If you love the valley’s deer, please don’t feed them

[wolfbait]

https://methowvalleynews.com/2023/02/01/if-you-love-the-valleys-deer-please-dont-feed-them/

[wolfbait]

Says the guy who promotes wolves above all else!


"Despite regular surveys, there’s no precise count of the mule deer population in the Methow watershed. Fitkin said his best estimate is between 8,000 and 12,000."

I'd say he'd have a hard time finding 2000 deer in the Methow watershed, over count the deer and under count the wolves.

[Elkaholic daWg]

Guessing he doesn't want the wolves to have to come where they could get lead poisoning looking for food.

[timberfaller]

Fitkin, not the brightest bulb out there!!  Knowing some of the "retired" game wardens, they didn't have much use for him either!   Especially when you are told, "what YOU see out there, isn't what is happening and NOT important!"

Actions speak louder then words is the ole saying!

IF they believe in those "numbers",  I am the richest man in the world!!

[hunter399]

Same old sad story.....
Feeding programs was bad....
But we had way more deer then.. That's odd.

That hoenes guy.
Just WOW....
He doesn't even know what GMU he is in ,or the regulations.

[Buckjunkie]

I didn’t hear any solutions from WDFW. Maybe they could tell people what would be safe to feed deer or plants they could plant that would help?

[PA BEN]

All of the deer eating alfalfa in your field are committing suicide.  

[Dick in the Dirt]

I'm watching the deer closely, when the time comes their getting fed. This is the same clown that was for 3 point or better to improve the mule deer herd. He's also the one chasing deer by helicopter in the middle of a harsh winter. The snow is a ice pack so their now being chased by our beloved wolf pack. Bunch of Bozo's.

[Onewhohikes]

Coming from Fitkin and his BS line about spending his career building a deer population that is at a all time low is a joke. He continues to twist survey numbers to meet his population objectives and is a yearly occurance. As soon as his name shows in the article it's accuracy should be questioned.

[boneaddict]

  12k

[hunter399]

All of the deer eating alfalfa in your field are committing suicide.

According to these guys deer don't eat grass or alfalfa.
Them deer are just standing in the field ,with there head down,and pretending to chew that stuff up.
All deer do that.
These people I swear.

[buckfvr]

All of the deer eating alfalfa in your field are committing suicide.

They (deer) eat any of it live and green but do not eat dry hay or alfalfa stalks.  Elk will eat it gone same as moose horse and cows.  Deer root through a bale and eat all the tops and leaves and leave behind a pile of stalks.

[hunter399]

I'm just gonna say it.....
If it wasn't for people allowing deer to eat out of there hay shed,or just plain feeding them.
There most likely wouldn't be any deer to hunt in this state.

[vandeman17]

I will restate what all my research and reading has said about deer and winter feeding. Deer in alfalfa fields are not the problem because those deer are able to go into those fields consistently and thus their stomachs are able to handle the nutrients, sugars, proteins etc that they are eating. Its the sudden pile of feed/alfalfa or whatever when those same deer are starving and have been surviving on a completely different food source that CAN do them more harm than good. Their stomachs adjust based on the available food and their enzymes, bacteria and acids in their gut can't just adjust overnight. This is not specific to deer as almost all animals like goats, sheep, horses etc have the same issues.

[boneaddict]

Thats sorta been the logic for years, I suppose kinda like letting concentration camp victims eat their full of steak and taters after starving for months.   However I have seen photos of deer standing on and eating off of haystacks for decades and decades, and no mass extinction,  and yet seen many die after gettting the craps after eating fresh cheat after spring green up, sooooooo. I always love when my science brain doesnt equate with my eyeballs.