A conversation I've seen pop up many times, especially it seems near Wintertime, is whether or not it should be legal to feed deer in Michigan, as a whole.

Now, some people may wonder why it should ever be illegal since all we're doing is giving the cute little deer some food and helping them out. After all, we have more birds than deer and we definitely don't skimp when it comes to birdseed.

Well, there are a few reasons feeding the deer will cause problems, which is why Michigan made it illegal to do so in the Lower Peninsula, and with some restrictions in the U.P., as one person living in the Winchell Area in Kalamazoo pointed out in the neighborhood group:

Since deer are generally safe from harassment and hunting in the city, they quickly lose their fear of people and pets and make themselves at home in backyards, parks, or playing fields. Intentionally feeding deer emboldens them even more, causes them to concentrate, and worsens conflicts. Feeding also increases the potential for transmitting disease and increases the potential for vehicle crashes by encouraging deer to cross roadways The State of Michigan has prohibited feeding deer anywhere in the lower peninsula.

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Other people are voicing their opinions as well:

I think the people that feed the deer should be reported to DNR as it’s actually illegal. I also think there needs to be a culling. When I can’t even drive down Winchell or even Parkview without a herd of deer waking right in front of me and not even moving we have a problem.

I've spoken before about how I think this is the most dangerous place in Kalamazoo when it comes to the risk of getting into a deer-related car accident, and the problem continues to grow. Although the Upper Peninsula may disagree, do you think that with the growing deer population and shortage of hunters we should completely make feeding them illegal?

Reindeer Farms in mid Michigan