WARNING: Don’t Feed the Wild Animals in Idaho

Look, deer are everywhere.  They’ve even habituated themselves to big cities.  So, it’s no surprise to see them roaming the streets of Hailey.  This trio stopped traffic at several intersections as they wandered about for a recent afternoon sojourn.

The reason they show very little fear is that there are people who feed them.  Terry Thompson, a spokesman for Idaho Fish and Game told us last week there is a lot of deer in the Wood River Valley that have lost their natural fear of people.  While the animals are generally docile, they do cause traffic issues.

They have also brought about a more serious issue.  If you have a lot of deer in your backyard, you’re going to eventually have mountain lions in your backyard.  The lions like the taste of deer.  Therefore, you increase the odds of contact between humans and lions.  This can end badly.

A lot of the people who’ve settled in the area did so because they appreciate the natural beauty and the wild animals.  Then they go and violate some simple safety rules (and some of the numbskulls plant Japanese Yew, which is deadly to the same animals they claim to love).

A couple of decades ago, I had friends that lived in a mountain cabin.  I was visiting one weekend and walked into the kitchen to make coffee.  I looked up from the machine and deer were staring at me through the kitchen windows.  Turns out, the woman of the house was feeding them.

Heck, an acquaintance in North Idaho likes to post pictures of moose sticking their big mugs through his Dutch door.  I don’t know…

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