It has been a hard winter and some persons have chosen to feed the deer to help them out.

Indeed, it may have ensured that some more survived during the coldest months. Being deer, the animals would have bred to expand the population. With a supply of winter food they will produce young in the spring. Unfortunately those who fed the deer when the snow was on the ground stopped feeding them as soon as bears came out of hibernation. That is tantamount to giving food to a pregnant woman who was starving and then cutting her off in her eighth month of pregnancy or cutting her off just after she has given birth to one or two children and needs all the nourishment she can get. It is not the fault of deer that bears come out of hibernation.

I do not suggest that people put out food to attract bears and create a problem that could cause injury to others. As of April 18 a walk in the forests and wooded areas would have shown any observant party that half of the areas still had snow on the ground and there was no green showing.

All the lower branches of trees and their related buds had been trimmed. In fact they have all been trimmed to a height equal to a deer on hind legs standing on the snow pack so there is no hope of reaching anything now. In spring those who fed the deer while snow was on the ground stop and thus instead of an adult deer dying of starvation a mother and one or two fawns can die that way.

Maybe people who feed the deer should have to put out a disclaimer that says, “While I am feeding you now I will cut you off before enough natural food becomes available in the spring. Eat at your own risk.” If someone still wants to feed the deer I have some suggestions to use once the bears are out. Purchase some hosta in pots from a nursery and place them out when it is above freezing. The deer will love it. If you cannot keep up with the demand for the hosta because your nursery is running out of forced hosta then put out some potted evergreens. I can recommend a weeping decorative spruce that is described as deer resistant and that might slow the deer down a little while still providing sustenance.

Purchase juniper and spruce from nurseries and put them out in the area where you fed deer and give more to friends who complain that their gardens are being eaten. Nice fresh young potted cedars would be welcomed by the deer and would not attract too many bears.

If you insist on feeding the deer in the coldest months don’t just cut them off. There are ways you can still provide until there is sufficient natural stuff in the woods for them if you really care about them.

Ann Jeffrey,
Huntsville