As a younger man, Lincoln County Commissioner Sheridan Bond went into the woods hunting for deer. Now in his fifties, the deer have found him – twice. He was not hurt in either incident, but both took a toll on his vehicles.

On October 5, Bond, the owner of Bond Brothers Lumber in Jefferson, was returning from a delivery of lumber around 6:30 p.m., on Washington Road in Jefferson when two deer ran in front of his truck.   Bond hit the smaller deer of the two head-on. He said he felt the deer was hurt but did not go down. The deer he hit continued to run with the other one, and they both disappeared into the wooded area.

The incident caused between $2,500-$3,000 worth of damage to the company truck, a 2002 GMC 2500 pickup, according to Bond,  but no injuries to Bond himself.

This was not the first time that deer have run in front of Bond’s vehicle. In the late 1990s, he was in returning from Rangeley when two deer jumped out in front of his vehicle. This time both deer were killed; the truck he was driving sustained heavy damage but again Bond sustained no injuries.

Bond said he hasn’t hunted for many years; he started hunting when he was 9 years old. He enjoyed hunting, but when he became involved in town and county affairs, he no longer had the time to hunt.

He became a Jefferson selectman at 20 years old; he was the youngest selectman in Maine at that time. He served as selectman for 10 years; and he served on the Jefferson Fire Department for 34 years before becoming the fire chief. For the past 12 years, he has served as Lincoln County Commissioner, representing District 3.

Bond has been very lucky with his two encounters with deer jumping out in front of his vehicles. According to the Maine Department of Transportation facts on vehicle-deer collisions, there is an average of 10 vehicle-deer crashes reported every day, and these crashes are most common from October to December in Maine.

Safe driving

Vehicle-deer collisions occur more frequently during the fall months because autumn is deer mating season. Sometimes this could happen because bucks could be chasing reluctant does, and the animals are more likely to jump into traffic.

Deer are most active at dawn and dusk, which is, unfortunately, also the times when it is most difficult for drivers to see hazards. Deer travel in herds; it is unlikely a person will see a single deer in the road. If you only see one deer, chances are that there are two or three more in the woods, according to MDOT.

According to the MDOT, there have been over 9,000 deer-vehicle crashes, which resulted in two fatalities and over 350 injuries over the past 3 years. Since these crashes happen in every area in Maine, MDOT cautions drivers to watch for deer whenever they are on the road, especially during the fall months.

MDOT has posted tips on how a driver can better his/her chances of avoiding a deer. They include:

-Use high beams when there are no other vehicles ahead of you or vehicles coming toward you. This will better illuminate the road and enable you to see deer and any reflection from the deer’s eyes, giving you a chance of seeing the deer sooner;

-Travel at a safe speed and be alert so that you can stop quickly;

-Reduce your speed in rain and fog. Poor weather conditions reduce your ability to see a deer on or near the road;

-Constantly scan the road side;

-If you see one deer cross the road, watch for others;

-Always buckle up.

For more safety information, call MDOT at 624-3278.

Charlotte Boynton can be reached at 844-4632 or cboynton@wiscassetnewspaper.com.