Mammoth Lakes Police Department:
** NEWS RELEASE **
Motorists Urged to Use Caution
The Deer are Migrating in Full Force
The Mammoth Lakes Police Department would like to caution motorists to be extra alert for migrating deer on Highway 395 and Highway 203. Large numbers of deer are on the move at this time of year and they pose a real threat to motorists. Serious injuries or death can occur if you strike a deer at highway speeds. Evidence of multiple vehicle versus deer encounters is visible while traveling on Hwy 395.
The bears are also out of hibernation and are active in and around Mammoth Lakes. The public is cautioned against feeding bears. Well meaning people sometimes feel they are doing the right thing by putting food out for the bears. Just the opposite is true. When bears become reliant on food sources provided by humans, they stop looking for natural food sources and become problem bears. The Town’s Wildlife Specialist, Steve Searles, and MLPD officers are trained and equip to condition bears to avoid human food sources. Their efforts are thwarted by people feeding bears, and that can end in tragic results for the bear.
Please help to keep our bear population healthy and safe. Enjoy their presence, but don’t intentionally feed them, never leave food in a vehicle, and always lock or secure trash dumpsters.
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Accidents happen regardless if you are speeding or following the limit. And remember a topic like this can be a touchy subject for some, so please do keep that in mind.
Remember when your driving with all your safty precautions, that will not stop an animal from running into the roadway. “Accidents happen in a split second!”
one thing thats happening now is that the fisherman are driving the dirt roads around crowley and hot creek, and pushing the deer out. this can be somewhat controlled by closing the hot creek access directly behind the airport (access can still be had via whitmore tubs road), and the road to sandy point, until july.
These warnings and reminders are nice,but it doesn’t seem to help much…Here in Lone pine,you can count on AT LEAST two or three dead deer on Horseshoe Meadow Road near Tuttle Creek Campground…usually hit by speeding vehicles…and the migration area about 5 miles north of Bridgeport…you can count on a few there too,even with the warning signs posted.People don’t seem to slow down in those areas untill they have a deer pushing through their windshield at a high rate of speed.With the bears,hear they are coming around too…Last year,had a couple pay me a late night visit in Lone Pine Campground in my campsite….something I’ll never forget.
“Usually hit by speeding vehicles.” There’s no evidence that deer accidents occur more frequently when cars are speeding. Nobody wants to hit a deer. Whether you’re going 35 or 55 or 65 mph, if a deer leaps out in front of your car it’s a problem for both the deer and driver. These are accidents. The deer aren’t grazing in the middle of the road, they’re bounding across it. Be alert when driving is the best we can do.
And train yourself and loved ones to put both hands firmly on the steering wheel and no matter what … keep going straight.
Too many good samaritans lose focus, swerve or slam on their brakes, and they die while Bambi goes trotting off as if nothing happened.
Driving slower does help in avoiding Deer.
However it is evident to me that Deer are a very bad judge of speed and distance.
At times it seems as if they stand on the side of the road, only to dash out and run into the side of my vehicle at the last moment.
It sure isn’t a good time to be riding a motorcycle.