Feeding deer in Virginia will be illegal beginning Sept 1st

[johnnybgood]

Starting September 1st feeding deer will be illegal in Virginia.
The annual feeding ban will run from Sept. 1 thru the first Saturday in January.
In addition to the state proposed ban four western counties have implemented a 12 month ban on feeding deer.

The Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries says the ban is intended to curb the negative consequences of feeding deer ,such as unnaturally increasing the numbers of an already overpopulation of deer in the state.
That in turn leads to more human-deer conflicts whether it be more aggressive behavior toward people or the car-deer collisions which are negatively impacting car insurance premiums and endangering lives.

No mention of impending fines in the news account that I read but may be included in the up and coming days.

[Graywolf]

Starting September 1st feeding deer will be illegal in Virginia.
The annual feeding ban will run from Sept. 1 thru the first Saturday in January.
In addition to the state proposed ban four western counties have implemented a 12 month ban on feeding deer.

The Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries says the ban is intended to curb the negative consequences of feeding deer ,such as unnaturally increasing the numbers of an already overpopulation of deer in the state.
That in turn leads to more human-deer conflicts whether it be more aggressive behavior toward people or the car-deer collisions which are negatively impacting car insurance premiums and endangering lives.

No mention of impending fines in the news account that I read but may be included in the up and coming days.

So by feeding deer, you can make them pregnate?? oh wait, looks liek by the ban, that you will also make them more overly aggressive. :-? Does that mean we now have to carry soem sort of Deer protection along with Bear Protection? Or will teh same Bear procedures work against deer?? Just how much aggressive are these deer?? I guess we gotta hang a=our GORP now..

I can see the headlines, "Thru-Hiker mauled by a doe as he was trying to eat his bag of GORP." News at 11..

[Rocket Jones]

So by feeding deer, you can make them pregnate?? oh wait, looks liek by the ban, that you will also make them more overly aggressive. :-? Does that mean we now have to carry soem sort of Deer protection along with Bear Protection? Or will teh same Bear procedures work against deer?? Just how much aggressive are these deer?? I guess we gotta hang a=our GORP now..

I can see the headlines, "Thru-Hiker mauled by a doe as he was trying to eat his bag of GORP." News at 11..

Virginia is way overpopulated with deer right now, and feeding them will only make it worse. Feeding deer also acclimates them to humans and makes them less shy around populated areas, resulting in numerous car strikes as they cross roads. Virginia (and Maryland too I believe) have drivers die every year from hitting deer.

During winter more deer starve because the artificial food sources they've learned to rely on disappear and their natural sources cannot feed them all. Likewise, those that don't quite starve are sick and weak.

Managing game populations is a constant balancing act. Right now, not enough hunting and too much artificial feeding is happening and the deer population has exploded. The trick is going to be lowering that level without going too far in the other direction. Not feeding deer is a good start.

[john gault]

So by feeding deer, you can make them pregnate??
Of course. It's really hard for some people to understand how difficult it is to survive in nature -- away from civilization. Priority One (in nature) survive, then you can think about propagation. The fact that we males are always thinking about sex is a luxury we have because of grocery stores.

Does that mean we now have to carry soem sort of Deer protection along with Bear Protection? Or will teh same Bear procedures work against deer?? Just how much aggressive are these deer?? I guess we gotta hang a=our GORP now..

I can see the headlines, "Thru-Hiker mauled by a doe as he was trying to eat his bag of GORP." News at 11..

More people have lost their lives from herbivores than carnivores. Deer may not be the most dangerous, such as moose, but a buck in mating season can be and have been dangerous. Not to mention habituation to people which can only make matters worse. I'm willing to bet there's a Youtube video online of an angry buck.

[johnnybgood]

Just how much aggressive are these deer?? I guess we gotta hang a=our GORP now..

I can see the headlines, "Thru-Hiker mauled by a doe as he was trying to eat his bag of GORP." News at 11..
Some years ago I saw a YouTube video on a guy slicing up an apple to feed a deer .He would cut up a slice of apple to feed the deer then eat a slice himself . The guy while holding an apple slice turned his back from the deer to speak to someone and the deer stood up on his back legs and with his front hoofs knocked the guy down .The dude was lucky he didn't impale himself with his knife .

[Graywolf]

Geeze! I was making a humourous remark, didnt know their were serious posters on White Blaze..

Now lets talk about food bagging..

[Tinker]

...........Just so long as they don't ban EATING them.....................;).

[Sarcasm the elf]

...........Just so long as they don't ban EATING them.....................;).

Seconded!;)

[Bronk]

I remember sitting at a picnic table eating my lunch in the Grayson Highlands and having several deer surround me begging like dogs for food. One literally stuck its nose 3 inches from my face while I was eating. I finally got up and left.

The deer at Spence Field were just as time but not quite as shameless...they just waltzed into camp around dusk and hung around munching on acorns, presumably waiting for someone to offer them something.

[shoe]

Am I wierd or something. The thought of feeding a deer has never crossed my mind.

[Graywolf]

I remember sitting at a picnic table eating my lunch in the Grayson Highlands and having several deer surround me begging like dogs for food. One literally stuck its nose 3 inches from my face while I was eating. I finally got up and left.

The deer at Spence Field were just as time but not quite as shameless...they just waltzed into camp around dusk and hung around munching on acorns, presumably waiting for someone to offer them something.

Just hide your GORP. I bet it taste a whole lot better then acorns..

[Feral Bill]

http://www.onlinepetdepot.com/images/purina%20deer%20chow.jpg

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates there are approximately 1.5 million auto-deer collisions per year, resulting in damage losses of around $1.5 billion USD, which works out to an average cost of $1,000 per accident. State Farm Insurance Agency also supports these statistics, and goes on to report that, in the year 2004, there were 150 human deaths in the United States that were directly linked to car-deer accidents.

The bear is often considered to be one of the most dangerous animals in North America. As a combined group, polar bears, black bears, and grizzly bears are responsible for 5 to 10 human fatalities per year in North America. Comparing this statistic with the 150 human deaths caused in 2004 by auto-deer collisions, one might come to the conclusion that the most dangerous animal in North America is, in fact, the White Tail Deer."