Has the Deer Population Increased in the St. Cloud Area?

I live in south St. Cloud, very near a wooded area.  And when you live by the woods, you obviously will tend to see a lot more woodland animals than you may see somewhere else in a more populated urban area.  But this seems a bit ridiculous.

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THERE ARE SO MANY DEER

Since I leave early in the morning, I tend to see more deer than I do at other times ofthe day.  But this year, the deer are crazy.  They are so comfortable with the neighborhood I live in, that they are just strolling up the sidewalk like a person!  There will be small gathering of deer that will just stand (and poop) in the middle of the lawn and will turn and just look at you if you come outside.  Trying to shoo them away doesn't always work either.  They generally will just kind of saunter off into the woods.  Taking their own sweet time.

BIRD FEEDERS

If you have a bird feeder in your yard, be ready for the deer to just eat all of that for lunch.  Treat time!

Several times when I've been driving in the neighborhood, there will be a pack of 4-6 deer just standing in the middle of the road.  They will just turn and look at you as if to say "yeah, we're standing here... what??" I'm so lucky I haven't hit any of them.  It's kind of crazy.

IS THE DEER POPULATION AXCTUALLY UP

When I did a quick search to see if this is something that the DNR is watching, I found that yes, the deer population is definitely up.

From Wildlife Control 

The rebound of white-tailed deer populations that followed is considered a wildlife management success story.  Today there are over 25 million deer in the United States and numbers are rising.

From the DNR referring to this area specifically

• Statewide Increase: The 2024 Minnesota deer harvest saw a 7% increase statewide from the previous year, indicating a rising deer population.
• Central Region Increase: The central region, where St. Cloud is located, saw a 9% increase in deer harvest compared to 2023 and a 2% increase over the five-year average.

So yes, it does seem that the deer population is definitely up.  Guard your plants!