NH Fish & Game: Don't feed deer this winter

As winter approaches, bringing snow across the Granite State, deer are changing their activity patterns, and more numerous and larger groups of deer will soon be observed. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department offers the following caution to anyone thinking about feeding deer.

"Although people may feel badly for deer and want to help, the Fish and Game Department would like to remind the public to never feed deer as it may actually harm them," said Deer Project Leader Becky Fuda.

The deer are all right, even in the winter. Deer have developed several adaptations to help them survive severe winters, which means they do not need supplemental food. Deer have a highly insulative winter coat to keep them warm, they store large amounts of body fat to use as energy reserves, they will voluntarily reduce both their food intake and daily activity to conserve energy, and most importantly, they migrate to a specialized habitat known as a deer yard, a forested shelter that allows them to better cope with winter conditions.

Since over 80% of the state's forestland is privately owned, much of the Department's management of this critical habitat is done through cooperative agreements with landowners. Feeding deer also puts these management efforts at risk by drawing deer out of their wintering habitat and removing the incentive for private landowners to conserve and manage deer yards on their property. "It is tough to convince a landowner to expend money and resources managing a deer yard if all the deer have been drawn out to supplemental feed sites," said Fuda.

Conservation and management of natural winter habitat is the key to long-term survival of deer in the Granite State, not the placement of human-provided food sources. Supplemental feeding can harm our deer. Although most people who feed deer are well intentioned, they do not realize there are a number of potential negative consequences that are associated with feeding deer.

Feeding deer the wrong type of food or at the wrong time can lead to sickness and even death. This was the case in 2015, when twelve deer were found dead around a feed site in South Hampton after being given food they could not digest. Sudden increases in snow depth can cause people to become concerned for deer and result in the sudden introduction of supplemental food for deer. However, because deer are ruminants, they process food differently than other animals.

Deer depend on microorganisms in their stomach to aid in digestion. As a deer's diet naturally and gradually changes with the seasons, so do the microorganisms that are required to help digest these foods. This gradual changeover can take several weeks. A rapid transition from a high-fiber diet of naturally woody browse to human-provided foods high in carbohydrates can cause a rapid change in a deer's stomach chemistry, disrupting the microorganisms present. This can reduce the deer's ability to properly digest food and cause the release of toxins, which are then absorbed into the deer's system. Many of the most common supplemental foods people provide deer with in winter are high in starches and create a great risk for deer.

For more information on the risks associated with feeding deer, visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt746/files/inline-documents/sonh/more-harm.pdf.