Maybe it's the nurturer in all of us. We see something that's cold, weak and hungry, and our instinct is to help.

By throwing food its way.

But when it comes to deer, the decision to feed them during a harsh winter can be a lethal one.

I've fielded more than a few calls and e-mails in recent weeks from people eager to show off photos of their backyards — backyards teeming with deer, deer that they've been feeding. Wondering whether or not we should be encouraging such behavior in the pages of our newspaper (and blogosphere), I called up local wildlife biologist Keel Kemper.

"We should absolutely discourage it," Kemper told me.

From the risk of life-threatening disease to the risky act of domestication, we should remember that deer — no matter how serene they appear — are still wild animals, after all. And, as you can read more about in Wednesday's "Outdoors Journal," wild animals should stay wild.

It's like being at the zoo: Don't feed the animals.