Beware: October and November are the most dangerous times of the year.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081005/NEWS/81004007/-1/NEWS

Are there any of those yellow deer warning signs in the Village?

Insurance data shows that fatal deer-vehicle crashes have more than doubled in the last 15 yrs and increased by almost 50% since 2000.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/NEWS/81030008/-1/NEWS

"Urban sprawl means suburbia and deer habitat intersect in many parts of the country," said Kim Hazelbaker, the Highway Loss Data Institute's senior vice president. "If you're driving in areas where deer are prevalent, the caution flag is out, especially in November."

The study found that insurance claims for crashes with animals is three times higher in November than it is from January to September.

"The months with the most crash deaths coincide with fall breeding season," said Anne McCartt, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's senior vice president for research.

Last evening, we were on our way down Mineral Spring Rd to Woodbury, somewhere around the Cornwall/Woodbury town border, when we came upon a mortally injured deer, writhing in its last throes in the northbound lane, unable to move off the road, yet still clearly too vigorous to be approached safely. It was 5 PM, just after dark, we were behind another southbound car, and we didn't see the impact. A northbound pick-up stopped to block that lane in order to prevent yet another accident with the large animal and we made sure, as we passed that driver by, that he'd made the call to summon police.

It was an extremely unpleasant reminder of one of the most gruesome outcomes of the deer overpopulation problem. As a motorcycle rider, I am particularly unwilling to subject myself to the elevated risk of collision which attends overpopulation, since it easily could be as life-threatening for me and my passenger as it was for the poor creature which lost its life last evening. Call me selfish, but I just don't think we should do nothing about wild animals which are free to and capable of killing me on the roadway.

These animals aren't domesticated in any way; we cannot restrict their movement, nor their destruction of and possibly irrevocable change to the environment, nor the many physical and biological hazards they create. The only control we can exert is to thin the herd.

Considering all the domestic animals that are raised "for the table," and the many which society accepts as hunted prey, notably including deer, the absurdity of inaction concerning this problem is underscored by incidents like the one we witnessed yesterday. Certainly logistical and safety concerns related to any suggested programs for thinning the herd need to be addressed. But we can no longer tolerate wild animals creating a direct risk to the personal safety of ourselves and our families.

We have reached the point where further paralysis on the objective is simply no longer acceptable. Let's not get bogged down any further, either on the objective or on small details. Let us instead develop and submit a fairly broadly-termed outline of the essential parameters of as few plan alternatives as we can to the Village Board to meaningfully address this problem.

And let us insist that candidates this year take clear positions on this issue.