Colorado DOW decides to feed Mule Deer
According to the Denver Post, the Colorado DOW has decided to feed 21,000 mule deer wintering in the Gunnison Basin. The DOW claims that this is Colorado’s largest mule deer herd. Deep snow and extreme cold are making life difficult for the mule deer in 2008.
There are good reasons not to feed deer, such as increased predation and disease due to crowding. But, there are two other reasons that are even more significant: 1) Feeding develops a dependency; and 2) Often the deer die anyway because their digestive systems cannot adapt fast enough. Very often, a lot of money is spent in administrative expense and the deer get too little, too late.
In order to feed the deer, the elk wintering in the same area will need to be coaxed away with hay. So, both mule deer and elk will need to be fed in order to feed the deer.
The Colorado DOW apparently believes that, if the mule deer aren’t fed, half of them may die and it could take up to eight years for them to recover from a massive die-off. In the absence of predators, though, the deer herd could recover much quicker.
