Bait is not the answer. Years ago, I was one of the founders of a group called Suburban Whitetail Management of Northern Virginia. Folks in that area are very litigious. Deer were becoming a huge problem and firearm uses was very limited in the suburbs. SWMNV is a non-profit group that matched property owners with deer damage with experienced bowhunters. We ran the bowhunters through extensive training and qualifications and got insurance. One homeowner on a small 5 acre property would be asking us to use nuclear weapons to get rid of deer while the neighbor considered them pets and was feeding them. It was a highly sensitive situation that required great prudence from the bowhunters in the group.
Deer are amazingly adaptable. Deer in the suburbs are different creatures than rural deer. Deer are creatures of the edge. When we develop, we create many edges. We then fertilize lawns and plant landscape. That mix of habitat is great for deer. Food is rarely the limiting factor.
The bowhunting approach is very safe, but it is very slow in changing deer density. It requires dedication and time. Bait is usually pretty ineffective for bowhunting. Nighttime baiting can be effective for sharpshooters, but bowhunting is a short range activity, especially in a sensitive area. We limited bowhunters to 20 yard broadside shots and provided tracking support.
You need dedicated experienced bowhunters that continue to put pressure on deer and harvest every doe that presents a good shot opportunity. You need to avoid "trophy" hunters that focus on bucks. Bowhunting for deer control can be effective but it must cover a fairly large area and can take many years to see results.
In my opinion, bowhunting should be the first like of defense for managing deer in an urban/suburban setting where firearms are not permitted. The key is to keep the pressure on and not letting the population get out of hand. It is much harder, once the population gets too high, to reduce it, than it is to keep it in check with bowhunting.
When the population gets large enough, other short-term measures may be needed like sharpshooting. Another option is to close local parks for a week or two and conduct shotgun hunts with slugs. Don't waste your time on the animal rights options like contraception. It has been tried and failed miserably.
Best of luck!
