Deer mating season puts more bucks on New Jersey roads through mid-December

New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection on Friday told drivers to expect more white-tailed deer on the roads in the mornings and evenings. Deer mating season has started and runs until about the middle of December.

State wildlife officials call the mating period the fall rut. Bucks chase does during these weeks, so the animals cross roads more often. In New Jersey the busiest stretch lasts from mid-to-late October to mid-December, the department said.

Why deer crash risk rises after the clocks change

Daylight saving time ends on Nov. 1. After that, more people will be driving home in the dark during the hours when deer move the most, and the animals will be harder to see. The department said this overlap can sharply raise the chance of hitting a deer.

Hitting a deer can wreck a car and can cost lives, warned Dave Golden, who oversees the state’s fish and wildlife programs as an assistant commissioner at the department. He urged drivers to stay “extra vigilant” and to learn what they can do to cut the risk of a crash.

How many deer collisions happen in New Jersey and New York

The New Jersey Conservation Foundation puts the number of deer-related car crashes in New Jersey at about 25,000 a year. Across the river, the New York State Department of Transportation says deer cause about 60,000 to 70,000 crashes each year in New York. The agency recently launched an ad campaign to warn drivers.

An estimated 100,000 deer live in New Jersey, and in many suburbs their numbers have become a problem.

Tips for avoiding a deer on the road

Officials have three pieces of advice for anyone driving in the region this fall: slow down, watch for “Deer Crossing” signs, and use high beams when it is dark and the road is clear.