Michigan backyard deer feeding legalized for recreational viewing, preventing starvation

(FOX 2) - It is now legal to feed deer and elk in Michigan after a wildlife bill cleared the legislature and was signed into law by the governor.

Efforts to allow recreational feeding of deer and elk had been spurned in the past by Gretchen Whitmer, who vetoed a previous bill years earlier because of concerns it would accelerate the transmission of disease.

While bans on some wildlife feeding remain, the new bill specifies the practice is allowed under specific circumstances.

Feeding Michigan Deer and Elk 

Big picture view:

The law expands a previous statute allowing feeding to include both wildlife and birds. The previous law concerned only wild birds or other wildlife "not considered deer and elk." 

But under House Bill 4350, anyone may leave food out as long as they follow two requirements:

• The feed is located within 300 feet of a residence
• The quantity of feed that is placed is less than two gallons

Leaving the feed can be done with the aim of preventing animals from starving or for recreational viewing.

Deer baiting ban in Lower Peninsula remains

Dig deeper:

Leaving feed is not allowed for the purpose of baiting game species for hunting in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The practice has been banned for years in hopes of preventing the transmission of disease between white-tailed deer, which suffer from afflictions like bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease.

Whitmer originally vetoed a bill from the 2021-22 legislative session because it went against the traditional management practice employed by the Natural Resource Commission.

"The (NRC's) ban on deer and elk feeding is based on strong scientific evidence, which demonstrates that feeding disrupts normal wildlife movement patterns, causing animals to congregate and thereby accelerating the spread of deadly diseases…" she explained at the time.

Baiting the UP is allowed

There are exceptions to the rule, primarily in the Upper Peninsula, where baiting is permitted from Sept. 15–Jan.1. 

Zoom out:

The newest bill creates a clearer distinction between the practice of leaving food out for birds and wildlife for recreation and illegal baiting that can increase disease transmission.

Hunting and FishingMichiganMichigan Department of Natural Resources