One possible reason for bagging up leaf piles in the winter is rotting leaves can create a perfect environment for bacteria that releases nitrous oxide.
Left unchecked, a large decomposing pile of leaves can release a considerable amount of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, into the air. Next thing you know, you’ve got deer getting high on this naturally occurring nitrous oxide being released.
That’s the premise of what’s happening in the video below. Decomposing leaves in this person’s yard has led to deer getting high on naturally occurring laughing gas.
There are videos on YouTube and Twitter that seem to support the conclusion there are deer getting high in nitrous like a bunch of hippies after a jamband show:
WATCH VIDEO BELOW:
There is no concrete evidence that these are deers getting high on nitrous oxide/laughing gas. But the person who is best situated to make that claim is the one filming the video.
Without testing the deer in a lab setting it’s impossible to say for certain what is happening. But their erratic behavior certainly suggests these are deer getting high on N02.