News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Deer migrating to their summer range in the Sisters country must run a gauntlet of highways, crossing open pavement and dodging hurtling cars. Many don't make it.
"Boy, they're just getting slaughtered out there," Sisters Police Lieutenant Rich Shawver told The Nugget.
This is the most intensive period of summer deer migration, according to wildlife biologist Steve George of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. From now until mid-June, deer will be moving in large numbers from the northeast to southwest, heading for higher, cooler climes.
That can mean trouble for motorists.
Shawver said a motorist who hits a deer should not hesitate to use a cell phone to call 911 if the animal is blocking traffic.
"It's a potential traffic hazard and we want to make sure that we take care of those as quickly as possible," Shawver said.
The lieutenant noted that a motorist must file an accident report of there is more than $500 in damage from a collision, or if any person is injured. He also emphasized that wearing seatbelts can be a life-saver in a collision.
Shawver doesn't recommend that motorists dispatch an injured deer.
"I would let law enforcement do that," he said.
George said that drivers in the Sisters country should be especially alert east of Sisters to Fryrear Road and west of town to Suttle Lake. That area is a migration corridor for mule deer.
George cautioned that drivers should not rely too heavily on devices like whistles attached to bumpers.
"Sometimes what it does is give people a complacent effect," George said. "The best defense is to make sure you're alert all the time."
Motorists should keep speed down, Shawver and George agreed. And if a driver sees one deer, he should assume there are more. Young deer will cross right in front of traffic to keep up with a herd that has already crossed a roa
d.
The annual migration, which is repeated in reverse in November and December, costs the herds dearly.
Though ODF&W doesn't keep specific numbers on roadkill, George estimated that roadkill can account for as much as 20 percent of annual deer production in the area
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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