Question: Have You Spotted Deer in Your Backyard?

A deer dashing across a roadway is not unheard of on Long Island, but some local residents are surprised just how close these animals are coming. 

Several Patch readers including Hauppauge resident Phyllis Stein reported seeing a deer along Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge, outside the Fourth Precinct of the Suffolk County Police Department. 

Stein said she was driving westbound on Veterans Highway at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, heading towards Commack, when she stopped at a red light outside the precinct and Suffolk County Legislature offices. She noticed a what she estimated to be a young doe along the tree line on the side of the highway. 

"I know we have some concerns with deer along the Northern State Parkway.. but I never expected to see one right there on Vets Highway," Stein wrote. 

There are deer crossing signs in the area, such as along portions of Northern State Parkway and the northern end of Sunken Meadow Parkway. 

But our question is: Have you seen deer near your backyard? Are deer being spotted in the Commack-Hauppauge area near main roadways or your neighbors' house, away from the state parks? 

Tell us in the comments below.