Anybody here have advice about how to deal with these damned animals?
We live in a small city in the eastern U.S. state of Maryland, just a few blocks from the city center. We are visited daily and nightly by anywhere from one to a half dozen "urban deer"—animals that have become so accustomed to humans that they are essentially oblivious to them. They are voracious, and have gobbled up many of our expensive shrubs and flowering plants.
Our house is situated at an intersection. One of the streets is a major thoroughfare into the town. The adult deer—I am not making this up—look both ways to check for traffic before attempting to cross the street. A friend told us she read a newspaper story a while back about a family of urban deer that would wait patiently each morning near a house not far from us until the residents left for work, then march into the yard for breakfast. Maybe apocryphal, maybe not. Having seen these critters in action, I'm not discounting the story.
They ignore the deer repellent I spray on our foliage. A fence high enough to keep them out is not feasible because of city code restrictions. A large outdoor dog would do the trick, of course, but we don't want the complication of caring for a pet.
When we catch the deer in our yard, my wife runs out and shouts at them. They mostly look at her quizzically—a bit irritatedly, perhaps, and typically stand their ground. I usually shoot a few pictures before getting my electric leaf-blower out of the garage and making enough noise to frighten them off. It mostly works, but it's a temporary expedient. They're a major nuisance to us; we're a minor nuisance to them.
They're cute, especially the fawns. The attached snaps were made this evening before we managed to chase away this trio. But I know they'll be back as soon as they know the coast is clear.
