Deer-plosion in Monroe, NY

I have no idea whether it’s similar to the drought-related issues that are pushing black bears into our area, or whether it was just due to a particularly frisky bunch of older deer last Fall, but our area of Monroe, NY is full of deer.

And what makes the deer somewhat unusual is there is no apparent fear of humans.

We went for a hike in Harriman State Park last week and saw a 6-point buck that stopped in his walk from one side of the path to the other.  He stopped, we stopped, he looked at us, we looked at him, and then he slowly wandered further into the woods.

Then perhaps a half mile or so further down the trail, another deer, also totally unworried about the hikers continued eating her dinner.

But I haven’t just seen deer while hiking in the woods.  This morning I went for my morning jog on one of the main streets in my residential neighborhood and I passed within 4 feet of a doe who was standing in someone’s driveway.  She looked at me.  I looked at her.  She didn’t move.  I kept running.  A meeting of females first thing in the morning.

And there is also a family of deer that has been stalking our property.  I chased them away from our plants one day.  Then one morning I opened the back door, and could barely make out a tiny fawn, all curled up and resting on the old leaves in our small patch of woods.  And then I saw the other four members of the family all doing the same thing.

In a few months, it will be hunting season, and I’m sure the deer population will be reduced, at least in areas where hunting is permitted.  However at the moment, I think the best thing to do is to attempt to live together as best as possible.  If the deer are nibbling at our plants, they get scared away, but otherwise, I’ll just ensure I’m careful when driving and I’ll let them nap in my woods.

Be careful on the roads if you find yourself driving through Monroe, NY in the near future!