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On Sept. 1, a regulation making it illegal to feed deer went into effect statewide. The prohibition runs through the first Saturday in January. This regulation does not restrict the planting of crops such as com and soybeans, wildlife food plots, and backyard or schoolyard habitats.
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) Deer Project coordinators Matt Knox and Nelson Lafon noted that over the past 20 years the practice of feeding deer has expanded across the eastern United States among both deer hunters and the nonhunting public. The most common reason for feeding deer is to improve their nutrition and to supplement the habitat’s ability to support more deer; in other words, to increase the carrying capacity for deer.
According to Knox, many people feed deer because they believe it will keep them from starving, but this is not a legitimate reason to feed deer in Virginia. Deer die-offs due to winter starvation have been almost nonexistent and according to Lafon, “We do not need more deer in Virginia. In fact, we need fewer deer in many parts of the state.”
Supplemental feeding artificially concentrates deer on the landscape, leading to overbrowsed vegetation, especially in and around feeding sites. Over-browsing destroys habitat needed by other species, including songbirds. It is not unheard of for deer to take advantage of bird feeders and begin to eat spilled birdseed. Individuals who inadvertently are feeding deer through their bird feeders may be requested by VDGIF game wardens to temporarily remove feeders until the deer disperse.
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