It has been interesting to read about chronic wasting disease from the various articles in the paper, and we now we have our first case of CWD in Crow Wing County in a wild deer.
Since Aug. 28, 2017, it's been illegal to feed deer in Crow Wing, Morrison, Aitkin and parts of Mille Lacs and Cass counties (south of Highway 200). No corn, no salt lick, and make sure the bird seed and suet is 6 feet off the ground. Attractants are also banned in those counties. I have talked to several people that are unaware of the "newish" law, but what's interesting is that after sharing it, no one I spoke with planned to change their behavior. Some are hunters, others nature enthusiasts.
One person responded with a great question, "Then why is the corn for sale everywhere?" And it is available most everywhere I go; I've seen it in grocery stores and hardware stores, pallets filled with what appear to be 80-plus pound bags. I looked at the Fleet Farm and Walmart websites, and their products are actually called Deer Corn (large letters) and in small letters, wildlife or turkey feed.
I asked a local business owner what the corn was for, and they responded, "It was for customers that want to feed the deer, er, ducks." I appreciated their honesty. That same business owner admitted that they had stopped carrying the corn at one point (due to the law I presume), but indicated demand for the corn was overwhelming.
Perhaps there are other uses for the corn such as feeding woodchucks and raccoons.
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Scott Gutknecht
Merrifield
