaRue III said the best way to feed a herd was to knock down some hemlocks or other evergreens so that they can feed naturally. I used to feed them myself but don't much anymore except to cut down some trees and they all get eaten up.

[LKH]

Hay, good or bad, is a very poor idea.  It is just as likely to kill them as not.  It's one thing for them to get a little when they raid the stacks, it's another if that's all they are getting.  They're better off with nothing.

[Orion]

What are my thoughts on supplemental feeding in winter?  I don't do it.  I try to not interfere with the natural order of things.

[mjh]

I agree with Orion on this one.

[Matt Stuckey]

Around here they will hardly touch a bale of hay.  They might pick a few leaves from the standing alfalfa, but they don't digest the well.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

corn will give them energy. at this time of year some places deer are just eating branches w/out any buds or leaves.

With out Us helping them thu the bad winters, We won't have that many around come the opening of deer season.

[Hoser1268]

What about food plots? We put in 3 this year and I'm glad we did. We are getting pounded with snow and I think every deer in the county is eating our plots.

[wapitimike1]

Here's an issue with feeding deer. It takes several weeks for deer to build bacteria for digestion. They go from mast crop to brows and the bacteria changes for that food. Maple branches, pine, several barks etc. When you feed them it messes that up. If you don't continue to do it till spring. They can starve to death with a full stomach. They just don't have the time to change in the dead of winter.  That's the digs on that.

[razorback]

Feed stations are also reported to transmit diseases within the herd more readily. When they have to look for food they are more spread out but when they come to a feed station they are concentraded and any disease will be passed around more of the animals.

Another report in the local paper, can't remember the author, stated that the area within 1/2 mile of a feed station could take upto 100years to recover properly from the pressure it recieves from deer browsing on it. The deer leave the feed station bed down, browse the local flora and then return to the feed station. they rarely leave the immediate area, thus putting much more pressure on it than is normal.

These along with what wapitimike said about the digestive ability of deer makes me think it is not a good idea. jm2cw

[wvtradbow]

That's what that article says,But that author got tons of mail about that and although they do know that corn hurts them this time of year  they just don't know how much corn it takes to be fatal...