Deer are practically lining some of the highways near Prince Albert. (File Photo/CKOM News Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Deer In Ditches

Deer roaming near roads as season turns

Apr 12, 2022 | 5:00 PM

If your travels have taken you on any of the highways near Prince Albert lately, you’ve likely noticed an awful lot of movement in the ditches. Deer are lining the highways in the area, and that means drivers have to be more careful.

While Parkland Ambulance hasn’t seen an increase in calls due to animal-and-vehicle collisions yet, this is typically the time of year where those calls do start to rise as deer seek food following a long winter.

“Anybody who’s been travelling many of our highways, whether north, south, east, or west, it’s likely they’ve been noticing a fair bit of (deer),” said Lyle Karasiuk, director of public affairs for Parkland Ambulance. “Along Highway 11 near Prince Albert, MacDowall, further south near Saskatoon, just a lot of deer moving around.”

According to Karasiuk, this time of year as water gathers in the ditches and grass starts to show a little more, that’s a more reliable source of food for deer than the deeper woods, where tree cover has slowed the melt. That means drivers are going to see a lot more of them.

“You need to be more observant, certainly taking your time to navigate the roads,” said Karasiuk. “Be extra cautious scanning the ditches both left and right so that you can avoid a collision.”

Raiders AGM

Raiders impact on Prince Albert local economy continues to go up: AGM report

11h ago

Court proceedings

'The impact of this trauma will echo for generations': court case surrounding La Ronge woman's death reaches conclusion

Dec 11, 2024

Going Global

P.A.'s Zablocki named to Team Canada for U18 Women's World Championships

Dec 11, 2024

Sometimes, however, there’s no avoiding a collision. Deer may simply leap out in front of a car too quickly for you to stop. If that’s the case, sometimes swerving to avoid the collision can be worse than actually absorbing it.

“Road conditions can be a little bit slippery with pavement frost early in the morning or overnight, a little bit of snow that we’ve been noticing traces of,” Karasiuk said. “Swerving to avoid can, in fact, put you into a bit of a spin or lose control.”

If you do collide with an animal, the first thing you want to do is check yourself for injuries. Then, if you’re not hurt, you should check if the car is still operational, and report the crash to the appropriate authorities.

“The deep snow has driven them (deer) out of the bush,” said Karasiuk. “Just like any other animal, they want to survive. So they’re looking for food this time of year and the ditches are providing that water and greener grass for them.”

Karasiuk added while deer near the highways are more common this time of year, you can see wildlife on the road at any time of year.

—

rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP