Local hunter steps in to help struggling deer through harsh winter

A Severn man has turned a forest into a feeding ground for hungry deer struggling this winter.

With the cold and snowy winter making it difficult for deer to find their next meal, a Severn man has taken things into his own hands to help the animals make it through the season.

“I’m taking 200 to 300 pounds of food and every couple of days,” said David Nicholls, who has been dragging the food on a sled to his makeshift feeding ground in a forested area of northern Simcoe County.

Nicholls said he has been feeding fawn in the area for nearly a decade. But with consistently cold weather keeping the 50-plus centimetres of snow around in the woods, he said the deer have needed his help this winter more than ever.

“They can’t scratch down to the fields,” added Nicholls. “Where there was soya in this field, and alfalfa... they can’t get to it. And that’s when it gets bad.”

That prompted Nicholls to dig out his walkable path and makeshift feeding ground in the forest near the 200-year-old Gill family farm.

Nicholls has been supplying nearly 40 deer in the area with carrots and bags of corn donated by The Orillia Fish & Game Conservation Club.

“He does a lot of work and it’s really appreciated,” said Rich Rolston from the Orillia Fish & Game Conservation Club board of directors. “That’s why the Fish and Game Club helps. We donate as much as we can to help him.”

“That works out well for all parties,” said Peter Gill, who adds that deer have been frequenting his family’s farm for multiple centuries. “We keep the deer healthy and happy, and they’re quite healthy and happy too by comparison to a deep snow winter.”

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) confirmed that feeding deer is legal but not recommended.

In a statement to CTV News, the MNR said in part: “Feeding wild animals can result in numerous health risks, animals becoming dependent on artificial food sources, and increased human-wildlife conflicts.”

Nicholls explained that, while he hunts, he feeds the deer for conservation. He added that he works to find the balance between hunting them and preserving them.

“If we’re able to harvest an animal, we enjoy it, we love it, we eat every bit of it,” said Nicholls. “Once the season ends at the end of the year, we commit all winter to helping them survive.”

Nicholls reiterated that his focus remains conservation first, and that he welcomes others to help with his deer-feeding initiatives.

He plans to keep feeding the deer as long as the snow is deep and the temperatures are cold.