Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- Deer sightings in city backyards seem to be more common these days and it appears to be a trend that will continue to grow.
There are all sorts of signs as you drive down city streets in Syracuse, but around Meadowbrook, signs warning of deer are starting to pop up. Deer have been surprising neighborhood residents like Susan Klenk more often than ever before.
Klenk says she often sees deer in her backyard and was surprised to come home to “three very plump” deer in her driveway just a couple of days ago.
During the day, Klenk says she can see why they’ve been stopping by. Several of her plants have made for some good eats.
“They’re not across the street; they’re on my side and the possibility of a little deer run in my backyard doesn’t make me very happy,” Klenk said.
People who've been studying this at SUNY ESF say there have been pockets of deer inside the city for many years -- like in and around Oakwood Cemetery -- but now what's happening is that these small groups are starting to merge together.
As more avenues open up for the deer, making it safer to move into these areas, the deer population will continue to expand into areas where people don’t traditionally see them, according to SUNY ESF’s Brian Underwood.
As they do Underwood says people will have to get into the mindset of checking pets and children for ticks when they come in from outdoors. Underwood says there’s not much to stop deer from showing up once they’ve started coming around.
"They're going to have to get used to fences. Don't bother with repellants, none of them work. They work once until the deer figure it out,” Underwood continued.
Underwood says longer term it will be up to people like city planners to figure out how to deal with the spreading of deer into more and more city neighborhoods.
