Winter feeding of deer focus of meeting
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Officials with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will hold a public hearing in the Star City on Thursday, Nov. 8, to receive input from the public regarding their proposal to formulate rules regulating the supplemental feeding of deer in the winter.
In accordance with Title 12, MRSA Section 10105, Subsection 14, Commissioner Chandler Woodcock, is proposing the adoption of rules to regulate the feeding of deer in order to minimize potential public safety hazards or detrimental effects on deer, as well as minimize the risk of chronic wasting disease as defined in Title 7, Section 1821, Subsection 1.
The public meeting, originally scheduled to take place in October, has been rescheduled for Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Northeastland Hotel’s Red Room, located at 436 Main Street in Presque Isle.
“This is an important event for sportsmen, conservationists and everyday people who enjoy watching and feeding deer as well as for our retailers who sell deer food to the public. The Tractor Supply Co. and MPG Ace Hardware are two local businesses in Presque Isle that sell such products,” said Paul Camping, Aroostook County Conservation Association.
Camping said, “Rumor has it the state wants to prohibit the public from feeding deer because the biologists fear the public is doing more harm than good. While it is true that deer might suffer from improper practices, our organization (ACCA) would prefer that the feeding be allowed to continue by the public with the proper training.”
A check of the MDIFW website confirmed such a meeting is scheduled to discuss proposed changes with regard to feeding deer.
Proposed regulations on feeding deer are as follow: When a deer feeding activity creates a situation that is determined by the DIFW to be detrimental to deer and/or a public safety hazard, the DIFW will provide the responsible party or parties with a written notice of required actions to modify the feeding activity, or require that the feeding activity cease and food items be cleaned up and removed. The required action(s) will focus on avoiding the public safety hazards and activities detrimental to deer associated with the feeding activity. A written warning may be issued along with the written notice of required action(s).
If the required action(s) are not initiated and completed within 48 hours of receipt of a written warning, a summons may be issued for a violation of a commissioner’s rule, Title 12, Section 10650.
Officials will discuss activities considered detrimental to the deer population and include:
• Concentrating deer at greater than natural densities;
• Providing food that is harmful or of low nutritive value;
• Increasing direct and indirect contact among individual animals;
• Increasing deer habituation to humans and detracting from wild behavior and survival responses;
• Increasing vulnerability to predation;
• Increasing vulnerability to collisions with vehicles or other mortality risks;
• Increasing the likelihood of disease transmission within and among individual animals and maintaining endemic disease reservoirs; and
• Causing significant habitat damage in and adjacent to feeding sites.
A violation of this rule is a Class E crime, in accordance with Title 12, Section 10650.
