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Drivers in the Sisters country need to keep their eyes on the edges of the
roads in the coming weeks as the annual mule deer migration gets underway.
Deer are beginning to move from lower elevations into their higher summer
ranges, crossing highways -- and sometimes running afoul of traffic.
"The kill rate is starting, but it isn't high," said Arlene Thomas of the
Oregon Department of Transportation.
That may be because the migration, which is often in full swing in early May,
is of to a late start this year.
State wildlife biologist Steve George believes that the wet spring has kept
deer on their winter range where grass is still green and feed conditions are
good. That means the large-scale migration will be coming in the next few weeks
as conditions dry out and deer head for the hills.
A collision with a deer is obviously not good for the deer, but it can be very
serious for the motorist, too.
"It's almost always way over $1,000 in front end damage," Thomas said.
Thomas said motorists who hit a deer should notify ODOT who will either
dispatch state police to handle the situation or send crews to remove the deer
from the road.
Under most circumstances, she said, it is best not to try to move the deer. She
cautioned that it can be very dangerous to approach an injured deer.
"Their feet are very sharp and if they are still able to kick you could cause
yourself some serious personal injury," she said. Even deer who appear to be
dead may not be, Thomas noted. If a deer's eyes are closed -- even if it is
motionless -- it is still alive and potentially dangerous.
George said that deer can be traveling singlely, in small groups or in herds of
10-12 animals. If one deer crosses a roadway, a motorist "should always expect
to see more to come," George said.
Both Thomas and George noted that deer could be anywhere along the highways in
the area; they don't have established migratory paths.
George said motorists are most likely to encounter deer in the road in the area
about 10 miles east of Sisters and along Highway 20 to the west.
"We see a heavy concentration between Sisters and Suttle Lake," George said.
"Within that area the Indian Ford-Black Butte Ranch area seems to be the peak
area."
Thomas and George agreed that motorists at this time of year need to be extra
cautious, reduce speeds and watch the edges of the road.
