The snowblower that I bought a few years ago seems like a wise investment now. When I came home with the hulking machine, the question asked by most was why was it so big?

The drifting piles of snow that were waist high in places called for just a machine.

I was watching the winter storms in the warmth of my home when a deer — a small doe — came struggling through my yard. There was no doubt the weather was making her life insufferable and downright deadly.

Humans and wildlife have been hit hard by the recent winter storms. Heavy snow, arctic cold and blustery winds have been brutal for the resident wildlife, which is having difficulty navigating the drifting snow and finding normal food sources.

Deer have been eating just about any browse they can reach at all hours of the day and night. Normally, deer tend to have a dusk-to-dawn feeding and movement pattern.

I knew the weather needed to break soon or the turkey and deer populations were going to take a serious hit.

There always is much debate about the value of humans supporting wildlife with a food supply. Most scientific research and game laws are against such practices for different reasons. However, when wild animals park themselves in your habitat, it's just plain cruel to ignore their plight.

I had the beast of a snowblower fired up and was crunching toward my drive when I was hit with one of my brainstorms: Run the machine across the yard and along the trees.

The deer and turkey make regular pilgrimages to these areas, but now the snow was too deep for them to navigate, let alone find food there. The machine hit the grassy areas and cut a swath of snow right down to the bare grass.

I meandered around the two acres, making trails near browsing areas and to more open areas. If the weather continues, we likely will cut some browse from the higher branches and trim the apple trees, which deer relish.

Over the past week, we have seen nearly 15 deer and dozens of turkeys taking advantage of our hospitality. The wildlife comes and goes at all hours of the day, especially on the broken trails. The winter flock birds don't leave the feeding stations and the mourning doves hang from every limb of the hickory trees waiting for the black oil sunflower seeds.

The other day, a friend asked if doing so can make a difference in the long run. Nature is cruel and has a way of taking out weaker animals, and a winter such as this certainly puts that theory to the test. I couldn't help but think of the deer herd stressing the limits of the habitat looking for understory shrubs and brush to browse.

I know they have found my decorative plantings around the home and have trimmed them back until the shrubs look as if they will need to be replaced as well. But several of my plantings respond vigorously to the cropping action of the deer.

Turkeys concern me the most as they expend way too much energy trying to fight the cold and deep snow. They are regular visitors to our feeding stations and seek water and grit, as well as the grain and seeds.

If you can help out your flocks until the weather breaks, it could be a critical factor for the Butler County population during the next few years. A significant winter kill off could diminish our healthy flocks, and I remember the whenthat sighting even one turkey was an event.

Clear an area of snow in some fields, and in areas of roosts and mast producing trees. Supplement the natural forage with high energy seeds and grains while the need is the greatest.

Jay E. Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.