ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Deer are out in full force, entering roads and exploring towns more than usual.
This time of year is prime time for deer to come out. One of the reasons is last weeks’ time change since it means deer are now coming out during commute times. Other reasons you may be seeing more deer around includes hunting, mating, and harvest season.
During the fall and summer deer feed in crop fields so when crops are harvested deer are pushed out to other areas.
Mike Wasilco from the Department of Environmental Conservation tells News 8 there are a few ways to protect yourself and try to avoid hitting a deer:
- Keep an eye out for signs of deer
- Reduce your speed in known deer areas
- If you see a deer hit your brakes but don’t swerve
“It’s a lot better to smash into the deer and wreck your car rather than swerve and avoid hitting the deer but then rolling your car into a ditch or going off and hitting a tree and crossing into traffic and get into a head on collision with another vehicle,” said Wasilco.
As for why you may not see them coming Wasilco says sometimes deer run at full speed and come out of trees or tall grass. Other times, one deer may cross the road, then cross back, there may even be more following behind.
The next time you can expect an increase in the amount of deer on the road is during spring when the previous year’s fawns are pushed out on their own because their mom is no longer there to keep them safe.
