Hello Stephan,

Thank you for your inquiry and the photos - that is very helpful.  The shrubs are yews and yes they are a bit too large for the space.  While they can be rejuvenated with a lot of work and over multiple years it is probably not worth the effort and they will not look good again for several years.  So, complete removal would be the better option.  Next, you will need to decide if you want evergreen shrubs or maybe deciduous flowering shrubs to replace them.

Some deer resistant evergreen options can be found here: https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2020/05/which-evergreen-shrubs-privacy-are-deer-resistant

This link will take you to a list of a wide variety of shrubs hardy to our zone (Ithaca area) both deciduous and evergreen.  However, deer resistance is not factored into this list: https://woodyplants.cals.cornell.edu/plant/index?PlantSearch%5BbotanicalName%5D=&PlantSearch%5BcommonName%5D=&PlantSearch%5Bsize%5D%5B0%5D=5&PlantSearch%5Bleaves%5D=&PlantSearch%5BbareRootTransplanting%5D=&PlantSearch%5Blight%5D%5B0%5D=1&PlantSearch%5BhardyToZone%5D=0&PlantSearch%5BsoilPh%5D=&PlantSearch%5BsaltTolerance%5D=&PlantSearch%5BcuStructuralSoil%5D=&PlantSearch%5BmoistureCategory%5D%5B0%5D=2&page=1

To then cross reference for deer resistance: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/

Take your photos to a respectable nursery and they may be able to help you pick something out from the wide array of shrubbery out there.

Hope that helps.

Linda Svoboda
Horticulture Program Educator
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County