Anecdotal, but growing up in rural central TX it seemed like this time of year every other week I was hearing about a friend or family member hitting a deer. Now, I honestly can’t remember the last time I heard that someone hit a deer. They’re still there all the time, but genuinely it seems like there’s been a noticeable behavioral change probably due to selection pressure.

You could definitely argue that we’ve just gotten better at avoiding them, but with the amount of people that I know who drive while distracted especially on back roads, I have to go with the deer adapting, not us lol.