Factors Impacting Urban Deer Population
From Tastier Yards to Climate Change
Seeing a deer in an urban yard used to be an unusual sight. Not anymore. These days, finding wildlife in the city has become more and more common, and several different reasons are behind the movement of deer populations in urban spaces.
Shrinking Forest Space
This is probably the biggest reason we're seeing deer in the suburbs and cities these days. They simply are running out of other places to go. Lack of living space and food sources will have an effect on any animal populations and usually means we start to see wildlife in new places. And when the forests are cleared out to make room for more urban development, that just adds to the problem since you are now putting houses right where the deer are used to spending their time.
More Appealing Yards
Not too long ago, the typical yard contained well-trimmed turf, a handful of bedding plants and a plastic flamingo or two. Not really enough to draw a deer out from the safety of the woods. Today, people are embracing more creative landscaping, including the return of the backyard vegetable garden. With all this added food around, it's no wonder that deer are moving into the city to investigate. Trendy water features like fountains or ponds serve up a nice source of clean drinking water too.
You can also add in the latest organic gardening movement, which is leading homeowners to stop spraying everything with chemical fertilizers and weed-killers. That just means better tasting plants for deer.
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Deer Are Becoming Less Fearful of Humans
Maybe not completely fearless, but as more and more encounters happen between homeowners and deer, they are learning to be less afraid of people. And that means they are more comfortable wandering around urban yards, even when people are nearby. Each generation learns from the one before, and deer are adjusting to sharing their space with us.
Climate Change
Warmer winters in some areas mean that more deer survive the season than they used to, leading to larger populations overall. They have no choice except to spread out, and when combined with shrinking territory, that means they start to venture into new city areas.
Keep in mind, these are all factors that create a larger picture when it comes to deer. No single reason is bringing them into urban spaces, and whether or not your city yard is a target depends on how these variables fit into your area. If you do start to see them, you can easily protect your space with scented repellent products that spook them into thinking there are predators nearby. Deer may not be afraid of people in the city, but they do still avoid coyotes (or at least the scent of them).
