Jim,

I'm not sure what you are trying to say? There are regions within the US where crops will out perform feeders, but there are those regions where feeders will out perform crops.

In Texas for example, the winter months can be just as brutal as states covered in snow. With the absence of moisture, that region's wildlife has nothing to eat. Texans use feeders year round to sustain their wildlife (not restricted to just deer). Sure, wildlifegrabs whateverit can wherever and whenever it can get it, but without supplemental feeding much would die.

Here's a pretty cool link. It appears the deer population for Pennsylvania is twice that of the winter carrying capacity:

(http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/deer/pdf/Management__Plan6-03.pdf)

It also appears the deer population in that state seems to be on the rise.