ever thought about feeding the wild animals ?

I don't directly feed the wild animals around here (after all, this is the woodlands).  The birds and squirrels get 99% of the fruit from my fruit trees, the deer decimate any plant I don't have a fence around (unfortunately, the rabbits and raccoons don't care about fences), and the bears help themselves to whatever's in the garbage cans.  The mountain lions and foxes prefer meat (chickens, deer, etc.), while the lizards and the neighbor's feral cats feast on the rat population, and the buzzards/ravens clean up any roadkill.

I highly doubt your squirrels and birds are starving.  There's more food out there than one might think.  However, some animals have gotten lazy and prefer to the easy handouts form humans over foraging for food (especially in cities).

Yes, especially in the winter time. 

Not really.  There is a lodge up in the Smokey Mountains called LeConte Lodge.  It is a glorious experience.  It's an eight mile hike up there and a steep five-mile hike back down.  There is no way to get up or down other than by foot and donkey......or it was like that when I was there many years ago.  We had a little cabin but meals are taken in the lodge hall.  It is completely glassed and they throw out all food refuse in the back and the bears are always out there waiting.  I'm sure it is different in many ways there but I know people who have been up there since I was and report it is still a great way to spend a vacation break.


I just took a look at the website (lecontelodge.com) and there are obvious differences with my memories.  One difference is that they use pack llamas now rather than mules.   This post was edited by Thriftymaid at May 12, 2026 9:00 AM MDT