Feeding ban, winter weather spurring worries about wildlife

REGION – A total ban on feeding deer took effect on Feb. 1 throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, just in time for the arrival of several weeks of brutally cold winter weather.

That has residents – many of whom that feed wildlife in the winter months – upset and worried about the effect of the ban on the region's wild turkey and white-tailed deer populations.

"It's ridiculous," said one resident of Antrim County, an employee of the Ellsworth Farmer's Exchange. "Not to mention cruel. People who have been feeding for years now have deer standing in their yards every day, looking for food that isn't there, and those people have to watch that."

Wild turkeys, which are ground feeders that can't dig through deep snow, could be facing real trouble, he pointed out.

"Wild turkeys won't last more than a few weeks in really cold, snowy weather without a steady diet of nutritious food," he continued. "Our wild turkey numbers have already declined significantly in recent years, after the TB feeding ban a decade or so ago, and now a lot of people have stopped feeding them because they're afraid of feeding the deer."

Steve Alger, a resident of Kearney Township in Antrim County and a deer and turkey hunter, also expressed his frustration.

"Every night I have nine deer standing underneath my bird feeder, trying to reach it," Alger said. "This ban won't do anything to slow down or stop the spread of CWD in the deer.

"The deer are still nose to nose with each other, which they say is what it takes for the disease to spread, because they are social creatures and travel in groups. The DNR, which depends on the income from hunting licenses, is just shooting themselves in the foot by forcing wildlife to die, which will result in even fewer licenses sold in a management sport that's already in decline.

"To take away this food source is going to have a huge impact on many species of mammals and birds, especially now that we are losing so many mast bearing trees due to diseases," Alger added. "The wildlife has nothing to fatten up on in the fall like they used to."

Michigan 105th District Rep. Triston Cole (R-Mancelona), an avid sportsman, agreed.

"The feeding and baiting ban has caused mass confusion over what is allowed and not allowed," Cole said. "It is ridiculous that you can leave 40 acres of standing corn in the field but you can't dump a cup of corn on the ground.

"It is important for the health and survival of Michigan's wild turkeys that people continue supplemental feeding during times of extreme cold and deep snow," he continued. "I would encourage individuals that want to continue feeding deer or have deer coming into their turkey feeding areas to communicate with the NRC commissioners that created this ruling. It is very important that people communicate their displeasure to the commissioners and communicate with my office as well."

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