Feeding wildlife not necessary, but fun

Don Mulligan pours shelled corn into one of his winter wildlife feeders. (Photo by Don Mulligan)

   It might surprise some well-intended animal lovers that feeding wildlife in the winter is a controversial issue. In fact, some biologists think a simple bird feeder does more harm than it does good.

    Some of their arguments are valid, especially in places where disease is a problem, but there is another side to the story as well.

    Corn and protein pellet feeders intended to feed large game like deer and turkeys cause some concern because they concentrate animals. That unnatural concentration sometimes causes animals to have contact and conflict.

    In places like Wisconsin, Illinois and Colorado where chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a problem, the worry is that feeders actually add to the transmission of the disease. Folks opposed to feeders believe and have documented deer touching noses and other body parts while struggling for position on a pile of food.

    Opponents of supplementing winter food also claim feeders draw animals out of cover and make them less wary. They claim this makes them more vulnerable to humans and other predators.

    Bird feeders have the same effect as big game feeders, and make birds more susceptible to birds of prey. Anyone who has maintained a winter bird feeder knows that eventually, owls and hawks learn to stake out the feeder for an easy meal or two.

    Opponents of winter feeders say Midwestern wildlife does fine without human intervention, and offer a solution to the do-gooders who want to feed animals. Food plots are their answer, if large enough and adjacent to cover.  They have the same effect as feeders, without the danger of concentrating animals in one spot every day.

    But food plots require a lot more work than simply opening a bag of corn or sunflower seeds. And not everyone has the space to plant one.

    Despite understanding all the argument against winter wildlife feeders, I choose to use them anyway. I suppose if I owned property in an area where transmittable disease was a problem, I would stop.  I haven’t seen a huge problem around my feeders, however.

    I do find an occasional pile of dove feathers or rabbit remains near my feeder where an owl or hawk had a meal, but they’ve gotta eat too. I’ve also seen deer fight near the feeder but, like rabbits and doves, it wouldn’t be a huge loss if a couple of them were removed from the herd to feed a coyote or bobcat.

    I like seeing the game on my property, and know that a feeder is the best way to bring them to me. I don’t start feeding until all hunting seasons are closed, even if I am done hunting prior to the close of season.

    I tried feeding prior to the close of season in the past, but found neighbors sitting on my fence waiting for the animals that were coming to my feeders.

    For deer and turkeys, I use hanging feeders capable of holding 200 pounds of shelled corn. I like hanging feeders better than those on tripods since I still don’t understand how to fill the barrel if it is in the middle of the woods, eight feet off the ground.

    The drawback to hanging feeders is that they are a real hassle to put in place. The job requires a lot of extra hardware and a suitable tree with a beefy overhanging limb at just the right height.

    There is no better attractant than corn for any feeder, even in places where corn doesn’t grow. I only place 150 pounds in the hopper at one time.  Any more, and the barrel becomes too heavy to manage and raise, even with the aid of a ratcheting hoist.

    I set the timers on my feeders to run for 30 seconds, twice a day. That provides enough food to last all day, and in my feeder, allows me to run the feeder for about two weeks before it needs to be refilled.

    It is vital that feeders not be placed on existing food plots, because animals tear up the earth in a wide swath around the feeder, killing perennial plants. There might also be remnants of food or minerals from the feeder in the soil long after feeding has ceased. That would make it illegal to hunt near the food plot once season rolls around.

    Place feeders in secluded areas to help minimize prey’s exposure to predators, and use a trail camera to see  its visitors.

    Concentrations of food during the harsh winter months is an unnatural event, whether it occurs because of a feeder, food plot, or farm field. In fact, very little about our wild landscape is as it was before humans settled this continent.   

    We have changed the way the outdoors looks to suit us and to provide both food and recreation. Feeders are just one of the ways to see our handy work and enjoy the landscape we’ve created.

Don Mulligan can be reached at outdoorswithdon@aol.com.