SAULT STE. MARIE, MI (AP)-- The state is letting people feed deer in the southern Upper Peninsula because heavy early snowfall is making it harder for them to survive the winter.
Officials say the feeding can start Wednesday.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is issuing permits for the special feeding. It covers Delta, Dickinson, Iron, Mackinac, Menominee and Schoolcraft counties and parts of Chippewa and Marquette counties.
The state permits supplemental feeding in the southern U.P. when heavy early snow suggests deer will experience winter stress. It normally allows feeding January 15 through May 15 in the Lake Superior snow belt.
DNR wildlife supervisor Terry Minzey says this winter "has started out substantially more severe than last winter," which saw heavy deer losses.