Finding Deer

April 6, 2023

Question: I live in a rural neighborhood with a lot of deer and my neighbor thinks she’s keeping the deer healthy by putting out grain, apples and vegetable scraps. What can I tell my neighbor to dissuade her from feeding deer?

Answer: We appreciate you wanting to educate your neighbor. The situation you describe is a common challenge and it can be difficult to convince well-meaning people that efforts to help wildlife are potentially causing harm.

It is illegal in California to feed big game species including deer, per California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 251.3 ( https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs/Document/I0EA0EE865B4D11EC976B000D3A7C4BC3?viewType=FullText&listSource=Search&originationContext=Search+Result&transitionType=SearchItem&contextData=(sc.Search)&navigationPath=Search%2fv1%2fresults%2fnavigation%2fi0ad62d2e0000018729749ff1a632a08f%3fppcid%3d3db144c38350417687e35f4d11d860d7%26Nav%3dREGULATION_PUBLICVIEW%26fragmentIdentifier%3dI0EA0EE865B4D11EC976B000D3A7C4BC3%26startIndex%3d1%26transitionType%3dSearchItem%26contextData%3d%2528sc.Default%2529%26originationContext%3dSearch%2520Result&list=REGULATION_PUBLICVIEW&rank=1&t_T1=14&t_T2=251.3&t_S1=CA+ADC+s ).

The idea that wild animals require supplemental feeding by humans is (except under very extreme environmental conditions) incorrect. Wild animals are typically capable of fending for themselves in their natural environments.
In the case of deer, “hand-outs” by well-meaning people can result in wildlife losing their natural fear of humans, vehicles and domesticated dogs. This familiarity can be dangerous and even deadly. Feeding deer brings them toward human activity and more deer are killed in vehicle collisions in California than are killed legally by hunters. A buck that has no fear of humans is more likely to be shot than a buck that has a healthy sense of self-preservation. Fawns that feed on human sources of food may lose their ability to forage naturally. Also, deer congregating together are more prone to the spread of disease. Additionally, deer that have been acclimated to humans can become aggressive and dangerous. In summary, deer are much better off when they are not drawn toward humans. So, despite the illegality of it, there are very few good (or ethical) reasons to feed deer! We hope this helps.

For more information visit CDFW’s Keep Me Wild page on living with deer ( https://wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Deer#583111231-resources ).