A Brownsville man is warning drivers to watch for deer near Highway 48 in Cameron County. The road connects Brownsville to South Padre Island.

Ramon Fernandez Jr. spotted a large deer crossing the highway last weekend. He posted about it on Facebook, and several others said they've seen more deer near the road lately.

"Driving back from the island when I turned on 48 to come to Brownsville, there was a huge deer crossing the street, and everybody stopped to let him cross, it was pretty big," Fernandez said.

Fernandez has visited the island dozens of times but says the sightings are new to him.

"I think it's something new because over the years I've never seen deer out there," he said.

With speed limits reaching 70 miles per hour on the highway, Fernandez worries about crashes. 

"If you hit an animal of that size, someone is going to get hurt," he said.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says the sightings are common. Wildlife biologist Ernesto Garcia-Ortega says deer may be moving through the area as plants begin to flower and attract them to new food sources.

"So they might be going after those foods that are readily available," Garcia-Ortega said.

Garcia-Ortega says the biggest risk is when drivers aren't paying attention. With more traffic heading to the island for spring break, he's urging drivers to stay alert.

"That half a second can actually mean life or death, and not just for us but for the other drivers that we're sharing the road with," Garcia-Ortega said.

Fernandez hopes drivers will slow down. 

"I'm an animal lover, you know I don't want them to get hit by cars," he said.

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