A white-tailed deer browses on tree leaves in Freeport. Deer have plenty of food, and the right kind of food, in their habit, it can be harmful to feed them. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

I watched the morning news recently as they highlighted a story about the feeding of whitetail deer in the winter here in Maine. They gushed over the cameras that are set up to watch the deer as they come and go, eating corn from troughs like farm animals. Twice within a week, I saw the news anchors talking about how exciting it was to be able to watch the deer. I agree. I will happily waste 30 minutes of my day watching the deer on my lawn. I own a lot of trail cameras so that I can get a glimpse into the woods when I am not out there. It’s fun and exciting and we all want to continue to have the opportunity to watch them.

So, I beg of you to please stop feeding the deer and stop thinking that this is helping them. What this is really doing is killing the health of the overall herd and opening them up to a worst fate.

Reasons to stop:

1. Biological. Deer have bacteria in their stomachs that change depending on the season. In the spring and summer, grass and berries help the deer build back the calories they lost in the winter. In the fall, corn, apples, beechnuts and acorns are found naturally and help the deer head into winter with a healthy amount of fat. An article published by the National Deer Association, found that a healthy deer heads into winter with a 90-day fat supply. Deer also limit their travel so that they are not using more energy than they need to.

But, if a deer is eating food like grain or store-bought corn, their body is not biologically prepared to process it and the sudden change in food, which is usually higher in starch and carbs, can cause greater harm to the deer and even lead to death. About 10 years ago, there was a case in New Hampshire where 12 deer died with stomachs full of corn because they could not process it and their stomachs were too full to take on any additional food that would have prevented them from starving.

2. Social and biological carrying capacity. In order to have a healthy population of deer, there needs to be an average number of deer per square mile. There needs to be enough food, water and shelter to sustain that number indefinitely. Feeding deer in the winter causes an excess of deer to migrate from their normal winter grounds to these areas. If there are too many deer in an area, there will be an increase in car accidents involving deer. We see this a lot on islands across Maine where the population is not balanced. I have seen a deer get hit. Believe me, it causes more pain and suffering than my bullet ever does.

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3. Disease. Where there are more deer, there are more deer ticks. Where there are more deer ticks, there is more Lyme disease.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (Blue Tongue) are death sentences for deer herds. These diseases are spread through saliva and urine. The more deer in a concentrated area, the more opportunity there is to come in contact with the bodily fluids of other deer. If one is sick, they will all get sick. Pulling an unnatural number of deer into a small area increases the chance of disease getting into the herd. Currently, these are found just south of us in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Thirty-five states have cases of these diseases, and if we want to continue to not be one of them, we need to make smart choices when it comes to keeping the deer herds healthy.

4. Predators. Coyotes and bobcats know easy targets when they see them. If there is more prey in an area, that is where they will be. They do not want to have to work harder than necessary in the winter, and by pulling deer out of their natural habitat and into these feeding areas, these predators can take their pick.

How to actually help:

1. Manage your land. If you own land, take a handsaw, a chainsaw or a knife and go cut some branches down. This will give the deer immediate extra vegetation to eat during the winter months. Then, create a management plan if you do not already have one. If you know that you want to support deer and other wildlife, I would encourage you to reach out to your local land trust, Maine Woodland Owners and/or the Department of Inland Fishers & Wildlife. All can offer ideas, suggestions and resources to help properly manage your land. Women Owning Woodlands offers great classes on how to run a chainsaw. It can be intimidating, but if you know that you want to manage your property for deer, it can be a necessarily tool for cutting those limbs.

2. Donate. The Sportsmans Alliance of Maine has done a lot of work and fundraising to help the state purchase land as protected deer wintering areas. Urbanization, generational land transfer and industrial cutting have all hurt the deer yards. Organizations like SAM are working to identify the most crucial land to save and are doing just that. These are swaths of land that have the required cover, natural food and water needed to keep the deer in that area healthy.

3. Spread the word. Encourage your friends to not feed deer and not support those that do. Ask questions to get a better understanding of the impact that this has on the current deer herd and the future. And reach out; I am happy to help or connect you with resources.

Above all, please stop feeding the deer. It doesn’t matter if you hunt or not. We all love watching these animals and we want to keep them healthy and thriving. To ensure that happens, we need to stop feeding them food that does more harm than good. We need to stop creating unsafe environments with too many deer in a small area. We must work together to protect our wildlife!

Erin Merrill, an award-winning writer based in central Maine, writes “Hunt & Harvest” monthly. She welcomes emails at: Erin@andastrongcupofcoffee.com.

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