$200,000 Spent On Emergency Deer-Feeding Project

GRAND RAPIDS (AP) - A deer hunters' group says an emergency deer-feeding project this year cost about $200,000 to buy and distribute more than 500 tons of deer food.

Officials expected to spend about $170,000. The program was funded by a program that imposes a 50-cent surcharge per deer-hunting license.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association says there was extra urgency this year because of last year's harsh conditions. The group says the winter was so severe that it threatened the survival of many deer in northeastern Minnesota.

The association lobbied for intervention, and the state Department of Natural Resources approved the expenditure.

Nearly 1,000 volunteers distributed feed to about 1,100 sites across 13 DNR-approved deer-permit areas.