Do Amherst Deer Have No Fear?

I have lived in Williamsville in the town of Amherst my entire life. If you enjoy seeing deer, it is a wonderful place to live. I see deer on a daily basis and usually within a mile of my home. The main reason we see so many deer is because the town continues to build new homes and develop commercial properties. These animals have lost so much of their former habitats that they have no place to go except for our backyards. Another problem is that Amherst is a non-hunting area so the only way to control the population is with the occasional bait and shoots from the Amherst Police and the cars that kill the deer as they search for new places to live. I have killed one with my van and my son killed one with my wife's car, not to mention all of the close calls we have had throughout the years.

One things that I have noticed over the years is the difference between Amherst deer and regular deer. because many of the Amherst deer live so closely with the residents of Anherst, many of these animals have lost their fear of humans. Sometimes when I am unloading my band equipment after a gig, I will have deer on my front lawn watching me as I take my equipment in the house. many times they are within 20 feet of me. They don't even run when I slam the doors on my truck. they just stand there and watch me. Last month,  when I was unloading my drums from my truck at about 2am, three deer stood on my front lawn watching me. Then two more deer came over from down the street. Then another two came from the side of my next door neighbors house. So there I was, unloading my truck with seven deer watching me without a care in the world. This is the difference between Amherst deer and regular deer.

The picture in this story is from my neighbor's home from yesterday. It was taken by my son Tyler. He had a doe walk up to him and stand about ten feet away.