The population of whitetail deer in North America has risen dramatically in the past fifty years as both predators and hunters have become less numerous. As subruban sprawl pushes human habitation into deer habitats, the animals have responded by adopting the yards and parks as their new homes. With no hunting allowed, and many of the people away from home in the daytime and asleep at night, suburban neighborhoods are de facto wildlife preserves, where the most dangerous natural enemy of deer is the SUV.
There is a group of about a dozen deer that make their home in New Providence, New Jersey, where I live. I often see them on my early morning walks through town, and less frequently during the day. But I was quite surprised to come home one afternoon and find this large doe literally sitting in the brush beside my driveway, not even moving as I parked the car. Fortunately I had the camera handy and was able to snap a few pictures before it calmly wandered off.
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