Deer especially dangerous to drivers during ‘rut’ season
Posted on Saturday, November 4, 2006
For cats, it’s catnip; for werewolves, it’s a full moon. But when it comes to deer, it’s a time of year known as “ rut. ”
“ It’s the deer mating season, ” said Bob McAnally, regional supervisor for the wildlife division of Northwest Arkansas. “ They tend to go a little crazy and run all over the place. There’s actually a marked increase in car-deer collisions during rut, which is in late October and November. ”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, crashes involving direct hits or swerving to avoid an animal in the roadway result in about 200 deaths and 26, 000 injuries per year in the United States.
Though typically shy in nature, McAnally said deer tend to be more visible during the rut season.
“ They become less wily than they usually are, ” he said. “ That’s why there’s always such a pick-up in deer-car collisions during this time of year. ”
Because deer have one of the fastest rates of reproduction, McAnally said managing the deer population has become a nationwide challenge.
“ One of the problems, particularly in Northwest Arkansas, is that we typically have plenty of cover to harbor deer, ” he said. “ They can’t be hunted like the deer outside the city limits. We have no control mechanisms. ”
Kevin Lynch, assistant regional wildlife supervisor for the Arkansas River Valley, said deer populations are monitored by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission throughout the year.
“ We do deer censoring throughout the state on wildlife management areas, ” he said. “ We don’t do it outside those areas unless we’re concerned about [overpopulation ] issues. The Hunter Harvest monitors the deer herd and our field personnel utilize incidental deer observation surveys to monitor herds. ”
While monitoring the deer population can provide insight toward potential overpopulation problems, Lynch said it is almost impossible to get an exact count.
“ We use winter spotlight counts on wildlife management areas to monitor trends in deer, ” he said. “ But it doesn’t give you an absolute count. We rarely do direct counts – they’re very expensive and they still don’t provide an exact count. We use biological data to monitor herd health parameters, which can tell us whether deer are below or above a habitat to hold them. ”
McAnally said some cities have adopted new laws to help manage urban deer populations.
“ Certain cities have adopted archery hunts because they’re relatively safe, ” he said. “ You can shoot a bow and it allows some control of deer numbers that way. ”
While rural deer populations are relatively easy to manage, McAnally said urban deer populations are on the rise.
“ One of the most significant problems with the overpopulation of deer in urban areas is the road hazard situation because people can get hurt, ” he said. “ To a lesser extent, it creates problems for people with ornamental plants and gardens. ”
McAnally said deer are typically attracted to the landscape of urban areas.
“ They like the effects people have on the environment, ” he said. “ They open it up and plant things that deer like to eat. ”
While deer typically reside in forested areas, McAnally said they are more visible in urban areas that interface with densely wooded environments.
“ If you’re in deer territory, you should take the normal precautions, ” he said.
Though the deer population in Northwest Arkansas is considered relatively abundant, McAnally said southern portions of the state typically yield higher numbers.
“ The deer population in Arkansas varies with different types of habitats, ” he said. “ Arkansas is very diverse — we have the delta, the coastal plains of southern Arkansas, the Ouachita Mountains, the Ozark Mountains and the River Valley. Every one of these is a little different. The deer population depends on the soil fertility of an area. The Ozark region, for the most part, has a relatively low deer recruitment and that’s primarily due to low soil fertility and lack of vegetative diversity. ”
According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, all regions of Arkansas have whitetailed deer, but the West Gulf Coastal Plains boast the highest deer density and offer 50 percent of the annual statewide harvest. Deer populations in the Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains and the Arkansas River Valley are considered stable to increasing. Despite the high degree of habitat fragmentation through agricultural land use, the Delta supports a moderate deer population because of high soil fertility and high-quality food.
According to a deer harvest report conducted by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, hunters checked 132, 415 deer during the 2005-2006 deer season.
This is a 0. 5 percent increase from the 2004-2005 harvest of 131, 639.
Despite statistical figures, local police say the number of vehicle accidents involving deer has remained stable since last year.
“ From our observations, we haven’t seen an increase in accidents involving car versus deer, ” said Fayetteville Police Sergeant Shannon Gabbard.
Although the police department does not keep a record of accidents specifically involving deer, Gabbard urges motorists to drive with caution.
“ You should always be aware of your surroundings, ” he said. “ Especially when it’s dark outside. ”
Gabbard said deer hunting is not permitted anywhere in Fayetteville city limits.
“ The department hasn’t receive many complaints in regards to hunters trespassing, ” he said. “ If we do, it’s usually on the boundary areas of the city, but it’s not frequent. ”
Gabbard said police receive few deer-related complaints.
“ We’ve actually had a complaint out at Lake Fayetteville that there was a deer stand, ” he said. “ We try to make sure we don’t have a problem out there because it could be dangerous for all the young people who visit that area. ”
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