Do you feed the deer for the pure pleasure

[Boyd]

Quote:

 

[GaNewChick]

We have been feeding deer for about 4 years now and have a deer cam set up. I have thousands of pictures.

We set the corn out 30 feet off of the back patio and watch them come in every night.

Feeding them corn has actually kept them out of my garden. Its the chickens who eat my tomatoes now.

 

[ChickensInTheNorthWoods]

Quote:
My thoughts exactly!

I enjoy feeding them (to my family)
Sorry I couldn't resist - I live in CT and there are SOOO many deer and they keep building new neighborhoods so our vehicle strikes are way up already this year and the ever present deer ticks! Thank goodness my Chooks love to eat the ticks!

 

[ravencreek]

We were told by a guy at Benton Shooter Supply that some(insert bad word here) Wildlife Management employees could ticket you for "baiting" deer. By baiting he meant feeding "deer corn" in a feeder. HOWEVER, he said as long as you don't buy "deer corn" and buy sweet feed, oats, cracked corn or even just a salt/mineral lick its not "baiting" them. Something about the "deer corn" is baiting and not feeding. We don't feed them on purpose*whistles and looks away* but if they happen to stumble upon our squirrel feeder in the woods then I don't see why they couldn't enjoy a bite or 12. We feed the wild bird, squirrels, rabbits and other critters through the winter here. We have seen in the recent months TURKEYS and deer more frequently than before.


Question: Why do they sell deer feeders and deer corn if your not supposed to use it?

 

[justmeandtheflock]

I don't, they bed down in the yard anyway but a few hundred feet from the house. I prefer them to stay away beacuse of the tics. Everyone around here including DH, my big dog and a few young kids seems to have caught lyme disease. We have a big over population problem. I do like to see them though. If I drive in after dark I stop and talk to them

I will never forget the time when DS and my nephews came running in so excited because they had found a fawn in the yard. It was June and the mother had stashed it in the weeds out front while she was out getting food.

 

[McCord6]

We have SEVERAL deer feeders around the property, not for hunting purpose but for pleasure purpose (well... Some of them are for hunting). Just as the sun goes down, we like to sit outside and watch a big group of deers run through the meadows right outside my house. It's BEAUTIFUL!

 

[Southernbelle]

We feed them with the massive oak trees on our property - they eat the acorn like they're candy. We can sit on the porch and watch lots of deer passing through feasting on acorns...

The first year we moved here, DH was all dressed for work at the office and shot a huge buck from the back door. The buck was romancing his girlfriend over some acorns about 50 ft from the house. Maybe that's not the type of stories you were looking for...

 

[Teach97]

Yup...I am all in favor of feeding the deer! But i agree with the sentiment that I get to get a little something back for my investment!

 

[Amyable]

The deer population seems to be declining in the state. The hunters are having a hard time filling tags last few years. DNR overestimates the herd, I think. My inlaws feed them; they're pretty to watch, but I've hit too many with cars to like them all that much.

 

[McCord6]

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Get a deer whistle for your car, it spooks the deers off the road. We have 2 on each of our vehicles and never have a problem running into deers on the road. Raccoons, Opossums, even FOXES are a big problem when it comes to ROADKILLS!