DIXFIELD — Now that the regular firearms season for deer is under way and temperatures are getting colder, drivers should expect to find more deer crossing roads.
Dixfield police Sgt. Jeff Howe said Saturday afternoon that it’s been his experience that colder temperatures and not hunting pressure moves deer onto roads.
He said more bucks are typically hit during the fall rutting season, but when colder weather sets in, it’s the does that are getting hit while on the move to find more food sources.
“We almost never get car-deer accidents involving bucks except in the fall,” Howe said.
This past week, there were only a couple of vehicle-deer accidents, which is pretty typical, he said. One of those collisions caused an estimated $1,000 in damage to a vehicle.
He said he expects the number of vehicle-deer collisions to increase starting in the next couple of weeks as temperatures drop.
An Oxford County dispatcher in Paris also said they haven’t seen an unusual amount of vehicle-deer collisions yet.
According to a Maine Department of Transportation website Flash Facts document, deer-vehicle accidents are most common from October through December. The average is 10 deer-vehicle accidents a day across the state.
Two of three that happened last week in Oxford County caused approximately $4,700 in damage to two vehicles.
On Oct. 28, Jock A. Morton, 49, of Newry’s red 2007 Ford Focus struck a deer on Route 26, according to Oxford County deputy sheriff Matthew Noye’s report.
Noyes said Morton wasn’t injured, the deer ran off and the Ford sustained approximately $2,700 in damage, but was driven from the scene.
Another property damage collision with a deer happened at 11:55 p.m. on Route 5 in Andover, but information on that incident wasn’t yet available from sheriff’s office.
Earlier that day, at about 12:17 a.m., a 2006 Ford Ranger driven by Benjamin Plourde, 18, of Byron collided with a deer on Swift River Road in Byron, according to Oxford County Deputy Sheriff Michael Halacy’s report.
Halacy said Plourde wasn’t injured, but the collision caused approximately $2,000 damage to the Ranger. It also killed the deer.
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