"There's a lot of people against it," says Wayne Dodds about feeding deer in the winter months. But Dodds believes there are many good reasons for feeding white-tails.
EMSDALE – Wayne Dodds might be retired, but as the operator of Deer Lake Trout Farm and Archery, he still keeps busy. Even so, he’s not too busy to donate his time to help out some hungry animals during the coldest weeks of winter.
Dodds is one of about a dozen directors of the Wildlife Winter Feeding Program (WWFP), an organization that provides supplemental feed to the deer population when their natural food is scarce.
“I’ve got roughly 70 feeders who pick up hay from me,” he said, estimating the organization’s total number at about 300 volunteers who put feed out for the deer.
Dodds is responsible for receiving truckloads of baled alfalfa that are delivered from Kenilworth as needed. He has a list of about 79 people that he notifies when the truck is expected. He has a trailer on his property to hold the bales, but the job is much easier if people pull up alongside the trailer as it’s being unloaded. Bales can be taken off one side for storage and the other for distribution, as was the case with the most recent load, on Feb. 23.
“We had 30 vehicles here on Saturday, picking it up off the side of the truck,” said Dodds. “Another 30 will come during the week.”
Many show up with trucks, but not all. It is not uncommon to see somebody drive up in the family car, put their hay in a garbage bag and toss it right in.
“They’re a pretty dedicated bunch of people,” said Dodds, suspecting that more than one wife has been annoyed at finding chaff all over the back seat.
The truck is unloaded by volunteers, including students working on their community service hours. Dodds said that they have worked very hard, and deserve credit for it. WWFP’s existence depends on the dedication and hard work of volunteers.
Dodds, himself, has been involved with the organization since he moved to the area 22 years ago. But he’s always been interested in deer.
“My wife says I’m a white-tail nut,” he said.
That fascination comes through in a number of ways. Perhaps most impressive is Dodds’ collection of shed antlers. He enjoys walking the deer runways, looking for the antlers shed by bucks each year.
Dodds has also been feeding deer for many years. He started in the 1960s, on Manitoulin Island, cutting cedar boughs and hauling them back for the deer. He continued to do this after moving to Almaguin in the 1980s, which led to his recruitment by the late Jack Newton, who founded WWFP about 30 years ago.
This kind of dedication might make you wonder why wild animals need feeding by people. Dodds readily admits that some don’t believe they do need it. Some feel that it interferes with natural population control, or that it lures deer into places where they don’t belong.
“There’s a lot of people against it,” Dodds said. “The Ministry of Natural Resources is not a real fan of us doing this.”
The ministry has actually provided funds to the WWFP in the past, but Dodds said their current position is that the deer population is too high.
Dodds and his associates believe the deer’s natural food supply has been affected by factors ranging from acid rain and tent caterpillars to a reduction in logging that left browsable brush on the ground and made room for second growth that was easy to reach. If a particularly hard winter comes along, the deer population could crash.
Because it is a controversial practice, WWFP volunteers are careful when, where and how they feed. Dodds noted that the intent is not to provide the deer with all of their nutritional needs, but to supplement their natural winter food supply. A calculated amount of alfalfa is placed where deer feed naturally. Just enough to get them by. Great care is taken not to interfere with the animals’ normal habits.
On his own property, Dodds feeds 20 to 30 deer in a natural deer yard. He separates the alfalfa from the bale and leaves it in small mounds, coming back to repile it from time to time.
“The deer will spread it out just like a cattle beast, and pick through it to find the best parts,” said Dodds.
Feeding happens for just a few weeks each year, and does not begin until well into the winter, when it’s deemed necessary.
“Toward the end of January is usually when we get our first load of hay,” said Dodds.
Feeding can start sooner if the winter is bad enough. This year, for example, the snow came early. Then it rained, causing the snow to melt and refreeze into a crust that deer have a hard time digging through to reach the ground. A crust on top of the snow also makes them easier prey for wolves.
“The deer can walk on top, but they can’t run on top,” said Dodds. “The wolves can.”
Where to feed is just as important as when and how much. If a new person calls Dodds looking for hay, they won’t get any until he’s certain that the location is a safe one.
“You can feed deer and put them in danger,” said Dodds.
WWFP will not provide hay to anyone planning to feed near a highway, train track, school or any other location that could be potentially dangerous or disruptive. Dodds is personally very careful. He will not leave hay lying just anywhere, not even the spillage from unloading the truck.
“My grandson and I are going to truck that over to where the deer are feeding,” he said.
Dodds’ grandson is already growing into a white-tail nut like his granddad, and might one day become involved in feeding deer. Involving young people is essential to the contiuation of any program. The WWFP has been in danger of folding in recent years, but it was revived by people who believed in it enough to make the effort. Dodds hopes to see it continue that way.
“It’s a good program,” he said. “I’d hate to see it go by the wayside.”
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