The sign made it clear: ‘Feeding of Deer PROHIBITED.?
Still, some ignored orders from the Department of Natural Resources and heaved apples, carrots, corn and cabbage over the fence near Clarkston and Eston roads anyway.
The deer inside the 80-acre privately-owned parcel in Independence Township ‘look hungry? as they amble toward the fence, some said.
But the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is warning violators could face a $50-$500 fine and up to 90 days in jail.
The agency placed a ban on baiting and feeding of deer in the lower peninsula Aug. 25 after confirming a case of Chronic Wasting Disease’the first in Michigan’at a deer breeding facility in Kent County.
While there is no suggestion deer in Independence Township are infected with CWD, the ban applies equally to feeding for recreational viewing, as well as hunting.
According to the DNR, CWD is a neurological disease found in deer and elk. The disease, similar to mad cow disease in cattle, attacks the brains of infected animals and is always fatal.
While no one yet knows what’s troubling the Independence Township deer, many’several dozen appear to live within the enclosed area’appear less-than-healthy.
Judy Ahrens first noticed the herd looked sickly in July when she took her grandchildren to see the deer.
‘I was shocked,? she said. ‘I went back a second time to see if I could get a better look, and noticed many of the deer are so thin their ribs are showing, and many have sores.?
Others appear wobbly or shaky, and many have thinning, patchy coats.
An Independence Township resident, Aherns said ‘healthy? deer often visit her property to munch on the flowers growing in her garden’and, she said, they don’t look anything like the deer in the fenced area near Clarkston and Eston.
‘Oh heavens no,? she said. ‘I’ve lived here 25 years and I’ve never seen deer that look like that.?
Apparently, she’s not the only one who noticed.
DNR officials recently heard from others concerned about the health of the deer, and are scheduled to meet with property owners this week.
‘We visited the facility in February and met with landowner due to some complaints from local public,? said Julie Oakes, a DNR biologist. ‘At that time we didn’t find any sick deer or dead dear; we actually scoured the entire 80 acres and expressed to (the property owners) that they needed to not congregate deer and not allow people to feed the deer. They seemed very cooperative and were concerned about the deer.?
A more recent complaint, she said, suggest the deer are in ‘poor condition? and being hand-fed by visitors.
‘Hopefully in the next week or two I’ll know more information,? said Oakes. ‘We’ll see if we can find out if the allegations are legitimate; hopefully we can work something out with the property owners.?
The Clarkston News was unable to reach the property owners for comment.

How can you tell if a deer has CWD?

According to the DNR, infected animals may not show any symptoms of the disease for a long period of time, even years. In the later stages of sickness, however, infected animals begin to lose bodily functions and display abnormal behavior such as staggering or standing with very poor posture. Animals may have an exaggerated wide posture, or may carry the head and ears lowered. Infected animals become very emaciated (thus wasting disease) and will appear in very poor body condition.
Infected animals will also often stand near water and will consume large amounts of water. Drooling or excessive salivation may be apparent. Note that these symptoms may also be characteristic of diseases other than CWD.
Anyone who sees a deer wtih symptoms of CWD should accurately document the location of the animal and immediately and call the Rap Line (1-800-292-7800). Do not attempt to contact, disturb, kill, or remove the animal.
For more information, see www.michigan.gov/chronicwastingdisease