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First Posted: 2/28/2014

When times get tough in late winter, deer get a little more bold when it comes to finding food. That means they’ll venture into areas that are usually off-limits, such as backyards.

Braving close encounters with people, barking dogs and traffic, deer can’t resist the easy meals that can be found in a backyard. Two readers recently sent in a bit of proof.

The photo of five deer was taken by a backyard trail camera set up by William Ward in Dallas Township. The photo was taken on Jan. 22 in the evening and shows just how close deer will venture to a house when food is available. Ward got the camera for Christmas and was surprised at how many deer were visiting his backyard.

But Ward’s backyard isn’t the only one in Dallas Township that attracts deer. Dan Downey sent in this photo of two deer feasting on the seed in a bird feeder in December. Downey thought only bears were a problem when it came to bird feeders, but he has since proved that’s a misconception.

Hopefully the long winter will break soon and green vegetation will bring life back to the woods. And when it does, the deer will retreat from the backyards.

Capture anything interesting on your handheld or trail camera? A nice buck, bear, coyote or any other wildlife? We’d love to see it. Each week, we’ll run photos from a reader’s trail camera on the Sunday Outdoors page. Email your photo, along with date and area it was taken (township is fine), and any other details to [email protected].

— Tom Venesky