When driving through Cook Forest State Park and surrounding areas, you are advised to stay alert and slow down when driving after dusk and before dawn if you don’t want to collide with a white-tailed deer. You may see deer eating along the road and this makes your collision with a deer more probable.

In spring, fawns are on the move as their mothers chase them away to prepare for the next cycle of fawns. Young bucks will disperse to set up their own home range. Yearling does usually travel no farther than necessary and will often later reunite with the doe after her new fawns begin traveling with her.

Young deer make mistakes when crossing roads in spring and moving through unfamiliar areas. Their independent movement increases their chances for an accident. If you see one deer, there are probably more. Deer usually move in single file so more deer may be following. You should stop or slow down to make sure all the deer have passed in front of you.

Deer may reverse direction right after crossing a road.  This is a defense mechanism that will kick in when deer are startled so that they retrace their footsteps to other deer they’re traveling with or return to another area.  Deer are very unpredictable but they are also creatures of habit. If you see a deer-crossing sign posted along a road, it is a good idea to slow down. These signs are placed in areas where deer have been crossing roads for years.

If you hit a deer, you are not required to report the accident to the Game Commission. And, if the deer dies, only Pennsylvania residents may claim the carcass.  To do so, they must call the Game Commission region office representing the county where the accident occurred and an agency dispatcher will collect the information needed to issue a free permit, which is mailed. You must call within 24 hours of taking possession of the deer. The motorist taking possession of the deer must call the Game Commission within 24 hours. Possession of a deer with an agency issued permit is legal. The antlers from bucks killed in vehicle collisions must be turned over to the Game Commission. 

Note: This article was adapted from the State of Pennsylvania deer information.

Connect to the State of Pennsylvania web site to find out more about our whitetail deer hunting regulations.