Deer in Winter

It is bitter cold out in the Loughborough Wilderness in mid-winter. Deer are roaming outside their normal confines of the woods to get their hoofs on the last remaining patches of grass and roughage from last season, buried deep under the snow. They pillage the juniper bushes on the islands and lakeshore at night for a few remaining leafs, reducing some to stalks that will regenerate in spring. This is a dangerous time for the deer as they grow weaker and weaker, while their predators, which include wolves, cougars (reportedly) and coyotes in this area, are growing more hungry. Fortunately for them, their main predator, humans, are not allowed to hunt until next fall. If you do decide to help the deer out a little by feeding them, do take care to make your feed as woody and fibrous as their current diet: Their stomachs may not adjust to overly nutritious food sources at this time of year.