It’s deer mating season, so it’s more likely that you’ll see the animals on roads and highways this time of year.
And there’s another reason deer are active now, this year’s drought hurt acorn production, which is a favorite food for deer.
Russell Duckworth is the protection district supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation. He says deer have to travel more to find food.
“In lots of southeast Missouri, deer are really dependent on acorns,” Duckworth said. “When we have a year like this year, when we have a drought, the acorn production is really low. So deer are going to travel more to find something to eat.”
Duckworth urges drivers to slow down, use bright headlights, and be cautious in the early morning and at sunset when deer are traveling the most.
“Deer start becoming more active as the weather cools off in the fall, but they really start moving more probably about the middle of October and will continue that through mid to late January, really travelling a lot. The mating season will be completely over by then,” Duckworth said.