DO NOT FEED THE DEER---over the past twenty years, the practice of feeding deer  has exploded across the Eastern United States among both deer hunters and the nonhunting general public.  Biologist are opposed to feeding deer. One must look at the positive and negative  consequences of  deer feeding.

   The most legitimate positive benefit of deer feeding is simple-it can and will improve their nutritional status (i.e. they will weigh more ). Also with supplemental feeding, you can carry a whole lot more deer on the landscape ( it artificially increases the deer- carrying capacity),and it can maintain or increase their reproductive potential in spite of the increased population density. 

Feeding deer will not make them grow big gigantic antlers. Letting bucks grow older before killing them is the best way to see bigger antlers.   As as general rule, over the vast majority of habitats in the South, deer demonstrate a strong and clear inverse relationship between deer densities and deer condition (i.e., weight and productivity).  If deer density declines, deer condition improves.  This is the "natural" balance between deer and their habitat.  Deer feeding is not natural.  It results in more and bigger deer. 

So what are the negative consequences of feeding deer?  They are many, and some are mcuh more serious than others.  They include damage to the native habitat, disease transmission, ethical considerations, and social implications.  

Habitat Damage--Supplemental feeding can and typically does increase the number of deer on the landscape.  These increased deer populations typically overbrowse the native vegetation, especially in and around the feeding site(s).  The natural balance between deer and habitat no longer "works," and the habitat is overbrowsed and damaged by the artificially high deer density.  

Disease:  This is a very big issue in deer management today.  Feeding deer invariably leads to the prolonged crowding of animals in a small area.  This also is not natural.  Feeding sites lead to more direct animal-to-animal contact, and they can become contaminated, which means chances for disease transmission are greatly increased.  Deer feeding has been implicated as a major risk factor and contributor in the three most important deer diseases in North America today.  These include Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, and Chronic Wasting Disease(CWD).   

In conclusion, many biologists believe the negative consequences of feeding deer far outweigh the benefits.  If you are not feeding deer, you should not start.  If you are feeding deer, you should stop.