Joel is right, I've read several articles on Baiting/feeding deer and after some studies they all conclude it's bad for deer to congregate for food.
The biggest concern is CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease)
YES deer naturally congregate for food but a pile of food isn't natural and deer shouldn't be concentrated into such a small feeding zone.
* Baiting and Feeding causes unnatural concentration of deer
* Disease course and symptoms indicate high potential for transmission where deer are concentrated
experts in CWD, wildlife disease and deer nutrition support bans on baiting and feeding as part of a
comprehensive strategy to prevent and/or manage CWD.
Under a baiting and feeding ban, disease outbreaks are more likely to be smaller in scale and more apt to be
contained or eliminated. With the long CWD incubation period and other factors that make discovery of a new
outbreak difficult, an outbreak that is already widespread when detected because of baiting and feeding may not be
able to be contained or eliminated.
CWD is similar to mad cow disease in cattle and
scrapie in sheep
CWD is known to infect free-ranging deer and elk in areas of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, West Virginia, and Saskatchewan. It has been diagnosed in deer and elk in game ranches in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Kansas, New York, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan
I don't think anyone wants CWD present in their Deer or Elk, So far Vermont has never had to deal with CWD (Thank God) but Vermont
and the other non-infected states are not immune to the disease...
(Vermont has strict laws on Baiting/feeding) maybe that's why we haven't been affected with CWD thus far...
I also don't believe it's just a CWD issue, like Joel said when the deer congregate and can't find that "bait" no longer they have to browse, a deer needs to store a lot of body fat to survive the harsh northern winters If the deer is forced to browse for food because the bait isn't there any longer that causes it to burn off a lot of that needed fat putting that deer at high risk for starvation or freezing to death throughout the remainder of winter.
The law is still the law, IF your state allows baiting/feeding then you're within your right to bait or feed as you wish, I personally don't have any disrespect or Ill thoughts about anyone that does it as long as it's legal in the area they do it in. I just think hunters should be aware there are risks involved when baiting or feeding deer.