Wei-Wei Lin serves as a game warden in the Hill Country after holding posts in Dallas/Fort Worth, the Gulf Coast and South Texas. She was often featured on the TV show “Lone Star Law.” She is happy to answer your questions about the Texas outdoors.

Q: Hello Wei-Wei, what should I do if I hit a deer with my car or see a dead or injured deer on the side of the road? I want to notify someone who can help, but I am not sure what the best option is, especially if I am in a rural area.

A: This is one of the top five questions I have been asked throughout my career!

If you hit a deer with your car, find a safe place away from traffic to pull over and turn on your hazard lights. If you are injured, call 911. If no one is injured, take a minute to assess your vehicle for damage. If the deer cannot be seen, do not attempt to locate it.

Deer and other animals can be unpredictable after being hit. If the deer is visible, contact local county or city law enforcement or call a local game warden (you can find local wardens on the TPWD website) and inform them of approximate location of where the animal is located in case the animal needs to be dealt with.

A lot of people ask me if they can pick up deceased animals for the purposes of consumption. In Texas, it is illegal for a person to possess or pick up “roadkill” game animals. This includes native deer species. As you probably already know, hunting from a public roadway is illegal. It's not uncommon for wardens to encounter someone with the bright idea of hitting a deer with their truck and claiming it was accidental roadkill.

Contrary to popular belief, game wardens do not oversee the removal or disposal of deceased animals on the roadway. If a deceased animal is causing a safety concern on a state roadway, report it to the Texas Department of Transportation at (800) 558-9368 or call your local authority for city and county roads. If you encounter an injured deer on the side of the road, please contact a wildlife rehabber, TPWD biologist or game warden at the earliest opportunity for further instructions. You may reach your local licensed wildlife rehabilitator through the TPWD website: tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/rehab/list.

Recent regulations related to disease transmission limit what rehabilitators, game wardens and the public can do to assist or transport sick or injured deer. Please use discretion and understand that often, the best course of action, in the interest of injured fawns and adult deer, is to end their life humanely.

What should you do if you encounter an injured deer in your yard or neighborhood? Keep your distance. It may seem helpless, but it can suddenly get a burst of energy and injure you or others. Deer often defend themselves with their hooves, which are very sharp. I have heard of individuals placing water, food, blankets and pillows for injured deer (and other wildlife). By attempting to “care” for the injured animal, these people may create more stress and potentially cause injuries if the deer spooks and tries to escape.

It is best to seek the guidance of your local game warden or rehabilitator before interfering with injured deer. This also applies to fawns in the spring and the summertime. Remember, deer do not have babysitters and must leave their young in an area they consider safe. Please do not try to move or interfere with a fawn lying still or even in distress. It is best to wait up to 24 hours to see if the doe returns to retrieve the fawn. Remember, leave wildlife alone!

If you find a deceased deer on your property, please observe the circumstances to determine your next steps. If a deer appears to have died or been injured because of an illegal hunting act, call a game warden to investigate. If a deer appears to have died of sickness or other unknown causes, reach out to your nearest TPWD biologist.

Bottom line is: When in doubt, call us!

Have a question for the game warden? Email us at magazine@tpwd.texas.gov and we will pass it along to Wei-Wei.

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