Watch Out For Deer!

By Doug Geed

    I admit it, I was one of them. One of those tourists who loved spotting a deer on the side of the road or grabbing a bite to eat in someone's yard. And while they still are beautiful animals to look at, I've become all too familiar with the damage they can cause. They can literally wipe out a farm or a vineyard or a nursery, not to mention a neighborhood filled with flowers and shrubs. Deer damage to the agriculture industry is a story unto itself.

  But I want to talk about the other kind of damage deer can do -- to a car. November is mating season -- or "rutting" season as it's called. And since the deer have only one thing on their mind, they can run out into the road in an instant. In the small town of Southold alone, on the North Fork, they average more than 200 deer-car accidents in November, the busiest month.

    And these are serious accidents. On average, they cause anywhere from 15-hundred to 5-thousand dollars damage to the vehicle. There was also a fatality -- someone on a motorcycle.

    Bob Jester -- a well-liked and well-respected science teacher at Riverhead High School says he's had an accident in each of the past three Novembers involving a deer. And he says no matter how carefully you drive, he echoes what all other deer accident victims seem to say "he just APPEARED."

    A close friend of mine hit a deer driving in Connecticut once and I can tell you, it is very, very scary stuff. So, especially at dawn and dusk, if you're driving anywhere in eastern Suffolk, take it nice and slow -- make sure those seat belts are on -- and keep your eyes open -- wide!