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 ofwhich 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 ofdeer or other wild animals within the City limits, even on private property.
Calls to Animal Regulation ofdead 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 ofRedding, 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.
-from press release
