People who continue to throw apples, carrots and other food to the deer at Clarkston and Eston roads are doing more harm than good.
That’s the message from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, who said the agency might be forced to take drastic measures if the deer don’t stop waiting around for handouts.
‘We need the deer to act wild,? said DNR Wildlife Biologist Julie Oakes, who’s visited the 80-acre parcel in Independence Township several times. ‘If they don’t, the only other recourse is to encourage the property owners to allow us to kill the animals, and I know they don’t want to do that because they truly love those deer.?
Although many refer to the area as the ‘Clarkston-Eston Deer Park,? the deer do not belong to the property owners, nor are they intentionally confined inside the fence.
Contrary to popular belief, said a family representative, the property does not exist as a deer farm or other captive animal facility.
But as the owners work with DNR officials to rectify the problem, well-meaning motorists see the sickly deer and continue to throw food over the fence.
When deer congregate around a food supply, Oakes explained, they’re also congregating around concentrated amounts of saliva and feces, creating a high potential for the rapid spread of disease.
Oakes said the deer ‘looked really bad? in photos submitted by a resident in August, but since DNR officers were unable to get close to the animals during a recent site visit, she couldn’t make any certain judgments.
‘We expected to see sick deer or dead deer,? she said. ‘We weren’t able to get close, but from what we could see the deer looked fine. I don’t doubt there are some that are sick, but we didn’t see them when we were out.?
The DNR did, however, find one dead deer, and one dead fawn on the property. The cause of death remains uncertain, but testing is underway.
While the statewide ban on baiting and feeding stemmed from the discovery of one deer with Chronic Waste Disease in Kent County, already-sick deer, such as some of those on the Independence Township property, are at even greater risk.
‘What you’ve got is an animal that’s nutritionally compromised already,? said Oakes. ‘Those animals are much more susceptible to disease and it’s likely to spread through feeding. You could have a huge disease outbreak and a whole bunch of dead deer.?
Oakes said the animals must leave the confines of the fence if they are to survive.
‘The quality of nutrition inside that fence is very, very poor,? she said. ‘Those deer need to come and go so they can get the proper browse. We’d love to see the owners take the fence down, but at this point there hasn’t been enough pressure that they feel like they need to do that.?
A new Michigan law states fences more than a quarter mile in contiguous length must either be less than 52 inches in height, or be installed with breaks to allow passage for deer.
Although the owners can’t be forced to comply with the law since the fence was already in place, Oakes said it was important to understand the idea behind it.
‘I gave them a copy of the law so they’d understand that while deer can jump a 6-foot fence, we know they tend not to,? she said.
To illustrate, Oakes said she intentionally ‘spooked? the deer during her visit to the property.
‘They just ran around the fence and came back, which I thought was quite interesting,? she said, noting she’s seen healthy deer jump which I thought was quite interesting,? she said, noting she’s seen healthy deer jump a 10-foot fence. ‘Normally deer would jump over.?
Oakes said she consulted several DNR specialists on the matter.
‘It’s a mental thing,? she said. ‘They think they can’t get out; they’re so used to being fed they don’t want to leave.?
But, according to Robert Sosin, a Bingham Farms attorney representing the property owners, the deer are already coming and going.
‘My clients have noticed over the last 20 years or so that the deer population has not grown very much,? he said. ‘And they’re not finding deer carcasses around the property. They believe most of the deer are able to migrate up and over, so these fences really haven’t kept them in.?
Sosin reiterated that his clients do not own the animals, or intentionally keep them inside the fence.
‘The deer on the property are owned by the State of Michigan,? he said. ‘For at least the last year and a half my clients have been completely cooperating and complying with the DNR and being very diligent about it.?
But, Sosin said, he can see why some of the animals don’t go far.
‘Some may be comfortable having been fed by the public over the years,? he said. ‘But I think it’s the same for any deer. If they get used to a food supply, they’re going to stick around.?
The current owners, he said, have lived on the property since 1952 and ‘care deeply about the integrity of the community and their property.?
‘It doesn’t help when people drive by and tear down signs placed by the DNR or my clients, and feed the deer,? he said. ‘Every effort has been made to keep the signs up, and in more secure location.?

Deputies deal with sick deer
Police destroyed a doe too sick and weak to move, even when prodded and coaxed, in Independence Township last week.
Sheriff’s deputies were summoned to a home in the 7100 block of Hillside Drive’about six miles southwest of the Clarkston-Eston property’by a resident who found the animal on a patio at the rear of her home.
‘It’s very unusual,? said Sgt. Matt Baldes of the Independence Township substation. ‘In my eight years here, I’ve never seen or heard of this happening before.?
The responding officer shot the ‘obviously sick, suffering animal,? and due to its ‘very poor, very skinny condition,? alerted the DNR.
The conservation officer was also concerned about the unusual condition of the sick animal, and took the dead deer with him for examination at the DNR lab.
On Oct. 5, deputies destroyed a large buck after it was found wandering in traffic on Clarkston Road near Newport.
‘I honked my horn trying to scare the deer into the swamp, but it just walked toward my vehicle,? the officer wrote in an incident report. ‘I got out and tried to scare the deer away but it was not frightened.?
The officer destroyed the animal to prevent automobile accidents and issued a road kill tag to a private citizen who requested the animal on the condition he wait to consume the meat until advised of test results.
Noting a wound near the antler, the deputy turned the animal’s head over to the DNR at the Holly Recreation Center deer checkpoint.