Seems like deer don’t come around much until later summer. Maybe just my imagination. But when they come around, they are in small herds. I’m in semi-urban area.
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In spring in my suburban area, does seem to stake out territories. So a doe and last year’s fawns (yearlings) will hang out mostly in a large space where they can both browse and bed. That doe will give birth to 1-2 fawns which join the crew. So a family group tends to be 4-5 individuals with no mature males. These territories may overlap but I don’t see multiple family groups in large herds.
On the other hand, in summer bucks hang out in bachelor groups deep in cover. You generally don’t see a mature buck in spring / early summer.
This pattern breaks down in late summer / autumn, when bucks start cruising to check out the available talent – often in small groups. The picture you posted shows a buck in late summer rubbing velvet from its new antlers. And the feeding pattern of the does becomes much less territorial. A flow begins where does and their family groups move each day between nocturnal feeding sites and diurnal bedding sites. This movement happens mainly near dusk (feeding begins) and dawn (bedding begins).
Then during rut, bucks are chasing estrous does and also fighting off male competition. No more bachelor groups. Bucks will pin a doe to one location for a few days so you may then see solitary fawns.
Finally after it is all over, does and their families will mass together in large herds. Bucks will gradually reconstitute their bachelor groups.
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I think they are around pretty much all the time. They may rotate out to a more preferred food source for a while. Like rye or wheat in the early spring or Acorn groves in the fall. When those sources dry up, they come pester us.
I used to raise pumpkins and they love pumpkins. Flowers, leaves and eventually the pumpkins themselves. I would.watch them out in the fields all late summer. I would start to hunt them in late September and they would dissappear for 3 week. They were off feeding on Acorns up on the ridges. Their preferred food of choice by far. Then back to eating pumpkins and nursery stock when the Acorns were gone.
They are around, and they pattern the moon phases to some extent as far as daily activity.
I haven’t seen a deer on my place for about 2 weeks. They are feeding on all my trees at night and I see new damage every day. Anything in their reach without deer repellant on it. Its a lot of pressure.
They only rub your trees from late August until December with certain periods where they go crazy with it. Late August they remove thier velvet, then the rest of the fall it’s about mating, dominance and who gets what girlfriend to some extent.
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They are always here. And more present during hunting season. We are surrounded by hunting clubs. And the deer know more survive by going onto private adjoining lots. Even though we take our share.
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Deer are in my yard year round because there is a wooded area and tall grass for them to hide in and enough food around.
My yard is the “territory” as described by @jrd51 for a couple groups of does and young deer and fawns. I recognize most of the deer (or the groups) that are around this time of year.
Right now, I definitely need cages and fences around every plant I don’t want destroyed.
Most years, in spring and early summer, I only see deer in the morning or at night. This year they’re crazy though. I see them all day, even walking on the road. I think our weather has meant less food for them and they’re having to work harder to browse.
During hunting season, our deer do run away from gunshots. However, everyone here hunts on their property so the deer aren’t selectively congregating on anyone’s land.
In winter, I have deer living in the woods adjacent to my house and I see them out and about, especially dusk and dawn, browsing for food. They will get hungry and strip the bark off trees. I’ve seen them bite at a mature pear tree when they were really desperate. So nothing is really safe even then.
Also, I’ve never seen the deer try to eat pawpaw trees. However, they seem be a favorite for bucks to rub on. So I also end up protecting their trunks.
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My nursery experience with paw paws are they are a magnet for deer rubbing. Their favorites are Tilia aka basswood or linden and tree lilac. Anything is fair game though, but they like soft fibrous bark trees the most.
They never eat paw paw that I’ve seen. If you crush the paw paw leaf you will get a smell of what I would describe as green bell pepper or mango. It’s not a pleasant smell so it may not taste good.