POUGHKEEPSIE- Hunting season has come and gone in New York State. Legally, that means, with few exceptions for agricultural or scientific purposes, no one can kill a deer until fall of 2020. The deer are safe.
Or are they?
Approximately 65,000 deer vs. vehicle collisions occur annually in New York State. Many, maybe most, of these result in death for the deer, whether it comes quick or slow.
The propensity for deer to jump in front of cars has long baffled motorists.
“I would never intentionally harm a deer,” said Melissa Rathbone, 43, of New Paltz, who has hit three deer with two different cars in the last five years. “I love to watch them in my backyard and try to get close to photograph them, but they won’t let me get within 200 yards before blowing at me and high-tailing it out of there. And yet they seem perfectly content to feed within 10 feet of a road where death machines (ranging from 1-ton compact cars to 40-ton tractor trailers) roll past at terrific speed and uproarious noise. I don’t get it.”
Wildlife biologists say white-tailed deer are attracted to forest edges- open areas where the plants they eat can grow that also offer a quick getaway into cover if a threat emerges. “Roads, particularly the areas adjacent that are trimmed back for ditches, utility access and vehicle clearance, create ideal edge habitat for white-tailed deer,” said Megan Browning of the DEC. “That said, we’re not sure why they wait until your car is right next to them to freak out and jump across the road.”
The answer, according to local deer, is quite simple.
“There are no more wolves and hunting is on the decline,” said a three-year-old, 125-lb doe who resides in a brush thicket approximately 50 yards west of Rt. 9W opposite the Hannaford Plaza in Highland. “Once we get past the dangers of fawnhood, and the excitement of the first blush of youth, our lives can get pretty boring. The thrill of jumping in front of a car and just missing death is a welcome break from the monotony of ‘eat-ruminate-sleep’.”