MOTORISTS ARE BEING urged to take extra care when driving at dusk and dawn as deer breeding season peaks. 

The Irish Deer Commission has warned that motorists should exercise more vigilance in high risk areas such as woodlands and mountains during these periods, when deer are most active. 

According to the group, testosterone levels in male deer drastically increase around this time of year as they become enthralled with the aggressive urge to reproduce. 

The breeding season – or rut – peaks during the month of October and is controlled by the length of the day. 

Male deer go in search of females having lived apart for 10 months and younger males clash with dominant males forcing deer to cross public roads and motorways.

The animals pose a danger to road users due to their unpredictable nature.

Spokesperson Damien Hannigan told The Journal:

“Post Covid, we’re seeing a significant increase in the amount of traffic on the roads, and it does bring more deer into conflict and collisions. 

“There’s areas where deer are present in every county in Ireland. It takes one deer to cause accidents.

“We’re not aware of any fatalities in Ireland but there certainly have been human injuries and damage to vehicles or destruction of vehicles and internationally, fatalities do happen.”

He went on to outline the country’s most dangerous roads for these types of collisions and noted the N11, which runs through Co Wicklow, as the most common site for deer-related accidents. 

“That’s probably now the worst road in our country for deer collisions. Our volunteers in that area are called several times each week to assist the animals that have been involved in accidents so that’s a particularly bad area.” 

According to the group, when travelling through areas deemed high risk, motorists should reduce speed and stay alert for warning signs. 

When a deer is spotted, cars are urged to “dip the headlights” as the full beam may cause the deer to freeze. 

Hannigan cautioned against approaching an injured deer and reminded drivers that more than one deer could follow a single animal onto the road. 

Victims of road traffic accidents involving a deer or witnesses to such an incident are advised to immediately contact the local gardaí.