FILE - A 10-point white-tailed deer walks through the woods in Freeport, Maine, on Nov. 10, 2015. Wildlife agencies are finding elevated levels of PFAS chemicals, also called "forever chemicals," in game animals such as deer, prompting new restrictions on hunting and fishing in some parts of the country. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Robert F. Bukaty

Hunters are starting to report that deer activity is starting to be much more active in the woods, fields, and highways.

The weather and day-light saving time puts many more vehicles on the road when deer are moving the most. The results of deer crossing the roadways really puts drivers at risk for a collision with a good-sized animal.

The other evening, just at dark, I was traveling a local road and was crossing a bridge when I spied a buck whitetail crossing the road in front of me. Fortunate for me and the deer, I had not picked up speed and could slow down for the deer to cross in front of me. The buck was meandering the road like a beagle dog with his head down and not paying attention to me. I suspected that he was on the trail of a doe and everything else was secondary.

Deer become more active in the fall breeding season, also known as the rut. This is the time of year that many yearling bucks are booted out of their family groups and are dispersed to find their own new ranges. A young buck can end up many miles from their original home ranges where they were born and traveled.

Meanwhile, mature bucks are also on the move as they seek does and often start chasing the does out of the woods and into our paths on the roadways.

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