It’s about a half-month from the start of deer mating season, which can cause havoc on the highways and a backup at the body shop.
Deer rut is just around the corner, meaning bucks with no regard for traffic laws will start running out in front of cars soon.
Tom Glick, Kansas parks and wildlife biologist, said it would soon be time to start watching the sides of the roads.
“I haven’t seen too many bucks lately,” Glick said. “But as it starts getting cooler, we’ll see them out a lot more.”
Glick said the overall number of deer were declining and would continue to decline, thanks to efforts to keep numbers at a manageable number.
“There will still be enough running around,” Glick said.
According to a release put out by Response Insurance, the high season for car crashes with deer runs from October through December. Every year, those wrecks account for more than 150 human and nearly 1.5 million deer fatalities.
Response tips to avoid deer when driving:
• scan a wide swath on the roadside. Slow down when approaching a deer standing near the side of the road and be prepared. If startled, the deer can bolt onto the road and into your path. If necessary, honk your horn and flash your lights to scare it away.
• be alert for more deer than you may see at that moment. Where there is one deer, there are often more nearby.
“If you see one, always figure there’s one more behind it,” Glick added. “If you’re not careful, you’ll hit the buck behind the buck you’re watching.”
• in many instances, it is best not to swerve around the deer since the deer may move in the same direction. You may also inadvertently hit another vehicle or go off onto a dangerous shoulder. Unless certain of those road factors, it is often best to simply brake and continue in your lane of traffic.
• be particularly careful at dawn and dusk and when driving either over a hill or around a curve, where visibility is limited. Use your high beams to give you a greater area of visibility and allow you to see the deer’s eyes sooner.
• deer whistles or ultrasonic deer avoidance systems attached to vehicles have never been proven to work by independent studies and may give drivers a false sense of security.
• take deer crossing signs seriously, particularly those installed specifically for this time of year. Be particularly cautious in wooded and agricultural areas where there is little distance between the road and the woods.
“It’s not any different from any other year,” Glick said. “You just have to be careful.”
Kevin Flaherty can be reached at kevin.flaherty@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 Ext. 134.
