DRIVERS are being warned to watch out for deer on the roads after “numerous carcasses” had to be cleared from a dual carriageway at the weekend.

Police had to close part of the A35 Puddletown bypass on Sunday night while around four dead deer were picked up from the westbound carriageway.

Officers helped a team from Highways England to clear the busy main road.

A Highways England spokesperson said: “We received a call from a member of the public Sunday evening after they had seen what looked like a number of deer carcasses on the central reservation of the A35 near Puddletown.

“We alerted Dorset Police who investigated the area and confirmed that four dead deer needed removing. Our contractors collected the deer during the evening for disposal.”

And yesterday morning, an injured stag had to be put down by armed police on the A338 Spur Road in Bournemouth.

Part of the southbound carriageway was shut while police dealt with the deer, which was lying down on the side of the road, near to the Holdenhurst sewage treatment works.

Traffic officers dealing with the dead deer on the A35 said in a tweet at around 10pm on Sunday: “Apologies for the delay on the A35 Puddletown Bypass westbound whilst we assist Highways England and Dorset Council to remove numerous deer carcasses from the carriageway.”

Jamie Cordery, of the charity The Deer Initiative, said a peak in deer collisions was expected at this time of year as species including roe, fallow and muntjac start becoming more territorial during April and May.

“They’re moving around a lot at this time of year, so it’s not unexpected to get a peak in deer collisions during April and May, and again in the autumn when the bigger deer are rutting.

“Deer collisions don’t seem to be decreasing generally, although they have remained fairly stable.

“The A35 is known to be a hotspot area – it’s a combination of traffic and deer, so you’re likely to get an accident.

“The peak territorial movements will last about a month, although we expect deer collisions at any time of year. If you are aware as drivers of places where there are likely to be deer, go a bit easy.”

Dorset Wildlife Trust communications officer Sally Welbourn said deer species such as sika were gradually increasing in number across Dorset.

“With no natural predator, sika deer have been steadily growing in number in Dorset for a while now and are moving out from the Purbeck area into the wider countryside, which is why we are seeing more of them near roads, particularly the A35. 

"They also tend to live and socialise in herds, which is why so many of them are often found in one area. They are at their most active at twilight and dusk.  

"We advise drivers to look out for the road signs for them and approach these areas with caution in case they walk into the middle of the road.”

Deer Aware has the following advice to help drivers avoid a deer collision:

  • Take note of deer warning signs
  • Beware during peak danger periods (October to December and also in May. Highest-risk times are from sunset to midnight, and the hours shortly before and after sunrise.
  • Drive with caution: During danger periods or on roads where hitting a deer is a possibility, drive with caution at or below the posted speed limit
  • Seen one? Look for another: Be aware that further deer may well cross after the one you have noticed, particularly during the mating season, but also where deer are in herds.
  • Use your lights: After dark, do use full-beam when there is no opposing traffic. The headlight beam will illuminate the eyes of deer on or near a roadway and provide greater driver reaction time. BUT, when a deer or other animal is noted on the road, dim your headlights as animals startled by the beam may ‘freeze’ rather than leaving the road.
  • Don’t over-swerve to avoid hitting a deer: If a collision with the animal seems inevitable, then hit it while maintaining full control of your car. The alternative of swerving into oncoming traffic or off of the road surface could be even worse. Motorcyclists are at particular risk when in direct collisions with animals.
  • Cars behind you: Only brake sharply and stop if there is no danger of being hit by following traffic. Use your hazard lights. Try to come to a stop as far away from an animal as possible to enable it to leave the roadside without panic.

Deeraware.com also has advice on what to do if you see an injured deer on the roadside or hit a deer while driving.