![]() There are many valid reasons to not feed wildlife, but to blame digestive limitations lacks professionalism and preys on the gullibility of the public. The Wyoming Game and Fish continually tells the public the digestive system of deer is not capable of digesting artificial feedstuffs and to feed them does more harm than good. Why would Wyoming not make any attempt to save deer? I can only speculate. While Wyoming was doing nothing, Wildlife management agencies in neighboring states of Idaho and Utah opted to try to save deer by offering supplemental feed. The magnitude of this starvation was unnecessary. Not only is last year’s fawn crop gone, but the surviving does most likely either aborted or resorbed the fetuses that would have been born this spring. Reportedly, there were no surviving fawns and only 20 percent of the adults made it through the winter. It is hard for me to comprehend how an organization that has the motto of “Conserving Wildlife-Serving People” can stand idly by and do nothing while one of the premier deer herds in the country is decimated by starvation. Why am I concerned? Having read your recent article in Cowboy State Daily about the massive die-off of the Wyoming Range deer herd, I felt I needed to speak on the issue. While I am critical of the Wyoming and Game Department’s effort dealing with last winter’s Wyoming Range mule deer herd, I still have great respect for the organization. ![]() ![]() My intention here is to show another opinion regarding that issue. The debate of whether or not to feed starving deer is generally one-sided favoring those who oppose it. Opinions regarding the supplemental feeding of big game within the Department varied greatly and I was often at odds with others. I also spent 33 years managing Wyoming’s state operated elk feedgrounds. I earned a PhD degree studying this very thing, i.e., aspects nutritional of feeding starving deer. I appreciate the opportunity to express my point of view.
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