exactly what has happened with my Sister in law in N.W. New Jersey.
Deer all over all the time.
Bears and muskrats.
Can’t shoot em so they overpopulate and become needy and fearless of people.
And even in areas where deer hunting is still permitted, there is now such a stigma against being a “bambi-killer” that a lot of people have just hung up their rifles and gone on to other activities.
I personally know of this happening in Western Virginia, where some long-term residents have told me that there are fewer deer hunters each year because of the social disapproval with the sport.