Supplemental feeding of wild deer, elk, and other ungulates during winter creates welfare tradeoffs involving disease risk, behavioral change, and dependency that require careful evaluation.
The impulse to feed hungry wild deer or elk during harsh winters comes from genuine compassion, but the welfare calculus is complex. Artificial feeding sites create congregation that dramatically accelerates transmission of chronic wasting disease — a fatal prion disease affecting cervids — and other pathogens. Habituated animals lose foraging skills and natural movement patterns. The disease harm to congregating populations may well exceed the starvation prevention benefit, particularly when considering long-term population health. Investing in habitat conservation that provides natural winter forage provides welfare benefits without disease risks.