McCandless residents feeding deer could face fines or jail time

MCCANDLESS TWP. — McCandless Township Council voted Monday to enact an ordinance that prohibits residents from feeding deer.

The ordinance states that residents who put food out for deer could face as much as 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 if convicted. A first offense calls for a $50 fine and $100 fine for the second violation. Another $100 is added for each additional violation. The fine is capped at $500 for the sixth and subsequent citations.

The town’s code enforcement officer will be responsible for enforcing the ordinance.

The measure prohibits residents from placing fruit, grain, vegetables, bird and wildlife feed, salt licks or any other edible items on the ground, in a container or a feeding station with the intent of feeding deer. Residents who place food out on their properties for birds, domestic livestock and pets can avoid being fined if they are acting “in good faith,” according to the ordinance.

Over the summer... A questionnaire went out to McCandless residents. Of those that responded, 81% said they were for a “comprehensive deer management program” or no feed ordinance.

The ordinance is supposed to help keep the deer population low to control the spread of diseases such as Lyme disease, damage to property or vegetation, and to help keep crashes involving deer down.

“I think it need to be done. Obviously, there are too many deer. We are near North Park, there should be deer but we shouldn’t be feeding them,” McCandless resident Linda Torrence said.

Not everybody was on board with the punishment if caught feeding deer. Some even called it a bit extreme.

Cox Media Group