A man living on Scaler Court found a dead deer in his backyard. (Preston Mulligan/CBC)

A man who discovered a partially-eaten deer in his Lower Sackville backyard says he believes there are several coyotes in his residential neighbourhood.

Stephen Oake said he heard noises in his backyard at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and thought at first that it was raccoons.

When he was making breakfast later, he looked out the window and saw a full-grown deer ripped apart.

"I didn't get up and bother looking until this morning. I was getting my daughter's breakfast and this is what I'd seen," Oake said.

The deer's tracks and those of what look to be coyote tracks could be seen in Oake's backyard.

He believes there are three coyotes in and around Scaler Court, the Lower Sackville cul-de-sac where he lives.

"There's a lot of kids here. My neighbour's got three girls. I've got a little girl, neighbour has a boy and they're back here playing all the time," Oake said.

"It's not good — and they're smaller than the deer."

Oake's neighbours say they are concerned.

"To see something like this up close and personal in your own backyard is alarming when you consider our children and all the children in the neighbourhood play here on a frequent basis," said neighbour Stephen Timmons.

The Department of Natural Resources went to Oake's home Tuesday afternoon to clean up the carcass.

"Coyotes hunting — that's natural behavior. So it's not really cause for alarm. It's not uncommon that you do get coyotes in urban areas," said Butch Galvez, a wildlife technician for the department.

This deer was found in Stephen Oake's backyard on Tuesday. (Preston Mulligan/CBC)

People in the area say it may be time for the department to lay some traps, saying if there are coyotes in the area, they don't want them near their children.

The department said it has no intention of setting up any traps there, but said the matter will be reviewed.