SILVER SPRING, MD—Deer breeding season runs from mid-October to January, with peak activity during the first three weeks of November. The Montgomery County Department of Parks and the county’s intra-agency Deer Management Work Group cautions drivers about the increased risk of accidents this time of the year as deer are more active than usual and less wary of their surroundings.
“With the time change this past weekend, too, the peak of the evening commute is well into dusk—a time where deer are especially active and can be difficult to see,” said Rob Gibbs, natural resources manager for the Montgomery County Department of Parks and chair of the county’s Deer Management Work Group.
Drivers can take caution and reduce their risk of a deer-vehicle accident by driving the speed limit, reducing their speeds below the limit at night and especially during precipitation or fog and scanning the roadsides for the eye shine of deer. Drivers should also keep the following in mind when driving in deer country:
– Deer are most active at dawn and dusk.
– Watch for deer where roads pass through wooded or rural areas.
– Deer crossing signs indicate where heavily used deer trails cross roadways; so slow down and watch for deer.
– Take extra caution during high deer activity seasons, such as now through January, breeding season; and May and June when yearlings are seeking new territories.
– Deer usually travel in groups. If you see one cross the road, slow down and take caution, more are likely to follow.
According to the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group’s fiscal year 2008 report, which was released in June, deer-vehicle collisions in the county continue to slowly decline. Last year, Montgomery County Police Department data reports 1,951deer-vehicle collisions in the county, down slightly for the fourth year in a row. The county’s parks department actively manages deer populations in county parks through controlled managed hunting and Park Police-based sharpshooting.
For more information on deer, visit www.mc-mncppc.org/environment/deer.
# # #
Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
(301) 650-2866