LOL on shortcut! How fun.
My sister lives in a well-developed area (many of the homes around her have been there since the 70s but lots of new ones going up not far away and there’s a main street with various stores about a mile away). I’ve sat on her front porch having coffee in the early morning and seen deer walk across her yard. One time a doe was walking down the middle of the street in front of her house followed by a fawn followed by a buck. Have seen coyotes and what I thought was a wolf, larger than the coyote - hard to tell as it was dark and the only light were the street lights - walking down the street, too.
She also has bunnies in her front yard. Don’t really have a clue where all these animals are coming from. IIRC it’s normally spring or summer. I have deer walking or running across streets not far from me. Almost hit one last year as it just darted out in front of me - slammed on my brakes and was hoping the car in back of me didn’t it me. Was so happy the deer wasn’t it.
She and I both have had bear warnings in our neighborhoods the past few years. I’m in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, so it’s a bit more understandable for my area than hers.
Sounds like your area is similar to ours.
We have deer and elk herds wandering our neighborhood and, honestly, I think they need to be thinned out.
I love seeing the animals but there are so many here that it can be dangerous. I think that here the elk pose the highest danger for humans.
I’ve seen more bunnies the last two years than before and it may have something to do with the disappearance of our foxes. Foxes were common but became overpopulated and then they had a mange epidemic and died out. I miss seeing them. Now that they’re gone, I hope that coyotes don’t replace them. There’s already been one sighted in our neighborhood.
I never thought I’d live in a place where when I go outside at night I’m sure to make noise to run off the wild things! Lol!
I live in town here in southern Indiana and there are deer running the streets, fox, had a wild turkey in my fenced back yard one day, and this is why I’m having hog wire instead of screen in my windows of my new porch in the spring. Did I mention racoons and rabbits.