Deer crashes through truck stop

By Christy Marsters

What came crashing through Hugh Maynard’s Truck Stop in Windsor Nov. 3 was wild.

An estimated six-point buck smashed through the shop’s front window, collided with a truck in the garage, pranced toward a back room and then bolted out a back window. “I just heard the crash when it came in,” Maynard said. “Then I seen it turn around and come back out of a back room and take three leaps before it jumped out a glass window.”

Deer populations in Hants West are up significantly from last year. The most recently surveyed pellet group inventory, which counted the deer poop piles in 18 one-kilometre transects, suggests the population is up -- because counts increased by 82 per cent this year.

Also, deer-auto incidents were up 33 per cent during the same time period in 2007-2008.

Al Bland of the Department of Natural Resources had looked for the deer outside of Maynard’s garage Nov. 3 to ensure it wasn’t hurt, but the deer was long gone by the time he arrived, which, he said indicated the deer would’ve not likely been too badly injured.

Instances of this nature have occurred before, Bland said. “However, it’s extremely rare.”

It’s more likely for deer to be in rural areas than in deep wooded areas because there is more vegetation and open fields for the deer to travel in, Bland said. “It’s a good habitat.”

When people come in contact with a deer, it’s best to call Natural Resources, Bland said. “We’re equip and trained to handle it. Deer hooves are sharp and they can hurt someone.”