State Representative Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) announced that the bill he is carrying in the House to permit the supplemental feeding of deer passed and now goes back to the Senate for concurrence on an amendment. The University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute in consultation with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine will conduct a study on the effects of the supplemental feeding.
“This supplemental feeding of deer cannot be conducted during hunting season to bait deer for easier kills,” explained Rep. Brad Halbrook, a member of the Agriculture and Conservation Committee. “We don’t know what the long-term impact might be for the wild deer population in Illinois which is why we want a study conducted on this pilot project.”
The University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute shall, subject to appropriation, conduct a study for a period of at least five years on the health and social effects of supplemental deer feeding on the wild deer population outside of any Illinois deer hunting season. The study will also look at whether supplemental deer feeding affects the risk of disease transmission in the deer population.
The study’s findings and any recommendations will be submitted to the Department of Natural Resources, to be posted on its Internet website, and the General Assembly in a report no more than 180 days after the completion of the study.