Wildlife Officials: Watch Out For Deer This Fall

State and local officials are urging drivers in suburban areas to keep an eye out for deer this fall as mating season pushes more animals into contact with humans, increasing the likelihood of dangerous collisions.

Sonja Christensen, a deer biologist with the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said deer are much more visible during the mating season, called a "rut," which peaks around this time of year. Male deer, which can weigh more than 200 pounds this time of year, are particularly prone to wandering around wooded areas and suburban areas is search of does.

"They're much more focused on breeding than getting out of the way of vehicles and people and such," she said.

Christensen said suburban drivers should be especially vigilant around dusk and dawn, when deer tend to be most active, and particularly in areas near rivers or where brush grows close the roadway.

Biologists have seen significant growth in the Eastern Massachusetts deer population over the last 10 to 15 years, according to Christensen. She said deer may be moving into suburban areas in part because in provides they provide shelter from hunters, who serve as the animal's only real predator in Massachusetts.

The state now estimates there are 85,000 to 95,000 deer across Massachusetts, many of them in suburban areas. Wildlife officials tried to control the population through a deer management program, which allows for three carefully regulated hunting seasons.

"There aren't many natural predators for them in the landscape any more," Christensen said.