Fall weather and the traditional breeding season will cause deer to be more prevalent
along the City’s greenbelt-bordered roadways and Redding Animal Regulation warns
motorists to be extra watchful.
Fall is the “rut” or breeding season for deer, causing the males to be less wary than usual.
Females also may be more active around roadways, many of which border deer habitat,
even within the Redding city limits. These “urban wildlife” areas pose hazards to drivers
who may not be able to avoid hitting a deer that jumps into the roadway.
As a reminder, City ordinances prohibit hunting of deer or other wild animals within the
City limits, even on private property.
Calls to Animal Regulation of dead or injured deer increase beginning in October,
according to Captain Lee Anne Smith, and motorists should be extra cautious until the rut
is finished about mid-November. Rain also can increase the hazard, forcing deer from
higher wooded areas closer to more urban neighborhoods.
Roads along which deer are especially common include North Market Street (south of
Lake Boulevard), Highway 273 near Buenaventura Boulevard, Quartz Hill Road near
Benton Drive, South Bonnyview Road near the Sacramento River, and Highway 44 east
of Redding, officers say. Drivers are urged to watch for deer along those areas especially
and slow down. Often fawns will trail their mother and emerge unexpectedly onto a
roadway.
Should motorists hit a deer or other wildlife, they are urged to call Animal Regulation at
241-2550 immediately and report it with as precise a location as possible. Officers note
hitting wildlife is not a crime but that unreported collisions can allow an animal to suffer
needlessly. Prompt reporting allows injured animals to be euthanized by officers when
necessary. For more information, contact Animal Regulation at 241-2550.