Landowners throughout Maine troubled by the sight of sick and starving deer are dipping into their own pockets and pantries in an attempt to help the struggling animals make it until spring.

But biologists warn that feeding wild deer is not always helpful and can sometimes put both the herd and nearby humans at greater risk.

Feeding deer during winter has long been a tradition for some families and even a few communities in Maine. Supporters argue that the supplemental feed helps deer stay nourished and healthy throughout the state’s long and harsh winters.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has long advised against feeding wild deer in any season for a variety of reasons. But with 5 feet or more of snow still on the ground in some areas of Maine, backyard feeding operations are becoming increasingly common.

That has biologists concerned.

Lee Kantar, who heads DIF&W’s deer program, pointed out that feeding starving deer supplemental food can actually hasten their decline. That’s because the microorganisms in a deer’s stomach often take two weeks to adjust to new food types.

So in an ironic twist, the sudden introduction of high-protein, carbohydrate-laden foods can actually exacerbate starvation and lead to deer dying with full stomachs, Kantar said.

“The only thing we can hope for is an early spring,” Kantar said.

Wildlife biologist Richard Hoppe pointed out that supplemental feeding also puts deer at increased risk to predators and collisions with cars.

Driving down several residential roads not far from DIF&W’s Ashland office this week, Hoppe pointed out the deer gathering in backyards, on some front lawns and adjacent woods as sure signs of feeding. His office have received numerous complaints of deer causing traffic problems.

Additionally, where deer congregate, so will hungry predators. As a result, some feeding stations actually become “predator pits,” or traps for deer.

“What people don’t realize is that if you go 200 to 300 yards behind where they’re feeding, you’ll find carcasses because they are getting picked off,” Hoppe said.

Biologists also express concern about deer becoming so habituated to supplemental feed that they never migrate into their traditional wintering areas, which will leave them more susceptible to the elements.

Several bills have been introduced in Augusta in recent years to prohibit deer feeding, the most recent in 2007. But the bills have always failed amid outcries from feeding supporters who disagree with DIF&W statements on the risks of feeding.

A DIF&W position statement on supplemental deer feeding says the department believes the better approach is to work on maintaining and increasing the amount of adequate deer wintering areas.

For information on DIF&W policies on deer feeding, go to http://maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/species/deer/feedingdeer.htm.

kmiller@bangordailynews.net

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