Feral deer collides with car

A PORT Stephens resident who was lucky to escape serious injury when his car collided with a feral deer is calling on state agencies to step in and fix what’s being described as a growing problem.

Timothy Larson was driving along Newline Road in Raymond Terrace two weeks ago when what he describes as a ‘‘huge white deer’’ emerged from the road,  jumped onto the driver’s side headlight of his car and bounced over his windscreen.

The incident left the East Seaham resident shaken but uninjured – more than can be said for the deer – with a severely damaged car and a sense that things could have been much worse.

‘‘They’re so big the whole car shakes, it threw me pretty good,’’ he said.

‘‘The thing is it’s not the first time, I dodged one about six months back in a different car.’’

Feral deer have become an increasingly common sight in the north and western parts of Port Stephens, a fact commonly attributed to left over stock from former deer farms in the area.

And after hearing other similar reports from friends, a concerned Mr Larson took the issue to his boss, who happens to be Port Stephens Councillor Paul Le Mottee.

Cr Le Mottee, who is also familiar with the issue, believes the council’s hands are tied because most of the landthe deer frequent belongs to a mix of private farmers and Hunter Water.

And while deer are considered a pest in NSW, a spokesman for Hunter Water said the location of the deer said one option – culling – was not on the agenda. 

‘‘Hunter Water is one of many land holders with wild deer on its property in the Dungog to Raymond Terrace area. These deer have existed there for many decades,’’ he said. ‘A cull is not considered appropriate.’’