{"id":62617,"date":"2025-10-07T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/?p=62617"},"modified":"2025-10-07T16:31:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T20:31:46","slug":"news-2025-10-07-njdep-and-njdot-advise-motorists-to-drive-with-extra-caution-as-deer-activity-increases-during-fall-rutting-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/news-2025-10-07-njdep-and-njdot-advise-motorists-to-drive-with-extra-caution-as-deer-activity-increases-during-fall-rutting-season\/","title":{"rendered":"NJDEP and NJDOT Advise Motorists to Drive with Extra Caution as Deer Activity Increases During Fall Rutting Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/two-deer-under-trees-next-to-road-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"685\" src=\"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/two-deer-under-trees-next-to-road-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49818\" style=\"width:480px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/njfw\/two-deer-under-trees-next-to-road-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/njfw\/two-deer-under-trees-next-to-road-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/njfw\/two-deer-under-trees-next-to-road-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/njfw\/two-deer-under-trees-next-to-road-1536x1028.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/njfw\/two-deer-under-trees-next-to-road-2048x1371.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Murphy Administration today reminded motorists to be extra vigilant on roadways as the fall white-tailed deer rut, or mating season, gets underway. Increased deer activity related to the rutting season comes as the amount of daylight decreases, increasing collision risks, especially during morning and evening commutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deer are more likely to suddenly enter roadways as bucks pursue does, increasing the risk that drivers may need to stop suddenly. Deer activity is more likely to occur during the early morning and around sunset, when visibility is more difficult due to darkness or sun glare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA majority of vehicle collisions involving deer happen during the fall mating season,\u201d<strong>&nbsp;said Dave Golden, Assistant Commissioner for NJDEP Fish &amp; Wildlife.<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cAlong with our partners at NJDOT, we urge drivers to be especially cautious and alert to the possibility of deer suddenly appearing in roadways, as well as know how to reduce the risk of a collision and possible serious injury to themselves or others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peak mating season for deer in New Jersey runs from late October to mid-December. Awareness of the presence of deer near or on roadways will become even more important when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that many commutes will align with the time when deer are most active, and lighting conditions may be the most difficult for driving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drivers can stay safe by following these tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Slow your vehicle if you see a deer and then watch for sudden movement. If the deer is on the road and doesn\u2019t move, wait for the deer to cross and the road is clear. Do not try to drive around the deer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch for \u201cDeer Crossing\u201d signs. Drive slower when traveling through areas known to have a high concentration of deer so there is enough time to stop, if necessary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use high beams during dark periods if there is no oncoming traffic or vehicle ahead. High beams will be reflected by the eyes of deer on or near roads.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you see one deer, assume that others may be in the area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don\u2019t tailgate. The driver ahead might have to stop suddenly to avoid colliding with a deer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Always wear a seatbelt, as required by law. Drive safely and sensibly, following the speed limit, factoring for weather, available lighting, traffic, curves and other road conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not swerve to avoid impact if a collision appears inevitable because a deer may counter-maneuver suddenly. Apply brakes appropriately and stay in your lane. Collisions are more likely to become fatal when a driver swerves to avoid a deer and instead collides with oncoming traffic or a fixed structure along the road.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Report any deer-vehicle collision to a local law enforcement agency immediately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obey the state\u2019s hands-free device law or refrain from using cellular devices while driving.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For information about white-tailed deer in New Jersey, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wildlife\/white-tailed-deer\/\">dep.nj.gov\/njfw\/wildlife\/white-tailed-deer\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Information about white-tailed deer seasons and regulations is available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/hunting\/deer-season-and-regulations\/\">dep.nj.gov\/njfw\/hunting\/deer-season-and-regulations\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like the Department of Environmental Protection\u2019s Fish &amp; Wildlife Facebook page at&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NewJerseyFishandWildlife\">www.facebook.com\/NewJerseyFishandWildlife<\/a> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-arrow-up-right-from-square text-primary\" title=\"External Web Page\"><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow NJDEP\u2019s Fish &amp; Wildlife on Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/newjerseyfishandwildlife\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@newjerseyfishandwildlife<\/a> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-arrow-up-right-from-square text-primary\" title=\"External Web Page\"><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT&#8217;s traffic information website&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.511nj.org\/\">www.511nj.org<\/a> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-arrow-up-right-from-square text-primary\" title=\"External Web Page\"><\/i> for real-time travel information, and for NJDOT news follow us on X (Twitter)&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NewJerseyDOT\">@NewJerseyDOT<\/a> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-arrow-up-right-from-square text-primary\" title=\"External Web Page\"><\/i> , the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NewJerseyDOT\/\">NJDOT Facebook page<\/a> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-arrow-up-right-from-square text-primary\" title=\"External Web Page\"><\/i> , or on Instagram&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/newjersey.dot\/\">@NewJersey.DOT<\/a> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-arrow-up-right-from-square text-primary\" title=\"External Web Page\"><\/i> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DEP News Release: <a href=\"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/25_01007\/\">https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/newsrel\/25_01007\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Murphy Administration today reminded motorists to be extra vigilant on roadways as the fall white-tailed deer rut, or mating season, gets underway. Increased deer activity related to the rutting season comes as the amount of daylight decreases, increasing collision risks, especially during morning and evening commutes. Deer are more likely to suddenly enter roadways [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":62619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/254"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62618,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62617\/revisions\/62618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}