There have been several accidents involving deer in the last week. Iowa DNR state deer biologist Jace Elliott says farmers have finally been able to get into fields and that’s one thing impacting deer movement.
“There’s a lot of crop harvest going on, and that’s fundamentally changing how deer use the landscape,” he says. “And so as deer are seeking different forms of habitat with the crop harvest, they’re going to be moving more. And that increased movement increases the risk that they’re going to be crossing a road at any given time.”
It’s also the deer breeding season. “Which is also known as the rut. That sort of peaks in November, but as we get closer to that time of year, daily movement rates are going to increase as well,” Elliott says. Elliott says the weather is also going to start playing a factor into deer movement. “A we get some cold fronts, that’s typically associated with higher movement rates as well. And it looks like we’re most of the state, we’re getting a good cold front going into this next weekend,” he says.
He says the deer are most active when the sun is coming up and when it’s going down. “That’s also when our eyesight is a little less acute. And so if you’re driving during those dawn and dusk hours, it’s again extra important to remain vigilant and be scanning both sides of the road. as you’re driving,” Elliott says.
He says you should know the areas where you are more likely to see deer crossing the road. “A lot of Iowa’s habitat that remains is sort of linear. And so it’s more likely to encounter deer when you’re passing through a river bottom or a forested edge as opposed to just open ag country,” he says. “But again, you could encounter a deer really anywhere in the state, theoretically, so it’s important to always stay vigilant,” Elliott says.
A weekend motorcycle accident involving a deer in Clayton County killed one person and left two others seriously injured. There were two other separate motorcycle/deer accidents in Black Hawk County where riders were injured.
