Do Deer Attack Humans? Rarely, But Not Never

Deer look like the least threatening large animal in the landscape, and mostly they are. But they injure more people in North America than bears and wolves combined — and the circumstances are narrow and predictable enough to avoid almost entirely.

The three situations

1. The rut. Roughly October to December. Bucks are running on testosterone, their antlers are hardened, and they respond to anything they read as a rival — including people, statues and reflections in windows. A rutting buck is the single most dangerous deer you will meet.

2. A doe with a fawn. Late spring into early summer. Does do not run from a threat to a newborn; they rear and strike downward with their front hooves. Sharp hooves driven by a 150-pound animal break arms and open scalps.

3. Habituated deer. The one people cause. A deer that has been hand-fed approaches people without fear — and will also approach them while agitated, rutting or protecting young.

What an attack actually looks like

Bucks lower their heads and drive forward with the antlers — puncture wounds to legs, abdomen and groin.

Does rear up and strike downward with the front hooves, repeatedly.

Neither bites in any meaningful way. The danger is antlers, hooves and 100–300 lb of momentum.

Warning signs before a charge: ears laid flat back, hair raised along the spine, a hard stare, a stamping front foot, or the loud explosive snort deer use as an alarm. A deer doing any of these is telling you to leave, and leaving is the correct response.

If one charges

• Do not run. Deer reach 30 mph. Running can also trigger pursuit.
• Get something solid between you — a tree, a car, a fence, a shed.
• Back away slowly, facing the animal.
• Be large and loud — arms up, shout.
• If knocked down, protect your head and abdomen and move behind cover.

Dogs are the usual trigger

Most suburban deer incidents start with a dog. A dog running toward a deer is a predator, and a doe with a fawn will attack it — and frequently the person holding the lead, or trying to intervene.

Keep dogs leashed anywhere deer are around, especially May through July. It removes most of the risk to both animals.

Keeping perspective

The real danger from deer is vehicular. Collisions cause around 200 human deaths a year in the United States and injure tens of thousands. Direct physical attacks are a footnote by comparison.

Deer are also carriers of ticks, and Lyme disease is a considerably more likely consequence of spending time around deer than any injury from the animal itself.