By Christian Warren Freed
The leaves are changing, and the weather is trying to decide whether it should cool down or scorch us for another round of second summer. Driving around with the windows down and enjoying the day feels right—until you look ahead and see a deer lying on the side of the road. Drive a little further, and there’s another. You start noticing quite a few local animals struck by vehicles when their movements intersected on the road.
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), there are more than 17,000 incidents every year in which vehicles strike animals, resulting in property damage costs ranging from $136 million to $146 million annually. North Carolina ranks 12th in the country for drivers striking animals, with a collision risk of 1 in 81. Ninety percent of these accidents involve deer, but larger animals like bears are also part of the trend.
Bears? You read correctly. A short time ago, a black bear was caught on camera strolling down 540 off Ten Ten Road. Turns out, this isn’t something new. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), bears have been making their way through this part of the state for a while now. There have been confirmed sightings from Hillsborough to Rocky Mount where one was hit by a car, and all the way down to Fayetteville and Rockingham. Throw in the one in Apex and another in Fuquay-Varina and it’s clear that their migratory wanderings are bringing them close to home.
It’s no surprise, then, that Wake County consistently records high numbers of animal-related collisions, near-misses, and interactions, considering the explosive economic development and removal of natural habitats. There is a rising likelihood of daily animal encounters — both on and off the road.
Wildlife collisions happen throughout the year for various reasons (mating, migration, or juvenile dispersal) but deer and bears are the main focus tracked by the Department of Transportation. Drivers often don’t notice if they’ve hit smaller creatures like turtles, opossums, raccoons, beavers, or squirrels, but encounters with larger species demand significant caution.
From now through December, drivers face an elevated risk of hitting deer. To understand why, Wildlife Extension Biologist Falyn Owens of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) explains the impact of the mating season, known as the “rut.” The rut typically lasts around a month, with a week-long peak before activity declines back to normal levels.
“Fall is mating season for white-tailed deer,” Owens states. “During this time, male deer (bucks) roam over large areas—up to 8 miles a day—searching for females (does) to mate with. Bucks can tell when a doe is ready to mate by detecting specific pheromones in her urine. Once a buck catches that scent, he becomes very focused on tracking her down. He’ll wander into unfamiliar places and cross roads without much caution.”
Because bucks try to mate with as many females as possible, they spend most of their time on the move, covering massive swaths of territory and crossing roads at increased rates. Combine an animal moving through unfamiliar territory with a driver’s rush to get home, and it creates a recipe for disaster.
Bears on the Move: Suburban Sprawl and Hyperphagy
Chances are good, any bear you see will be an American Black Bear. They have been spotted in all 100 counties as well as major cities, driven by the ongoing expansion of roads and urban developments. The NCWRC classifies bears into two categories:
Resident bears: These bears call the area home, have established breeding populations, and adapt their lifestyles to mitigate human contact. We rarely see them.
Transient bears: These are usually young males wandering in search of unclaimed territory to call their own. Unsavvy about living around humans, transient bears are the ones spotted rummaging through neighborhood trash cans or strolling down suburban streets. What interested me the most was that the state acknowledges they have no real population estimates for our transient bears. Could be a handful. Could be an army. We just don’t know. While bears typically keep to the fringes of the mountains and along the coast, there has been an expansion in the breeding population across the state. More bears mean more young males needing to lay down their roots and find a place to call home.
Black bears are omnivorous, skilled at climbing trees, and excellent on both land and water — capable of running up to 35 miles per hour in short bursts. Average adult females weigh between 100 and 300 pounds, while adult males can reach up to 700 pounds. While their average life expectancy in the wild is short (four to five years), their populations have bounced back and are now thriving. They rely heavily on a keen sense of smell and hearing to navigate their environments.
When black bears are on the move, their motivations vary by season. Spring brings juvenile male dispersal and mating, but the majority of road crossings occur during fall.
As Owens explains: “For bears, fall is all about putting on weight to prepare for the lean winter months. Bears enter a state called hyperphagy — literally “eating a lot” — characterized by constant, insatiable hunger for fatty, calorie-dense foods like acorns and other seeds. During this time, bears spend as many as 20 hours a day searching for as much food as possible (upwards of 20,000 calories daily), crossing many roads in the process.
The hyperphagy phase can last two to three months, beginning in late summer and peaking around October. Bears will continue their intense search for food until it becomes scarce at the onset of cold weather.” They generally find a den for the winter between November and January, emerging in mid-spring with their cubs.
Preventing Roadway Collisions
Avoiding wildlife collisions often comes down to awareness and common-sense habits behind the wheel:
Stay alert. The primary cause of collisions is driver inattention. Avoid mobile devices and actively scan the roadsides.
Watch for groups. If you see one deer cross the road, look back in the direction it came from; others are frequently following behind it.
Mind peak hours. The most dangerous time for wildlife collisions is between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., around dusk and dawn, when animal activity peaks near wooded or undeveloped areas.
Do not swerve. If a deer jumps in front of your vehicle, NCDOT advises against swerving into oncoming traffic or off the road, as swerving often leads to far more severe accidents.
Honk and slow down. Reduce speed, honk your horn to deter animals near the roadway, and maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle ahead of you.
Buckle up. Always wear your seatbelt and be prepared to stop when traveling through rural or wooded corridors.
Home and Outdoor Guidance
If you encounter a bear in a residential area or while outdoors, panic is unnecessary; bears generally move on quickly if they find no easy food sources.
Implementing a few simple steps will minimize interactions and potential conflicts while also telling transient bears, “Move along; there’s nothing to see here.”
To minimize conflicts, BearWise (a program of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies) offers these recommendations for homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts:
At Home:
Never feed or approach a bear.
Secure food, garbage, and recycling.
Remove bird feeders during periods when bears are active.
Never leave pet food outdoors.
Clean and store outdoor grills after use.
Inform your neighbors if a bear is spotted nearby.
In the Outdoors:
Stay alert, stay together in groups, and keep dogs leashed at all times.
Practice camp safety by storing food properly away from tents in bear-proof containers or locked structures.
Leave no trash or food scraps behind.
Carry bear spray and ensure you know how to use it before heading out.
Do NOT approach the bear under any circumstances.
NEVER play dead or run (running can trigger a chase response, and bears can reach speeds of 35 mph).
Hold your ground, make loud noises, or yell to encourage the bear to leave.
As boxing icon Muhammad Ali once noted, “Looking at life from a different perspective makes you realize that it’s not the deer that is crossing the road, rather it’s the road that is crossing the forest.”
Urban expansion ensures that encounters with deer, bears, and other native species will continue. Taking a brief mental pause before driving, staying alert while outdoors, and securing property helps protect human lives and keep wildlife safe. It could also save you costly car repairs.
For more information on North Carolina wildlife and road safety, visit ncwildlife.gov or ncdot.gov. To learn more about bear safety and coexisting with black bears, visit bearwise.org or nps.gov/subjects/bears/black-bears.
