The deer are all right

COEUR d’ALENE — Deer seen roaming into town searching for food this harsh winter have some citizens worried about their well-being.

"I am concerned about the wonderful deer who have become dependent on us," Coeur d'Alene resident Pamela VanKirk wrote to The Press. "It is always nice for us to see them, such a beautiful sight, however they are wandering aimlessly in downtown Coeur d'Alene. There is no food for them. Could someone put out some food? Hay or grains??

"If it snows more, they will have more hardship ... looks like more snow coming. How do we let the public know? These deer really need help."

While the Idaho Department of Fish and Game realizes it's a tough time for some wildlife, it hasn’t gotten to the point where emergency deer feeding is needed.

"It is something we keep track of and we are willing to make that step if that becomes absolutely essential, but there are a lot of negatives that come with feedings," said Fish and Game public information officer Phil Cooper.

Fish and Game has started emergency feeding big game in eastern Idaho, where a wildfire last summer burned through a lot of the food supply, and in the Wood River Valley in southern Idaho to keep elk off the highway and out of agricultural operations.

Cooper said the last few mild winters have contributed to an explosion in the deer population, which is why people may be seeing more of them. The city of Hayden has even procured a permit to trap and move deer to manage its population, Cooper said.

"Half the people would love to see more, half would love to have them all removed," he said.

As for food sources to support the large numbers, Panhandle deer usually have a sufficient supply of forage to carry them through, and people feeding the deer can cause more harm than good.

"One issue is it concentrates animals in small areas and they can damage the habitat," Cooper said.

He said when humans feed wild deer, the fawns get pushed out and don't get enough to eat. Also, deer have been known to die at feed sites because their stomach acids aren't suited to artificial feed.

"It's not natural for them to be feeding on artificial feed in the winter," he said. "It's something we try not to do."

He said feedings can contribute to increased risk of disease and can create artificially high populations. It's extremely difficult to get to the remote locations that would be optimal for food distribution, as well.

"From a realistic standpoint, we can't be out there feeding all the deer," Cooper said. "Realistically, people want to paint us as not caring, but we do care. It's not as easy as a lot of people think it is. It's not the easy fix."

Within Coeur d'Alene city limits, providing food for deer is actually a code violation. According to code 6.15.040 Feeding Wild Animals, "It is unlawful to feed or provide food or other attractants (other than ornamental plants or vegetable gardens) to wild animals within city limits except: A. Feeding birds, other than turkeys, geese and ducks, by utilizing a bird feeder that may be accessed only by birds or squirrels."

"We don't want people to put salt licks in their yard," said deputy city administrator Sam Taylor. "There's a lot of issues with wild animals in urban areas. The more there are, the more they might come into conflict with motor vehicles, community members, predators ... We don't want to have to deal with cougars or coyotes or wolves following their food into the city."

Taylor said as someone who grew up in North Idaho and regularly hunts, he really appreciates the kindness of those who want to take care of the deer.

"I think it speaks to their heart that they want to help," he said. "But they should remember they are wild animals and for thousands of years they have been able to survive by just being deer, which means traveling around and finding food and procreating. That's their role."

Taylor also wanted to remind the community that feeding the deer allows weaker ones to survive, which might encourage weaker animals in the future.

"A lot of people might not realize that it is kind of the standard for deer populations that some will die in the winter, like half of them," he said. "That's a benefit because the deer that survive will have offspring that survive."

So please, don't feed the deer.