DEER: COLLISIONS WITH CARS INCREASING

When it comes to driving this time of year, failing to keep a careful lookout could cost a motorist "deerly."

Deer-vehicle collisions in Cape Girardeau are up. From October to Tuesday, motorists reported hitting seven deer, said Cape Girardeau Police Sgt. Al Moore. Last year motorists reported hitting only two deer within the same time period, he said.

So far this month, by Tuesday, motorists have struck three deer, compared with none over the same time period in 1990. Two of the deer hit this month were reported hit Sunday evening. Police reported the accidents Sunday at Kingshighway and Southern Expressway and at the junction of Interstate 55 and Kingshighway.

The year-to-date total for deer reportedly hit in the city in 1991 as of Tuesday was 13, down one from the same time period last year, Moore said.

Missouri Conservation Department official Dennis Steward said motorists need to be especially wary this time of year because the bucks are breeding. Deer numbers are also the highest right before the deer hunting season, said Steward, regional supervisor for the department's southeast regional office in Cape Girardeau.

Firearm deer hunting starts Saturday. Conservation officials expect the same number of deer to be killed this deer season as last year's record-breaking 161,141.

"October and November," he said, "are typically the months where we have the most deer hit on the highway."

Moore said the accidents typically happen right at dusk or just before daybreak. But Steward said although the accidents are more likely to occur at night, deer are also seen this time of year moving around during the daytime.

Moore proposed that the number of deer hit recently is higher as opposed to 1990 because of weather conditions earlier this year.

"I think with the weather being so dry, and the crops were poor, the deer probably have to move

more to feed." A lot of small ponds dried up also and the deer must move more to find water, he said.

Whether the number of deer hit in Cape Girardeau was the same as the number killed was unclear. The police department doesn't break the figures down that way.

But Moore said: "Most of the time when a deer gets hit by a vehicle they come out a loser. Not too often will they survive and get away."

The problem of deer being hit by motorists exists in many metropolitan areas, Steward said. The deer, he said, have acclimated themselves to human contact and move closer to town.

"We have plenty of deer right around Cape Girardeau, and one of the reasons is not much hunting is allowed around the city. So about the only mortality they have is getting hit by vehicles."

Steward said motorists are more likely to come across deer in certain areas of the county. He said one main area is on the hill of North Kingshighway in the vicinity of Boulder Crest and the county parks. Several deer are also hit north on Highway 177, he said.

Motorists also hit some deer on Route K past West Park Mall and on Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau, he said. Another area where motorists need to be careful, he said, is on Interstate 55 between Route K and the Jackson-Cape Girardeau exit.

Lonnie Hansen, wildlife research biologist with the conservation department in Columbia, said Tuesday that 76 deer road kills were reported in Cape Girardeau County including the city of Cape Girardeau in 1990. Statewide, deer road kills in 1990 amounted to 8,075.

Deer-vehicle collisions in Cape Girardeau County amounted to 100 in 1989; 122 in 1988; and 79 in 1987.

The number of road kills for the county so far this year was unavailable Tuesday from the department or the Missouri Highway Patrol. Figures were also unavailable Tuesday from the conservation department on statewide motorist injuries or deaths caused by deer-vehicle collisions.

Steward and Moore urged motorists to be careful and on the lookout for deer. Deer eyes, when hit by light, beam green.

"If they see movement or eyes on the side of the road, they need to slow down immediately because deer are unpredictable," Steward said.

He encouraged motorists who hit deer to report the accident to either the sheriff, city police, or the conservation departments. The conservation department is required to fill out a deer death report, he said. Steward said it is also advantageous for motorists to have the accident reported for vehicle insurance.