LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – One Lansing lawmaker is pitching his idea a second time to allow recreational wildlife and bird feeding at Michigan homes.

State Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) is championing House Bill 4593 which would allow residents to feed wild animals recreationally regardless of any policy issued by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or Natural Resources Commission.

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“Here in Northern Michigan, we have a great deal of avid outdoorsmen and women,” said Borton in a press release. “Folks should be able to feed animals without retaliation from the government [and] my plan protects residents simply hoping to enjoy nature.”

Under the plan, wildlife and bird feeding would be allowed under three conditions:

  • Feed must be placed either to view animals recreationally or to prevent them from starvation;
  • The feed must be located within 300 feet of a residence;
  • Not more than two gallons of feed may be placed, scattered or distributed at one time.

The plan is a re-introduction of HB 4088 of 2021. That bill received bipartisan support in the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Feeding birds is not illegal in Michigan, but it is against the law to use a bird feeder that attracts deer or elk. Current DNR rules could net residents a $500 misdemeanor or a felony after the third violation.

The Michigan United Conservation Clubs opposes House Bill 4593 and views it as a way to skirt current feeding laws in place for disease management.

“Feeding white-tailed deer and elk while chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis continue to be present in our wild deer herd is like slapping science in the face,”  said Nick Green, spokesperson for MUCC, told Michigan News Source. “Research has shown us that feeding cervids is an additive risk to disease prevalence and spread.”
MUCC, which is a nonpartisan grassroots conservation organization, has opposed the baiting and feeding of white-tailed deer since 2008 in the Lower Peninsula. It does support supplemental feeding in the Upper Peninsula during brutal weather years.