Commission warns drivers to watch out for deer as breeding season starts

Drivers in Kerry are being warned to stay alert as red deer rutting season increases the risk of collisions

Standing guard during the rutting season...An Irish Red Stag on the uplands of Killarney National Park. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan

Motorists are being urged to be vigilant for deer on roads over the coming days as the annual breeding season gets under way.

It comes as Kerry prepares for its annual Red Deer Rut Watch event in Killarney National Park on Sunday. The event is being organised by the Irish Deer Commission, which has also issued the warning to motorists to take care this month.

The commission says that tensions are currently high among the deer population as rutting season gets under way.

A statement from the commission said: “From late September until early November, the clash of antlers will be heard as males show off their virility to potential mates and, like gladiators entering an arena, they parade around showing off their armoury of antlers. 

"While the rut is an amazing experience to witness, it is also a time when there is an increased incidence of road traffic accidents involving deer as male deer go in search of females and younger males are ousted by dominant males, forcing deer to cross public roads and motorways.” 

The commission says motorists should be vigilant at dawn and dusk, particularly in high-risk areas such as woodlands and mountains.

The commission advises drivers to:

• Reduce speed where they see a warning sign and stay alert.
• Prepare to stop, never swerve, as you could hit another obstacle or oncoming vehicle.
• When you see a deer, dip your headlights as the full beam may cause the deer to freeze.
• If a deer has crossed in front of your vehicle, be aware that others may follow.
• Do not approach an injured deer.
• If you are involved in a road traffic accident involving a deer or come across a deer that has been involved in a road traffic accident, immediately contact the local gardaí.

The Irish Deer Commission says it operates a humane deer dispatch scheme with 135 trained volunteers assisting agencies and charities who deal with an increasing number of deer vehicle collisions nationally.

The commission describes the rutting season as “one of the highlights of the wildlife calendar as stags roar out to their competitors and battle like gladiators for the right to breed with females”.

On Sunday, a watch event co-hosted by the commission and the National Parks and Wildlife Service will take place free of charge. The walk takes place at the peak of the red deer rut.

Bookings must be made, however, as places are limited. Bookings can be made at irishdeercommission.ie/news.

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There will be talks by conservation rangers and the Irish Deer Commission, along with a display of native red deer antlers.

In July, a pilot scheme to detect deer on public roads to reduce collisions was announced for Kerry. 

It includes a 'detection and alert’ scheme for the outskirts of Killarney on the N70 near Ballydowney, where a large number of deer cross the road between the National Park and local land.

It also incorporates a deterrent system in a joint initiative between Kerry County Council, University College Cork and minister of state at the Department of Agriculture, Michael Healy-Rae.