With winter weather settling in, big game animals are moving to lower elevations, and some may descend into our towns and backyards.
That has prompted the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to issue a reminder to residents that feeding wildlife is often not healthy for the animals.
“This year, our backyard visitors may appear thin or hungry – sparking an urge to feed them. Many well-intentioned people feed wildlife under the assumption it will ensure their survival through winter,” Game and Fish said in a press release. “The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recognizes and appreciates people’s concern about wintering wildlife. However, feeding deer often causes more harm than good for some big game species like mule deer and does not increase their chances of survival.”
The department said that mule deer spend their summers consuming forage and storing energy as body fat for reserves to be used during winter months. As the winter goes on mule deer burn their body fat to survive, which causes their body mass to decrease. This occurs naturally, regardless of available food during winter.
“It is essential for mule deer to enter the winter in optimum body condition with a lot of body fat,” said Doug Brimeyer, Game and Fish deputy wildlife division chief. “The amount of body fat stored is determined by the quality and quantity of forage consumed during summer and fall.”
According to the press release, when winters get tough, people can feel an urge to help feed deer with alfalfa, pellets and corn. But suddenly introducing new food to deer can have devastating effects. Like cows, deer are ruminants whose gut microbes gradually adapt to different food sources over the seasons. A mismatch of meals can lead to a high production of lactic acid, which kills healthy bacteria and causes inflammation and ulcers that do not allow the stomach to absorb nutrients.
“It’s not unusual to see these deer that have been fed die with full stomachs,” Brimeyer said.
Game and Fish said that feeding deer can also create more problems. Feeding a few deer can quickly lead to more animals looking for a handout, which encourages wildlife to congregate in yards and lose their fear of humans. This can result in damage to yards, increase conflicts with domestic animals and humans, and attract predatory animals like mountain lions and coyotes. Additionally, concentrating unnaturally high numbers of deer during a stressful time of the year when fat reserves are low can also increase the risk of disease transmission and parasites.
“We understand the compassion that those who feed deer feel,” Brimeyer said. “But feeding unnatural foods is not what is best for them and can lead to their death or secondary harmful effects.”
Buffalo is one of a few Wyoming cities that has a no-feeding ordinance for big game, though it specifies fur-bearing animals. Per city ordinance, it is unlawful to make contact with big game animals within city limits, which includes administering food or liquids or any other action that would diminish the “capacity of said wildlife to subsequently survive in the wild independent of human aid and subsistence.”