It’s hard not to worry about the White-Tailed Deer, when we see them pawing and nosing through icy snow, as this doe was doing early yesterday:
But, we must resist the natural urge to feed them, the State of Maine warns. In addition to growing a heavy winter coat, these deer develop a winter stomach, which contains microorganisms that are different from the ones helping digestion during the rest of the year.
Their winter guts allow and encourage these animals to eat twigs and other “woody browse,” which is converted to protein by their cold-weather digestion chemistry. It also makes it more difficult for them to metabolize some foods that they usually eat in spring, summer, and fall, among other problems. (Brooklin, Maine)