I was wondering the same. They are always making pests of themselves here by eating my shrubs and I see them in the fields and out my windows. Have not seen one in two months. A rumor is that the coyotes are getting the young, but I have not heard these, even while I know they are around a campground within 15 miles of my house, and how would that affect the mature deer anyway?

I live in a dense suburban borough. There were tracks in the snow in my side yard a few days ago. While going to see a client this week I had to wait in the road for a small herd to move--some how not as romantic as waiting for the sheep herder in Italy!

No matter what zone or area you live in, some "critter" is going to chomp on your prize plants. I moved from a deer area to an area with rabbits, raccoons and muskrats. A gardner must learn to live within the environment.

jarnold