How Many New Mexicans Are Feeding Wild Animals (Elephant Butte, Chama: house, buy)

[highdesertmutz]

Excluding birds, how many of you out here buy dog and cat foods to feed our critters?

My wife works at a dollar store, and, she's told me stories about people who will come into the store, and purchase cheap dog and cat foods to feed javelinas, bobcats, and some have even told my wife they buy ground hamburger at the grocery store to feed roadrunners.

I think this practice is wrong headed. Just recently, Elephant Butte Lake State Park, the south unit has been experiencing problems with javelinas.

I believe last year a mountain lion and a bobcat were spotted at the south unit too.

While we all might love animals, some people put foods out to attract certain critters, and sometimes unknowingly end up attracting the unwanted ones which could be dangerous to humans.

A guy named charlie told me at springtime camp in the Cibola National Forest, a group of scouts didn't clean up the camp sites of rubbish and food waste, which attracted mice, which in turn brought about a large population of rattlesnakes.

What's your opinion?

[tecpatl]

Feeding wild animals is usually always a bad idea. It's almost always to keep critters within viewing range,and they quickly get the habit, naturally. The problem is that whenever most wild animals and people are too close together someone will suffer...and 99% of the time that'll be the poor animal. Coons and Possum are a few that adapt fairly well to living closely with people, but most animals, especially predators, can't make that adjustment so they get in trouble, get too trusting, whatever, and end up run over, shot, trapped, etc. Don't feed them, it's not a kindness.

[Nicholija_Supertramp]

Yeah we have had some issues with this up in Chama as well. Many people feed the deer up around the Brazos though. I don't see feeding the deer as quite the same issue as a predatory animal. The deer are also in an area that does not allow hunting. However, feeding/leaving food out for any animal such as a bobcat, bear, mountain lion, etc. is stupid. You are going to cause that animal to have to be either put down or captured and moved. We get raccoons around our place all the time. They are going to be there regardless and seem to do fine either way. We do not intentionally leave food out for them though...they just tend to find anything they can...including our damn humming bird feeders! haha

[lawmom]

I don't know, but I had to look up what a "javelina' is. I have honestly never heard of them before.
Looks like if we make the move to LC, we could potentially encounter all kinds of neat (and/or creepy/scary) creatures.

[songinthewind7]

As much as I think I need to feed them, I usually don't.
If the deer are already in the yard, I'll throw some food out to them but other than that, the birds are all I feed.

[AlisonL]

Just the birds.

In Maine, we fed the deer during the winter as the snow was so deep, it was very difficult for them to find food.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by AlisonL

Just the birds.

In Maine, we fed the deer during the winter as the snow was so deep, it was very difficult for them to find food.

yes, here we do the same and we put things like corn out for the squirrels, or any other little guys. There is a reason for this: if we do not put some things on the ground for our wildlife around here, things like the squirrels will eat all the bird food..

Here it is not disouraged at all. Of course we do not have bear, coyotes or mountin lions, not bob cats.

Nita

[Mike Horrell]

WE have a "squirrel-proof" bird feeder we bought at the Wild Bird Center.
Yes, it really is almost impossible for them to break in although they can work
a seed at a time out just like birds. We had dozens of squirrels back in Virginia
and they were never able to open the feeder and raid it.

We have one very fat rock squirrel here that picks up seeds the birds drop but
he doesn't climb the pole. (He was fat when he first showed up) We thought
about putting some suet out for the road runners, but we have seen coyote
along the arroyo only a block away from the house so I don't think that is a
good idea.

Generally I do not support the idea of feeding larger wildlife *UNLESS* local
game management people suggest doing so. And that is very, very rare.

[Poncho_NM]

We have fed squirrels one year out of ten here in New Mexico...


Rich

[chilegal]

We put out a mineral block, for the deer, and feed every once in a while. Try not to make a habit of it as its not the best idea.