MOTORISTS WARNED TO WATCH FOR DEER IN MISSOURI, ILLINOIS

A deer wandered through a high school parking lot, made its way into downtown Centralia, Ill. and jumped atop a car at an intersection before jumping through a living room window into a house, where it was killed.

The Missouri Highway Patrol reported that a woman suffered minor injuries when her car struck a deer on a rural road three miles south of Scott City early one morning.

It's spring and, as in autumn, motorists are advised to watch out for deer.

"Although many deer-vehicle collisions occur when deer are seeking mates during the fall, spring is the fawning season when females prepare to give birth and their yearlings leave to strike out on their own," said Brent Manning, director of the Illinois Department of Conservation.

"Deer are quite active during May and June," said Manning. "Motorists should scan the roadways."

"Probably a fourth of the deer-vehicle accidents are reported in Missouri during November," said Dave Berringer of the Missouri Department of Conservation research development center in Columbia. "But a lot of deer are moving during May and June."

Conservation officials say shrinking natural areas, open spaces in suburban areas, and increasing deer numbers are making deer encounters more common.

"If you come across deer in your backyard or other urban settings, try to minimize disturbing them," cautioned Berringer. "Deer can become frightened and bolt into traffic -- or jump into plate glass windows -- if you try to herd them or otherwise disturb them. Usually deer that have found their way into town will find their way out if they are left alone."

Deer are usually more-often seen during early morning hours and about dusk.

Figures compiled by the Illinois Department of Transportation show that statewide more than 16,000 deer-vehicle collisions, resulting in six human fatalities, were reported during 1992, the most recent year for which annual statistics are available.

Many of those accidents occurred in May and June.

"About 1,000 of the deer accidents were reported each of the two months," said Manning. "A majority of the accidents happened between 5 p.m. to midnight and between 5 to 7 a.m.

IDOC specialists say that November is the month typically recording most accidents, with about 4,500 deer accidents occurring, followed by October and December, with about 2,000 each.

In Missouri, DOC statistics show that about one fourth of the deer-vehicle accidents reported each year take place in November.

"One of the biggest factors is that November is the prime month of the mating season," said one deer biologist. "The deer are constantly on the move."

During the November deer-hunting season even more deer are on the move.

"Deer favor tracts with brush or forests, and usually do not travel alone," said Berringer. "Motorists seeing one deer should anticipate that more are nearby. Motorists also should be aware that deer may cross roadways in a single file, and one at a time.

Drivers seeing deer along a road should reduce speed and sound the car's horn in short bursts.

Manning said that if deer are spotted in the road at night, motorists should blink lights from bright to dim. However, if deer are seen at night off the side of the road, headlights should be left as they are because a change in brightness might cause the animal to alter its path toward the road.

Berringer said no one has found an effective way of stopping deer from running in front of vehicles.

Deer whistles attached to the fronts of vehicles, producing ultrasonic frequencies that repel deer and other animals, may or may not help. To date, scientific studies do not support manufacturers' claims of reduced accident frequency.

Missouri is experimenting with deer reflectors.

"Reflectors are being placed along roads in wooded areas designed to reflect headlights back off the road so deer will see them," said Berringer. "We're hoping this will keep the deer from jumping onto the roadway."

The reflector project is only a year old, and no statistics are available on results.

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

The closest Illinois regional office is at Benton, (618)-435-8138. The nearest regional office in Missouri is at Cape Girardeau, (314)-290-5730.

"One of the safest measures is to drop your speed to a more manageable speed if you're in a known deer area," said Berringer. "If you see a deer, dim your lights immediately and honk your horn."

Berringer warned against swerving to miss deer on the highway. "A lot of insurance companies report that motorists could be more seriously injured if the car is swerved into traffic or runs off the roadway and strikes a tree, he said.