Deer attacks reported in multiple NC counties, officials say. What’s causing it?

Some deer are turning violent across North Carolina and experts believe humans are causing the dangerous trend, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission says.

Attacks on “innocent bystanders” have been reported in Rockingham, Randolph, Wilkes, Onslow, Iredell and Cherokee counties, and some were serious enough to send people to hospitals, the commission reported in a Dec. 1 news release.

Among the most violent cases: On Nov. 6, a 70-year-old Wilkes County woman was hospitalized after being gored by a buck near her mailbox, and on Oct. 21, an Onslow County woman “suffered a puncture wound to her shoulder and neck and many scrapes and bruises from the deer’s antlers and hooves,” officials say.

Deer attacks on humans are considered rare, because “deer are hardwired to be afraid of humans,” according to the National Deer Association.

However, that is changing in North Carolina due to people illegally keeping deer as pets, or feeding them in the yard, state biologists say.

The end result is a 200-pound wild animal losing its fear of humans.

“In March, a neighbor’s alleged pet deer attacked a man while he was gardening in Cherokee County. The victim was treated at an urgent care facility for a laceration to his lip,” the commission says. “Recently, a deer being fed by residents in a subdivision killed a dog in Iredell County.”

It’s unlawful to keep wild animals as pets in North Carolina, including deer and wild birds.

It’s not against state law to feed them, but that practice can result in the animal being euthanized as community threat, the state says.

“Deer that lose their fear of humans can act in abnormal ways,” state deer biologist April Boggs Pope said in the release.

“That male deer that seemed fine or friendly during the rest of the year can become dangerously aggressive during the rut (mating season). A male fawn that is treated like a pet can become a danger as an adult when hormones surge during mating season. Deer antlers and hooves can inflict serious injuries.”

Deer mating season differs from one end of North Carolina to the other. “Peak conception” dates range from October along the coast to December in the mountains.

Instances of menacing deer or cases of people keeping deer as pets can be reported via the state’s “Wildlife Hotline” at https://www.ncwildlife.gov/connect/have-wildlife-problem.

This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Deer attacks reported in multiple NC counties, officials say. What’s causing it?."