I did that for years.
Not the smartest thing I ever did.
It is potentially dangerous, as the critters are after all ‘wild’ no matter how tame they act.
But the worst part about it is that they have become so numerous and unafraid, that they now qualify as vermin.
I tease my acquaintances who like to hunt:
“Why do you drive dozens, hundreds of miles, spend a fortune on gear, spend days in miserable weather stalking the poor things, when you could just open the window there and smack one over the head with a 2X4?”
I quit feeding them about 5 years ago, but they still keep coming by, hoping for a handout.
Generational memory I guess; their Momma or Granny must have told them about the the two leg that was always good for an apple, or some corn, carrots etc.
I have wasted $ thousands on shrubs and flowers. They will eat just about anything, even things the nurseries say they won't eat, if they get hungry enough. They run out between parked cars, rush your headlights, clatter down the sidewalks and up the front and back doorsteps in our townhome circle, munching all the way. Their satanic cloven hooves trample the lawn throughout the winter and especially when the ground turns muddy in the spring, depositing weed seeds from elsewhere and destroying the grass on their favorite beaten paths between the end-of-group homes.
Then there are those piles of poo, like little pyramids of miniature cannonballs.
Rats with antlers, I call 'em.