In suburbia, it's a wild, wild life

Yet federal data run contrary to some state and local findings. One big surprise: Reported deer damage to property is falling. It reached the second lowest level in a decade last year with 902 cases - down 73 percent from its 1997 peak. Health and safety cases involving deer also sank to a 10-year low. More people ask federal officials for technical assistance with bats and squirrels than with deer.

But state officials beg to differ.

"That's not what's happening here," says Ms. Larson of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. She says deer-car collisions are often not well reported. Commissioner Campbell in New Jersey also cites that state's challenge with deer populations.

Federal officials say this particular statistic could be misleading because deer populations are still growing. So a lesser number of cases could simply mean that more people have just given up calling for help, says the Wildlife Service's Mr. Hudson.

Rebounding deer populations have had a major unintended effect, at least in the western US. Deer in suburbia are luring their predators as well, scientists say.

In Boulder, Colo., mountain lions have even entered the city to prey upon deer.

"We had mountain lions coming six blocks into the city limits at night with some regularity," says Jim Halfpenny, one of the nation's foremost authorities on mountain lions, who studied their interaction with human populations in Boulder in the 1990s. "We had deer kills within the city limits.... Mountain lions are quite willing to live near people and they habituate very quickly, although most of the time people have no idea they're around."

When lions come into a community hunting deer, they may consider people to be legitimate prey, too. A mountain lion killed a runner near Boulder in 1991. This past January, a lion killed a mountain biker in the foothills of Orange County, Calif., and attacked another. To the north near Kernville, Calif., another lion mauled a hiker in June.

Nationally, mountain lion health-and-safety cases peaked at 435 in 1999 and have dropped by half since then. But that hasn't cooled the debate in California.

Some argue that hunting lions is needed to keep them wary of people. Dr. Halfpenny, however, says only a reduction in the number of deer inside city limits will really help. Also, homeowners need to understand better that they are living in the wild.

"People should learn how to lion-proof their yards," he says. "If you live in predator country, you have to predator-proof your yard. If you jog, don't jog alone - and consider carrying bear spray."

He recommends clearing underbrush in a yard so nothing can sneak up. Take the barbecue and pet food inside. Lights in the yard are a good idea. And don't let young children play in the yard by themselves, he says, particularly at twilight.

Back in Massachusetts, Mr. Shelffo will long recall his brush with a moose. He decided not to get his camera after all. Instead, he approached within a few feet of the moose, who then lurched away and around the far side of his garage, plodding into the brush and trees behind his house. "After a few moments he just blended in," he says.

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