Please don’t feed the deer!
Hunting over bait is illegal in Virginia, and feeding deer for any reason is illegal statewide from September 1 to the first Saturday in January (4VAC15-40-285).
Feed or bait can include corn, mineral or salt licks, pelleted feed, bird seed, apples or other fruit, and similar substances placed by people for the purposes of feeding or attracting wildlife. If deer are eating from your bird feeder, you’re feeding deer!
Further, it is illegal to feed deer year-round in the following counties (including the cities and towns within):
Albemarle, Arlington, Augusta, Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Dickenson, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Greene, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Montgomery, Orange, Page, Patrick, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockingham, Russell, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Tazewell, Warren, Wise, and Wythe and in any city, town, or county during any deer or elk hunting season. This does not apply to wildlife plantings like food plots, normal agricultural operations (e.g., crop plantings or feeding livestock), or wildlife management activities conducted or authorized by the Department.
Feeding deer outside the deer-hunting season is a popular activity among some sportsmen/women and wildlife watchers. Most feeding is done by well-intentioned people who think that providing food for deer will help them survive better or produce better quality antlers.
While feeding may provide enjoyment to people, wildlife biologists do not recommend this activity for several reasons.
First, it can cause wildlife to lose their fear of humans, a situation that can be dangerous to both people and animals.
Second, when many deer are using a feeding area, the possibility of spreading and maintaining disease among animals is increased. Attracting deer to feeding sites has been linked to the spread of tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease in some states.
A third reason not to feed deer is that feeding can harm or kill deer. In winter, a deer is well adapted to survive by eating the foods provided by Mother Nature. A rapid change in a deer’s diet can leave the animal unable to digest the new food and can have a deadly outcome from rumen acidosis or bloat. Also, corn and other feeds are sometimes contaminated with aflatoxin, a toxic substance that is produced by certain molds and can poison deer and other wildlife. Often, corn marketed as “Deer Corn” contains levels of aflatoxin that are above those acceptable for use by livestock or humans.
Finally, if feeding deer does increase their survival, the number of deer may increase beyond what the local habitat can support. Too many deer can cause habitat damage, harming the long-term survival of both deer and other wildlife in the area. So help keep the “wild” in wildlife — Don’t Feed the Deer!