Mama and baby are nothing to fool around with. I know when I am riding my mare in spring I always keep an eye on the elk, moose and deer to make sure I dont get near a youngster. I once got to close to a badgers den who had young, my horse was very quick on his feet but that darn badger got awful close! They can move real fast and she was bent to do damage!

Unfortunately culling is needed because we have totally ruined the balance of things by killing the bigger predators that would handle overpopulation. It's the uprights that have created this problem.

I totally agree. I have lived in this town for over 30 years and the urban deer have been steadily increasing. When I go to my favourite forest park, I see more deer in gardens on the way there than in the actual park. It is so bizarre to see a buck with a big rack strolling down a residential street, checking out the foliage. I have even seen them crossing busy streets at crosswalks - honest! However, a recent pilot project to trap and humanely kill 15 deer in one area generated furious opposition from "Deer Safe BC" and other such groups.

Every one of the 3 times that Gus and I have been charged has been in the beautiful gardens of Government House right in the middle of town...I think you are right, Hillscreek, that the space is so much smaller than they really need that they become extra anxious. They have been known to seriously injure and even kill dogs in some suburban backyards.

Terrier Lover, I never knew there were badgers in North America! I have only seen them in the UK.

They are here in Alberta and you sure don't want to mess with them,

https://d10k7k7mywg42z.cloudfront.net/assets/50abe79bdabe9d5339008120/badgers.pdf

European badgers (meles meles) are a variation of the same family. Becoming a nuisance in UK

http://www.binfieldbadgers.org.uk/about_badgers.htm

As Terrier lover says no predators remain to keep deer population in check. In this area wolves and panthers used to do that job. We still have coyotes but they mainly go for rabbits and such.

Islander I'm amazed at the number of urban deer you see. No wonder they become a danger. They are desperate. 

I'm on the fence here, as I am about anything involving taking a life. On the one hand, the deer help keep the woods trimmed back by stripping low hanging branches on the wood's edge. They are pretty to look at and few things are more precious than watching a newborn fawn discover its legs and frolic around.

On the other hand, ticks are a very big problem and Lyme's disease is rampant here in VA. I know several humans who have damaged hearts thanks to Lyme's. I have a doe that lives in my yard. I see her either napping in the woods or grazing on my lawn or in my garden most hours of the day. I have to flip on the lights and make noise before I let Nikki out on his leash at night because the doe is usually munching on the plants by my front door or out on the lawn at night.

The doe gives birth to two fawns every year, and they stay with her until she gives birth to the next set of twins the following year. I often see families hanging out together in my yard all autumn long, and in the morning and evening, a herd of fifteen migrate from the woods to the neighbor's yard across the street.

Where I live, it is legal to hunt on private property as long as the owner's permission is obtained. I hear gunshots every autumn almost every day and sometimes in the middle of the night, too. As in someone starts target shooting at eleven pm and does not stop until two am. Agh! (My neighbors don't mind shooting off fireworks or blaring stereos or practicing drums at two am. Urgh. I've called the police in the past but the noise always started back up twenty minutes later.) I hate the noise those awful blunderbusses make and Nikki turns into a pacing, whining, antsy, inconsolable ball of nerves every time he hears anything loud and sudden. I have to drown out the noise with music every night during the week of 4th of July because Nikki stays nervous for an hour after the noise stops, and he refuses to go outside to go potty.

So...while I might be in favor of shrinking deer populations, I absolutely deplore guns. Or at least the people around me who have no concern about noise ordinances and littering. (I've found over two dozen beer cans on my property so someone has been trespassing. > )

Personally I wish deer were darted with PZP or some similar birth control like wild horses. There have been efforts made to try to control the tick population by coating deer with insecticides after luring them to a feeding station. Still, I understand that any attempts at controlling the population non lethally would be more expensive and difficult to attempt than giving out hunting permits and letting people have their own fun tromping around in the woods for dinner. There is no easy solution and no matter what is done, someone is going to get ticked off.