MOTORISTS URGED TO BE ON LOOKOUT FOR DEER

Lonnie Hansen cringes at the thought of hitting a deer.

"I commute by bicycle," said Hansen, a Missouri Department of Conservation wildlife research biologist at Columbia. "I keep close watch for deer."

Hansen adjusts his riding habits at least twice a year.

"The big time for deer movement, of course, is during the fall hunting season," he said Monday. "But motorists should be cautious during a couple of summer months, too."

Like May, June and into July.

More than 7,600 vehicle-deer accidents were reported in 1995, down a bit from the 8,351 accidents of 1994.

One the most recent deer-vehicle accidents was reported to the Missouri Highway Patrol at Poplar Bluff early Monday: A motorcyclist was seriously injured when his vehicle struck a deer.

Thomas Phillips, 42, of Zalma was traveling north on Highway H about four miles north of Zalma in Bollinger County. The motorcycle struck the deer at the crest of a hill. Phillips was reported in serious condition at Southeast Missouri Hospital Monday.

It was the fourth deer-vehicle accident reported to the Poplar Bluff office within a week.

"This isn't really the peak time for deer movement," said Hansen. But Hanson and Illinois Department of Natural Resources director Brent Manning cautioned drivers to be on the lookout for deer along highways and back roads.

"Spring is fawning season and deer will be quite active through June," said Manning.

"This is also the time of year that yearlings are leaving their mothers," said Hansen. "A lot of deer accidents will involve 1-year-old bucks and does."

The young deer travel long distances.

"They show up in some unusual places this time of year, like the center of town." said Hansen. "And they do stupid things."

If a deer in a back yard is disturbed, it may bolt into traffic or into someone's plate-glass window. "They become disorientated," said Hanson.

Motorists can expect to see deer the remainder of this month. Most accidents take place between 5 p.m. and midnight and between 5 and 7 a.m.

Hansen also pointed out that deer usually do not travel alone. "If a motorist sees one deer, they should anticipate that more are nearby," said Hansen. "Motorists also should be aware that deer may cross roadways in a single file, one at a time."

If deer are spotted along the highway, motorists should reduce speed and sound the car horn in short bursts.

A lot of the accidents between deer and cars are unavoidable. "A deer will come bounding out of a field or woods and slam into the side of a vehicle," said Hansen. But motorists can be more careful, Hansen said. "Some drivers will see a deer by the roadside and never slow down."

Deer accidents have increased in Illinois, from about 12,000 in 1989, to more ten 17,000 in 1994. And in Missouri 7,000 to 8,000 deer accidents have been reported over the past four years.

Officials in Missouri and Illinois attribute the increase in accidents to a modest growth in the deer population and to the encroachment of urban and suburban development into deer habitat.

Deer-vehicle accidents should be reported to local law enforcement officials. The report will help conservationists track the incidence of deer-vehicle accidents.

Motorists who strike deer should stay clear of injured animals. Injured deer have been known to charge. If a deer is killed as a result of the accident, the motorist should contact a conservation regional office within 24 hours, or the next regular working day for accidents occurring on weekends.

The nearest regional office in Missouri is at Cape Girardeau, (314) 290-5730. Illinoisans may call 1-800-406-3477.