Countermeasures at individual airports can then be taken, says Wright. Be cautious one hour before and one hour after sunset during increased bird activity and know that more than twice as many bird strikes occur during approach as during the climb. Since 1983, there have been 245 deer-related accidents that have resulted in serious damage to the aircraft. The white-tail deer is the primary species struck. It has an average weight of 150 pounds, but can weigh up to 425 pounds and run at speeds up to 35 mph.
Deer often travel in family groups of does and fawns.
Males generally stay to themselves and only associate with females during the fall breeding season, which peaks in November. This is when the deer are on the move and is the worst month for deer incidents, accounting for 25 percent of the strikes. In southern states, the growing and breeding season takes place over a longer period of time. There are over 24 million deer in the United States. They have few natural wild enemies and unfortunately seem to become better accustomed to people than any big game animal.