• Parts of the Lower Peninsula could once again see prohibitions on feeding deer and elk for recreational purposes.
• The Natural Resources Commission banned deer and elk feeding in the Lower Peninsula starting in 2019
• Those restrictions were lifted this year when new state legislation passed

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Deer and elk feeding restrictions lifted in July in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula could partially return as soon as next month.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommendsthe Natural Resources Commission — the state’s hunting and fishing regulator — pass a rule that would prohibit recreational feeding of deer and elk in 11 counties: Alpena, Alcona, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle and Roscommon. 

Those counties are where bovine tuberculosis, a disease that can spread in many mammals through shared feeding and is transmissible to humans, is of a high concern. In four of the counties — Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Oscoda — the disease is established in wild deer and cattle is subject to increased testing and movement restrictions.

“In Michigan, to date, we know that there have been seven documented cases of TB in humans,” Dan O’Brien, a former DNR wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist, said during a presentation to the Natural Resources Commission Thursday. “These are people that are actually sick with the disease — some of them very sick — that are due to the strains of bovine tuberculosis that are present in our deer and in our cattle.”

RELATED: 

• Michigan bill legalizing backyard deer feeding passes, but bans could remain
• Michigan House passes bill to lift deer baiting ban in the Lower Peninsula
• Bill aims to allow backyard wildlife feeding, but critics fear deer disease 

In 2019, the Natural Resources Commission prohibited feeding deer and elk in the Lower Peninsula, as well as baiting them for hunting purposes, to try to prevent the spread of bovine TB and chronic wasting disease. 

But feeding restrictions were lifted in the Lower Peninsula this year after legislation passed that allowed for 2 gallons of food to be spread within 300 feet of a residence. The legislation was introduced by state Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, who was motivated to run for office after being ticketed for feeding deer in his own backyard.

While Borton is a fierce defender of the freedom to feed wildlife, he told Bridge back in July that he never intended for the legislation to allow the practice in all of the Lower Peninsula.

“People who still live in those TB-restricted areas still would not be allowed to put bird feeders out,” Borton said.

But the legislation does not spell out exactly where those restrictions should occur. It says wildlife feeding practices mustalign with US Department of Agriculture standards or any agreements between the state and the federal government to control the spread of infectious diseases. 

The DNR, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services currently have a memorandum of understanding related to bovine TB that details extra monitoring of the disease in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Oscoda counties.

The USDA agency recommended restricting feeding in the 11 counties suggested by the DNR plus Antrim, Arenac and Charlevoix counties.

Bridge reached out to Borton to see how he felt about the DNR recommending the ban on deer feeding in seven additional counties, but he did not respond.

A prohibition on baiting deer for hunting purposes, which is considered different than feeding deer for recreational purposes, remains in effect in the Lower Peninsula. 

In the Legislature, House Bill 4445, passed by the state House, would allow deer baiting during hunting season. The bill has been stalled in the state Senate Natural Resources and Agriculture committee since February

According to a DNR memo, the department is “not recommending changes to baiting,” but with legislation introduced, the department suggested two baiting options for the Natural Resources Commission to consider if commissioners determine baiting should be restored. Both would continue baiting bans in the 11 counties.

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