"It's just sad. I don't like to see deer suffer like that," says Gabe Seibt who owns White Gold Deer Feed and is willing to help the deer that are starving to death on a large piece of fenced private property in Independence Township near Clarkston.
But Seibt would need permission from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the property owner.
On Wednesday, 7 Action News reporter Kimberly Craig made repeated calls to DNR officials, hoping for an interview on the situation, more information, and to find out if Seibt could be granted permission to help feed the deer while a long term solution is reached.
So far, our latest messages to the DNR have not been returned. But, on Tuesday, a DNR representative said they are aware of problem that continues to worsen, and they are trying to work with the property owner to open up a gate so that the deer can exit.
Some people who live in the area say years ago the owner of the property erected a fence around a large portion of it and for some time the deer could come and go, but now an entry point has been overgrown and is impassable.
The DNR acknowledges that the deer cannot leave the property because there's no opening and the deer are not healthy enough to jump the six-foot high fence.
And the deer have been inbreeding and multiplying.
"I've been a deer hunter for years, and they're totally not being fed," says Todd Egres who lives nearby. "There's no food whatsoever for them here."
Many think it's too late to just open the fence so the remaining deer can walk out because some are in need of medical attention and they fear they'll cause vehicle accidents.
"You'll be having deer, like dogs, running up to people and out in traffic," says Egres. "It would be ludicrous."
Kimberly Bond, who also lives nearby, says she's been trying to raise the alarm on the situation for months. She says she once counted over 30 dead deer on the property.
Bond has also watched deer collapse and die right in front of her.
"On a daily basis you can come by the fence here and see it happening," says Bond who is hoping the deer that can be saved will be moved to a sanctuary.
