Deer make roadways hazardous for motorists

Spring may be when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love, but fall is when deer start entertaining romantic notions -- which can often prove fatal.

With the state's and the nation's deer population growing -- the most recent Missouri count is at 1 million -- the number of car/deer collisions also increases. According to figures from Response Insurance Co., car collisions with deer account for more than 150 human deaths and nearly 1.5 million deer fatalities nationwide.

Most collisions occur between October and December, when deer are most active. By fall, fawns born the previous spring are weaned and foraging for food. Does are feeding more to recover from weight lost during the time they were nursing their fawns. Both fawns and does still travel in groups looking for items rich in starch and carbohydrates, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Fall is also when bachelor groups break up and yearlings and older bucks begin traveling looking for food and for does. During the fall rut, bucks are struck by vehicles more frequently than at other times of the year, according to the conservation department.

"Collisions between vehicles and deer occur throughout the year, but deer are more active during the fall," said Joel Brunsvold, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. "Motorists on country roads, interstate highways and even urban thoroughfares need to be on the lookout."

Local conservation agent Phil Helfrich said motorists who drive on two-lane rural roads should be especially watchful, especially in the early morning and early evening hours when deer are more active.

"You just have to really slow down," he said. "Slow down at night and drive carefully. If you're barreling along and a deer pops up, there is no margin for error."

An adult deer can weigh more than 200 pounds. A car hitting a deer can not only kill the deer, but incur on average $2,000 worth of damage to the vehicle.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160