My neighbor feeds deer at the property line, and they now cross my yard every evening. How do I focus on the behavior I can prove?

At dusk, my neighbor pours a bucket of corn near the trees between our yards.

Within half an hour, several deer usually arrive. They eat beside his fence, then wander through my side yard on the way back to the wooded lot. Fresh shoots have disappeared from two garden beds, and hoofprints cross the soft ground near our patio.

I cannot prove which deer ate which plants. Deer passed through the neighborhood before the feeding began. What changed is the routine. They now gather at a predictable point beside my property every evening, and their path often continues through mine.

I asked the neighbor whether he could move the feed farther from the line. He said the deer belong to everyone and that he enjoys watching them with his grandchildren. He also said my plants would be eaten regardless.

That response pushed me toward an argument I do not want. I am not claiming ownership of wildlife or promising that moving corn will protect every flower. I am asking him to stop creating an attraction directly beside our shared boundary.

I also do not want to give wildlife-management advice based on guesses. There may be local rules or guidance about feeding, but I have not checked. My first conversation should not rely on a threat I cannot support.

The situation is emotionally uneven. For him, the evening visits are a family pleasure. For me, they mean altered movement through the yard and a garden I am starting to redesign defensively. He sees the animals from his window. I receive the path they take afterward.

I am considering documenting the feeding location and the evening route for a week, then making one specific request: stop placing feed near the line while we both consult local wildlife guidance. If he refuses, I can seek authoritative information without pretending the outcome is already decided.

Would you ask him to stop feeding entirely, focus only on moving the location or begin with local guidance before another conversation? How do I avoid overstating causation while still addressing an intentional practice that clearly changed the pattern around our yards?