FWP biologist: Feeding wildlife does more harm than good

With their big brown eyes with frosted eyelashes, snow on their face, steam vapor floating from their nostrils and snow up to their bellies, you want so desperately to help them.

Their winter coats are thick and beautiful and they are closer to you than ever before. They must be hungry and they are asking for a carrot. Or an apple. Maybe some noodles from your turkey soup or stuffing. Everybody loves stuffing!

Besides attracting mountain lions, why are we not to feed ungulates in the winter?

“Simply put, it is illegal to intentionally feed big game in the state of Montana. Aside from being against the law, it can actually be quite detrimental to the animal and cause more harm than good,” explains Ryan Kilmstra, Missoula Area Biologist with FWP.

“Deer, elk, and moose are ruminants just like a cow. However, their diet is not consistent throughout the year like a cow.”

Kilmstra said that wild ungulate diets change gradually with the season and so does the gut microbiome to accommodate the different quality food sources available.

In winter, ungulate guts are adapted to eating low carb/low nutrition browse. If one of these animals is provided a high carb food source (e.g., grain) then they often develop rumen acidosis which means that their gut microbiome wasn’t ready to deal with an abrupt change in food quality and this could be a death sentence.

“Also, once a wild animal hones in on a food source, they don’t forget it. This can cause problems for neighbors with haystacks, summer gardens, and create hazards in the road. Losing the fear of humans is something we don’t want ungulates to develop as it can lead to human injury and the death of the animal.” he shared.

Salt and mineral blocks are considered food or bait and are illegal to purposely use.

“Ungulates have been on the land much longer than the people that reside here and it is important to remember that they have existed without our help for much longer than we’ve been around. In other words, they have no problem finding the minerals and salt they need to survive,” he smiles. “If you have to do something, you should give them space and remove all attractants from your property. Supplemental feeding of ungulates is very harmful to their health and although it may seem counterintuitive, trying to help them eat in the winter can kill them.”

Kilmstra continues with possibly the most important reason to not let heartfelt emotions overtake logical thinking.

“Parasite and disease transmission require close contact and attracting ungulates into a concentrated area aids the transmission of diseases such as CWD, which is 100% deadly to deer and elk if contracted. All Montanans have been working extremely hard to keep CWD under control and feeding deer and elk could undo some of this hard work. As of this fall season, we are still one of the few counties in Montana that has not detected CWD. Let’s keep it that way.”

Squirrels and turkeys? They’re cute and cold. Cranberry sauce or mashed potatoes? Kilmstra shakes his head.

“Although you can buy cracked corn for squirrels, I personally wouldn’t dare feed a squirrel unless you are ready to have squirrels live in every nook and cranny that you didn’t know about in any building on your property. They are very destructive and can remove an amazing amount of insulation from the walls of your house in a very short amount of time. Squirrels are also highly adapted to survive these conditions and they will make it just fine. Cracked corn for turkeys is not a good idea for all the reasons listed above. Dependency, nuisance issues, and they can become aggressive.”

For those who are already tired of plowing and shoveling snow, some of the coffee-clutch folks are predicting a winter of epic snow accumulation. That would make the situation for the critters even tougher.

“Wild animals are quite resilient and can survive things that seem unnatural or too extreme for us. The other really important message here is that it is completely natural for animals to lose weight during the winter and for some to even die. This is an integral aspect of strong gene flow in a population,” he clarified.

“The animals that survive are the ones that breed and the ones that breed are the ones that pass along their DNA which strengthens the population. It is tough to watch an animal struggle through winter or even potentially die; however, rest assured that this is the process of the natural world that has existed well beyond us. I want people to enjoy watching wildlife and enjoy their presence but not at the cost of the animal’s life.”

Ryan Kilmstra a member of the Mineral County Resource Coalition and makes an FWP report at the monthly meetings which is the first Tuesday of each month in the County Commissioners office at 10 a.m.