Deer still a danger on highways

Deer congregate on Multnomah's new grass. Photo by Elise Gourguechon

Sisters area drivers need to stay alert for deer on local roads and highways.

Dozens of deer have taken to grazing on newly-planted grass on Barclay Meadows, where Multnomah Publishers plans to build a campus.

That puts them alongside Camp Polk Road, heavily used by residents coming into town from Indian Ford.

Drivers take that stretch of road pretty quickly, and with large numbers of deer in the area, the risk of a collision is increased.

A collision with a deer is obviously not good for the deer, but it can be very serious for the motorist, too. Damage to a vehicle's front end can run over $1,000 dollars and there is even the possibility of injury to the driver or a passenger.

Deputy Kevin Turpen of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office said a deer collision should be treated like any other collision -- police should be called and a report taken.

An injured deer can be dangerous, with sharp hooves and an instinct to kick out and struggle.

"Call us and let us deal with it," Turpen said. "You don't want to be dragging it off the road if you're putting yourself in any danger."

Two more casualties. Photo by Jim Cornellius

As in any collision, a driver should get his vehicle off the road and stay in it. Traffic poses a danger, too.

There has been an increase in collisions in recent weeks.

"I've seen more killed in the last three weeks than I saw all summer," Turpen said.

Turpen noted that deer travel in groups.

"When you see one there are others -- almost guaranteed," he said. "It's almost never the first one that you see that you hit."

While deer fatalities are most frequent on Highway 20 west to the Santiam Pass and east of town to the Plainview area, deer can dart out into the road almost anywhere around Sisters.

Local drivers note some areas as being particularly dangerous:

• Highway 20 between Sisters and Tollgate. Many deer congregate in the Tollgate area where some residents persist in feeding them.
• Motorists have dodged herds of deer on Highway 126 to Redmond just west of Dry Canyon.
• Deer have been killed on Highway 126 just a mile east of Sisters where deer graze on Lazy Z grass (see photo).
• Deer often move across Highway 20 at night near the Sisters Rodeo Grounds.

While winter may slow the movement of deer, there is an added risk of collision due to driving conditions.

Deputy Turpen notes that both deer and vehicles have less traction on icy roads and it takes a lot longer to stop to avoid a collision. Drivers must be vigilant and drive slowly enough to react.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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