Car-deer accident numbers down in Washtenaw County as carcass debate continues
Deer and human populations frequently collide in western Washtenaw County, which inevitably leads to car-deer accidents.
AnnArbor.com file photo
As the fall rut begins, drivers will be dodging more deer on area roadways.
If a downward trend continues, however, there could be fewer collisions between automobiles and whitetail deer in 2012.
Numbers again fell in the state and Washtenaw County in 2011, according to a recently released report from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. Statewide, there were 53,592 car-deer crashes, down from 55,867 the previous year. In the county, there were 1,026 car-deer accidents, or 10.6 percent out of the 9,715 total accidents. This number is down from the 1,174 incidents reported in 2010. In southeastern Michigan, there were 5,443 car deer crashes in 2011, down from 6,062 crashes the previous year.
A disease threatening the Michigan deer population could also potentially affect the number of car-deer crashes this year. The Department of Natural Resources reports the epizootic hemorrhagic disease has killed a minimum of 8,671 deer in 33 Michigan counties as of this week, including confirmed and probable cases, according to MLive.com.
Despite prospects of lower deer numbers in southern Michigan, the chance of an accident increases during fall mating season, according to the Michigan Deer Crash Coalition. This means higher risk of injury or even death.
On Sunday, longtime Ann Arbor dentist and Whitemore Lake resident Peter Drescher, 57, became the latest fatality when he was killed in one-car accident in St. Clair County while swerving to avoid a deer.
However, driver fatalities in southeastern Michigan were down from eight in 2010 to two in 2011 — one in Livingston County, the other in Monroe. One of the two killed was driving a motorcycle, according to SEMCOG.
The report also puts Scio Township back in the top spot for car-deer accidents, making up 28 percent of total accidents reported there, despite a slight drop to 145 car-deer accidents reported in 2011 compared with 153 in 2010. It’s still considerably higher than the 119 incidents in 2009, however.
The township’s landscape - farmland abutting heavily travelled roads and highways - seems to be why Scio experiences so many car-deer accidents, according to officials.
“There’s a mixture of a lot of vehicles and rural areas,” said Scio Township firefighter Brian Koch.
Koch said the roads that see many of the car-deer accidents in the township include Liberty, Scio Church and Huron River Drive, though injuries aren’t too frequent.
“We do see some where they swerve and go off the road,” he said.
This is why officials caution against trying to avoid a deer in the road by jerking the vehicle around it.
“Don’t swerve,” said Sgt. Geoff Fox of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. “Maintain control of the car. Stay the course.”
If a crash with a deer is unavoidable, the MDCC tells drivers not to swerve, brake firmly, hold on to the steering wheel with both hands, come to a controlled stop and steer the vehicle well off the roadway.
A motorist is more likely to be injured from going off the road and hitting a tree or rolling the vehicle, Fox said.
Car-deer crashes ends up with a harsh inevitability: a dead deer in the road. Deer carcasses along roads and highways are a common sight throughout Michigan and Washtenaw County in part because there is no agency funded to dispose of them.
Fox said deputies are under orders to only move a dead deer from a roadway if it poses a traffic danger. In those instances, it will be set alongside the road. The only time a deer could be disposed of is if it’s killed in a heavily populated area like Ypsilanti Township and poses a public safety problem, Fox said.
The Washtenaw County Road Commission is under a similar directive, said director of operations Jim Harmon.
“Our workers drag the animal to the side of the road and leave it there,” he said. “We’re left with no other option.”
Historically, deer carcasses would be taken to gravel pits and buried by the road commission, according to Harmon, but the DNR took exception to that practice.
Dragging dead deer to the side of the road and letting nature take its course has been standard operating procedure for more than a decade in Washtenaw County and throughout the state, if not longer, Harmon guessed.
The issue is listed on the legislative priorities of the County Road Association of Michigan, an organization comprised of all the state’s road commissions.
“Increasingly there is the demand that dead animals be removed completely from the right-of-way and disposed of in landfills or other designated areas,” the association states in the priority. “This is creating a substantial financial burden on local road agencies in terms of landfill and labor costs.”
The association believes there should be a statewide policy developed to address the removal of dead animals and that it should be the DNR’s responsibility.
“A simple ecological way should be provided to dispose of carcasses,” the association further states in the priority. “The state should provide a disposal system in each county."
The DNR, however, does not believe it is responsible for removing roadkill like deer from the side of the road, said deputy public information officer Debbie Munson-Badini.
"It comes down to who is maintaining the roadway," she said.
Therefore, if it's a county road, that means it's the road commission's responsibility. If it's a state-maintained road, the Michigan Department of Transportation or the state police would pull the carcass at least to the side of the road. Munson-Badini said it's been this way since an attorney general's decision in the 1980s.
While potentially unsightly to some people, the carcasses can be a boon to creatures.
"It is a really good source of food for scavengers," Munson-Badini said.
Motorists who hit the deer can also make use of the meat. After hitting a deer, people can legally strap the carcass on their vehicle and take it home, but only after contacting police.
"You can take that roadkill and get some venison for your freezer," Munson-Badini said.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Mitch
Sat, Oct 13, 2012 : 2:27 a.m.
The road crews use to remove the carcasses until the DNR officers started charging those crews with poaching. I say lay off the crews and let them resume.
Huron 74
Fri, Oct 12, 2012 : 10:28 a.m.
So the DNR wants to tell other agencies what to do but does nothing (but collect fees from hunters)? I've said for years that they should be responsible for the clean up. I can't understand why they don't expand the hunting season. I really don't think deer are at risk of extinction here in Michigan. Carcasses along the road are disgusting and spread disease to other animals.
jcj
Fri, Oct 12, 2012 : 12:41 p.m.
Because you said it does not make it right. PLEASE tell us the disease that is being spread!
julieswhimsies
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 11:37 p.m.
So this article should fuel those killers of deer and call it "hunting". If your family is starving, and it puts dinner on the table, then I say "Go for it". If you say you're an "outdoors man" (or woman)...but only on the weekends with plenty of beer on board, then you'll have easy pickin's this year. There is a fine line to be drawn between hunters who kill because times are hard, and people who just like to kill animals. I know I WILL get slammed for this poster. I say: "Bring it." (Isn't that a Bush W. comment?)
jcj
Fri, Oct 12, 2012 : 1:18 a.m.
Not worthy of a rebuttal!
Fat Bill
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 9:17 p.m.
As a person responsible for scheduling a 24/7/365 operation, I can tell you that another factor in the reduction of car-deer crashes is simply a reduction in trips late at night. 7 years ago, night shift was rockin with people out and about either working 3rd shift or out playing late into the night. Today, not so much. We've seen fewer accidents as a whole, along with fewer arrests, service requests, etc in the overnight hours.
BikingJeff
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 8 p.m.
With the hunger issues in our country a system for the police to contact food pantries in the area of accident. Then the pantry would collect the carcass and process it to feed the hungry in our area.
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 9:05 p.m.
It is not uncommon to get maybe 25 lbs of good meat out of a road kill deer. There is too much opportunity for contamination to pawn it off on the hungry. For full disclosure - It is also not uncommon to get a road kill deer with very little damage to the meat.
rm1
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 7:18 p.m.
The article notes that "a minimum of 8,671" deer were lost to a disease, possibly reducing the number of collisions. But the article doesn't trouble to give us the total deer population, which you need to understand the significance of the 8,671. Was it 100,000? 3 million? Why didn't this appear relevant to the incurious writer of the article? And I take it that this publication no longer employs editors. A little clicking around -- less than exhaustively searching out the answer --suggests that the LP deer population is something like 1.3 million. So 8,671 is not a very big deal, about 0.67%, hardly of statistical significance
jackson west
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 6:58 p.m.
Nobody wants to talk about it, but all of these deer remains are attracting wild dogs. And the wild dogs are attracting the wrong kind of element. If we do not do something this town is going to be overrun. We need to legalize the hunting and trapping of all animals year round in Ann Arbor. It is not just for sport. We can feed the remains to the homeless and make clothing from the skin.
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 11:12 p.m.
What? The obvious reason it is not talked about is... It is not happening!
Ryan Martin
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 6:07 p.m.
I'm with PineyWoodsGuy. Assign a price per dead deer, have state designated landfills that people can drop them off at, hand over some cash, and let the general public pick up the carcasses. It may sound gross, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who would take up the task.
martini man
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 5:20 p.m.
Wow !!! Only 53,000 and change vs over 55,000 ???? I feel SO much safer now !!
Louann
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 5:14 p.m.
What about the zoo, couldn't the zoo use the meat to feed the lions, tigers and etc.?
Epengar
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 7:14 p.m.
No. Wild animals like deer can carry parasites that will infect the carnivores that eat them. Also, there are vastly more dead deer than there is demand from zoos.
GoNavy
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 5 p.m.
I'd like to hit up on something that Sgt. Geoff Fox, of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office said: "Don't swerve. Maintain control of the car. Stay the course." This needs to be extended to all other manner of "accident" that a motorist can potentially find themselves in. Protecting the paint on your car, the premium on your insurance, or your "perfect driving record" is not the most important thing to consider in a potential accident. As we've seen from recent news and headlines, a poor reaction to a potential accident can often be far worse than the accident itself. Many (perhaps most) people barely understand the actual physics and dynamics of their automobiles. They often maintain an "illusion of control" while driving, believing that they are fully in control of their vehicle when in fact they're simply fully in control of maintaining a straight trajectory and constant speed. Many "accidents" occur during a motorist's well-intentioned but often misguided efforts to change the typical dynamic they're in (for example, from straight and consistent to turning and varying speeds). Word to the wise? Don't make a bad situation worse. Don't swerve into an unknown situation to avoid a known situation your car was designed to handle (that is, a head-on collision).
julieswhimsies
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 11:44 p.m.
I would like to add: Please drive slowly at night on country roads, or in rural areas, or anywhere else where deer are likely to be. So, get off my tail when I'm driving 25 mph on Dexter-Chelsea Road.
DennisP
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:56 p.m.
Sadly, this is the reaction most commonly seen from Michigan's state and local bureaucracies. Just the leave the problem for others to deal with. Ok, then looks look to New York State where they have been using a novel means of disposal that appears to be cost-effective, produces a useful product and kills associated pathogens. A quick surf on the internet was all it took for me to find this program along with a enough detail to make it worth looking into--that is, if a bureaucrat is willing to get off the duff and take the initiative. See: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/06jul/02.cfm See also: http://environment.transportation.org/environmental_issues/construct_maint_prac/compendium/manual/11_31.aspx Also, it seems not all counties take the "it's your problem" approach: "Oakland, Branch, Calhoun, St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Allegan, Van Buren and Berrien counties are covered under a state deer-removal contract with Michigan Highway Hazard Recovery, a deer-removal business." See: http://www.crittercontrol.com/news/news/clearingdeerisjobmiredinlimbo.html I won't call this the most pressing issue, but it is a quality of life one for residents. You know, the people who pay lots of taxes and fees to MDOT, DNR, and Wash. County Road Commission? You would think the three agencies would put their heads together rather than simply pawn off the matter to the local community. It's not like there aren't cost-effective ideas out there that may be worth investigating. It's the little things that keep a neighborhood, town, city and county desirable and safe. Unfortunately, our bureaucrats see only re-election, public pensions/benefits and millages as worth their attention.
djacks24
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.
"Dragging dead deer to the side of the road and letting nature take its course has been standard operating procedure for more than a decade in Washtenaw County and throughout the state, if not longer, Harmon guessed." "While potentially unsightly to some people, the carcasses can be a boon to creatures." "It is a really good source of food for scavengers," Munson-Badini said." Sure, as long as they make it to the actual side of the road and not in the median. If it's in the median, other animals have to cross the road to get to it just adding to the roadkill count. In the 6 mile stretch of I-94 I travel daily, If I had a dollar for every deer kill I've seen laying along I-94 in the median instead of along the right side of the road...
FredMax
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:17 p.m.
Dawn and dusk in rural areas; slower driving goes along way to prevent a $2000 auto repair bill.
djacks24
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:52 p.m.
Exactly. I have family in Manchester and they always remind when I leave their house. Still it's amazing how many people wind up tailgating me or passing me for simply obeying the speed limit. Also, I have some family further out west in a rural area that almost refuse to drive after daylight.
Linda Peck
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 3:32 p.m.
Looking at the votes, it seems people really do have common sense. The dead animals should be left for scavengers, as nature has the perfect solution for this. On the other issue of hitting deer on the road, I do see people speeding a lot in Scio Township. People are just so in a hurry there.
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 3:29 p.m.
This link provides a history of deer hunting in Michigan. I am not a DNR shill, but at least get the facts straight. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10856_10905-28543--,00.html
PineyWoodsGuy
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 3:22 p.m.
With so much unemployment and lots of idle pick-up trucks, put a bounty on the carcasses and they will be removed, lickedty split!
RunsWithScissors
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 5:50 p.m.
Agreed! If a deer carcass is worth more than a catalytic converter then we can solve two problems.
b_ketch
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 3:12 p.m.
Swerving to avoid the deer is not only (usually) more dangerous, but more costly from an insurance standpoint as well. Hitting a deer would be considered a Comprehensive claim, which insurance carriers rate more favorably than an at-fault Collision claim if you go off the road and make contact with something other than the deer. This doesn't even factor most people carrying lower deductibles for Comprehensive coverage than Collision on their autos.
RuralMom
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:53 p.m.
I happen to know that in the 80's and 90's, that the state paid per carcass to have these removed from the freeways. Why the Probationers who do community service picking up trash, have a division that deals with animal carcasses? Its a hazard to leave them there. Nature does take care of it, Turkey Vultures where in front of my house last weekend getting up the remnants of something, however they are large birds and cars coming up the hill and around the curve, kept hitting their breaks at the sight of them, which is another hazard altogether!
newsboy
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:42 p.m.
"As the fall rut begins, drivers will be dodging more deer on area roadways?" Deer come out of the woods when hunters go in to the woods. Deer populations have been kept artificially high in South East Michigan, where the human populations are dense and deer/car accidents far too common. The DNR is responsible for this over population of a select species of animal. It's time to expand hunting in South East Michigan and bring these populations under control. We need to eliminate licensing for hunters, and encourage are youth to participate in this public service. Offering a bounty on deer, paid for by auto insurance companies is one option. Michigan is an expansive state with plenty of thinly populated areas suitable for higher deer populations. Let's start treating this as a true public safty concern and bring these populations down like any other varmint that threatens human health! Carcass removal won't be a concern when there are no deer to hit!
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 3:21 p.m.
Spoken like a true non- informed. "Deer populations have been kept artificially high in South East Michigan" How so by offering a doe permit a day for those that hunt in Washtenaw and Jackson counties? Or making block permits available? "It's time to expand hunting in South East Michigan and bring these populations under control" We have 90 days to hunt now with crossbows rifle and muzzleoaders. Not counting the youth hunts and early doe seasons "We need to eliminate licensing for hunters, and encourage are youth to participate in this public service." And lets do away with hunter safety also! That's what we need every Tom ,Dick and Harry that can pull a trigger out there bringing them down! "Michigan is an expansive state with plenty of thinly populated areas suitable for higher deer populations." Deer don't just appear in certain areas! They flourish where the food source is plentiful!
Top Cat
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:41 p.m.
There should be no limit to the number of deer you can kill on your own property. Anyway you cut it, there are too many of them and they are a nuisance and a danger to drivers.
Rabid Wolverine
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:40 p.m.
Moving the carcasses to the shoulder is all good and fine for nature to take its course, except for the fact it draws more animals that close to the road. They should be dragged from the road into the ditches or as far from the roadway as possible to prevent additional accidents...
Useless
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:25 p.m.
We had a car hit a dear on our road this summer. The road crew moved the deer onto our lawn (which is part of the road right of way ). We had no way to move the dead beast, and the rotting maggot infested animal smelled absolutely vile drifting into our house for weeks in the hot summer sun. Great policy the county has, kick the dead animal onto someones lawn and let someone else deal with it - I would pay a few extra tax dollars to not go through that smell for weeks again.
Top Cat
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:38 p.m.
Hopefully this won't happen to you again. But dumping a bag of lime over the carcass will do wonders.
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:31 p.m.
Maybe the DNR should come to my home when I have a dead raccoon the the yard. Maybe the driver should pay for hitting these innocent animals that are just going about their business. After all they were here first. (tongue in cheek)
RunsWithScissors
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:19 p.m.
Last winter I found a dumping site of deer carcasses near a parking lot in a publicly owned park. I called park management and they theorized that a citizen was moving deer carcasses from their front yard or a friend's front yard. Hmmmm. I wonder about that. Even Dudley Doright would be hard pressed to move 10+ carcasses in a season.
City Confidential
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:11 p.m.
Road-killed deer are often not useful for meat, as the internal damage to the animal can cause the organs to rupture and the bones to pierce the meat/organs. As someone else mentioned, this is blood shot meat, which is not very desirable to eat.
Rork Kuick
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:34 p.m.
Many good comments jcj. I am actually impressed how often a new deader I see in the morning is gone by evening. We call it "stiff competition".
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:35 p.m.
It is usually apparent to someone with experience whether a road kill is ok for consumption. I have salvaged at least part of numerous road kill deer. But I have also passed on numerous road kill deer. But I would never take a road kill home if I did not know how long it had been dead.
clownfish
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:05 p.m.
The reason we have a surplus of deer is because they have been "managed" to create more hunting opportunities. If people want the DNR to remove carcasses from the roadway there needs to be a way to pay for that. A reasonable fee structure should be placed on those that benefit from the management of the deer herd. How many hunters do you think would accept responsibility and hand over a couple of extra bucks to cover this cost? I would be willing, are you?
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:05 p.m.
"How many hunters do you think would accept responsibility and hand over a couple of extra bucks to cover this cost? I would be willing, are you?" You mentioned the "couple hundred" figure.I just repeated your figure. Doe permits have been available 1 a day in this county for a number of years.
clownfish
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:41 p.m.
I myself am not too bothered by the deer providing food for the scavengers, but evidently Other People are. IF they are, then a revenue stream would need to be created to remove the offending carcasses.
clownfish
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:39 p.m.
Where did I say it would be hundreds of dollars per person? The laws you write about are fairly new, ways to help reduce the overpopulation caused (in part) by mismanagement of the herd for decades.
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:27 p.m.
So you feel that allowing unlimited doe permits is a way the herd is "managed" to create more hunting opportunities."? And handing out block permits to farmers so they can kill dozens of deer legally is how they manage the herd to create more hunting opportunities? Not they take a hunter would have! No I am NOT willing to hand over a couple hundred bucks to do something nature takes care of now.
tdw
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:01 p.m.
The article didn't mention but car crashes take a jump when gun season opens.They get shot at and just run like hell
actionjackson
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 10:06 p.m.
I do the same thing when shot at!
Fatkitty
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 12:49 p.m.
"If a downward trend continues, however, there could be fewer collisions between automobiles and whitetail deer in 2012. " The "downward" trend is the average for the STATE. A little misleading unless you read the article more than once including all the referenced links. And even if the LOCAL trend would be down (it isn't), considering that the trend for TEXTING and YAKKING ON THE CELL phone (distracted driving) is UP, better to expect that collisions, including those between vehicles and deer, will be UP.
Billy
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 12:20 p.m.
"Motorists who hit the deer can also make use of the meat. After hitting a deer, people can legally strap the carcass on their vehicle and take it home, but only after contacting police." It's the DNR that actually has to be contacted for a "roadkill permit." and you should probably contact THEM and not bother the police unless it's the middle of the night. Unless your collision did vehicle damage or property damage you don't need to contact police for anything. Hitting a deer is pretty much a non-crime. You'd need a police report for an insurance claim though. The only reason they want this though is for statistics. They want to know that a deer was killed and where for their records. It's how we track the herd. Speaking of which, I'm wondering how the herd is down here in the LP right now.
Epengar
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 7:05 p.m.
Hitting a deer is not a crime at all. It's having a dead deer (or bear) in your possession without a permit that is against the law. I think this regulation is intended to prevent poachers from shooting animals illegally and then claiming it was roadkill. The letter of the law is that you're supposed to report a road kill deer or bear before you move it, and you're supposed to get an actual document, a "highway kill permit" and keep it attached to the carcass until it is processed or butchered. DNR officers and any police officer can issue the permit. They might tell you to meet them somewhere rather than come to the kill site, but you are supposed to call them first in any case. Legally, if you just load the carcass and drive it home without the permit, you can be stopped and ticketed.
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 3:45 p.m.
Billy Point taken
Billy
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 2:20 p.m.
Pretty sure you can just call the DNR, give them your information, and be on your way. My friend's picked deer up that have been hit before (he saw a carcass on the road that wasn't there an hour ago), even hit a couple with his truck (just bent the brush bar), and he said all he ever had to do was call up DNR and tell them info about the deer. I mean of course if the officer is already there dealing with your accident you can get one from them...but in general I wouldn't bother the police unless you need an animal vehicle collision report for insurance. If the police don't need to come out, then it's kinda wasting their time just to get a roadkill permit....which was my point...
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:21 p.m.
I have gotten numerous permits to take a deer killed by a car. I have ALWAYS gotten them from the officer taking the report. With a single conservation officer covering such a large area, the meat would be spoiled before a CO could get there! Especially during the rut when there might be 10 or more deer kills in a couple hours.
Evergreen
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 12:06 p.m.
I do like the fact we can take the deer away and use it, but most people are not in a position to strap a deer on their car while in work mode or shopping etc. I've often thought a game restaurant could watch heavy kill areas daily and profit with free meat. Not a hunter, what kind of testing would be needed to make sure it was safe to consume? And last, why can't we use prisoners to move them far enough away from the roads where other animals and life itself will take care of them.
actionjackson
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 10:05 p.m.
If the prisoners moved them far enough from the road where other animals took care of them the prisoners themselves might be far enough away to take care of themselves. See ya!
Rork Kuick
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:39 p.m.
Almost every state forbids selling game cause otherwise you get poaching.
tdw
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 12:51 p.m.
As far as testing the meat a low tech approach works pretty well.You look at it and smell it.In a accident much of the meat is often destroyed it's called being " Blood shot ".And wild game can only be donated not sold ( state law )
Billy
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 12:26 p.m.
Can't sell "hunter meat" in restaurants....state law I believe. Terribly stupid law IMO though. People operate on the "caveat emptor" rule every single time they go to restaurants....there is no reason for additional legislation like that. To be fair though....I've had farm raised venison....and it really does taste exactly like wild meat.
B2Pilot
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 11:53 a.m.
Not sure if I believe the trend I've hit 2 this year 1 on Dexter Pinckney In July & 1 on N. Territorial in April I am a hunter and I have been out bow hunting a couple of times already. Have seen a lot more so far this year in the woods although the body size of the deer I am seeing is much smaller than normal. I'm guessing from the drought this summer and late frost that killed most of the fruit crop.
Epengar
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 6:53 p.m.
Side note: the frost that whacked the fruit crop this year wasn't late. Trees and bushes flowered unusually early this year because of a heat wave in March, and then their flowers got killed when we had normal April frosts.
Rork Kuick
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:15 p.m.
Butchered a doe and a 1.5 year-old buck with my partner Monday. They were fat as seals. We have seen less deer we think, and I'm worried about EHD contributing to that. Found dead deer Sep 29 and 30, one a magnificent buck, bloody mouth, no apparent wounds, in great shape. Our other theory is that we hunt big woods, and acorns on white, red, and black oaks are few this year - they are usually key in our strategy.
Billy
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 12:21 p.m.
I noticed that too. I saw several bucks with nice racks that were at least 10 points each....yet they looked almost anemic. I could see ribs on a doe that I saw too.
thinker
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 11:42 a.m.
Where's the poll?
Tom Todd
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 11:13 a.m.
the current practice leads to more disease and cross contamination of illness. The DNR does what? and collects fees so they should have to take care of this health issue,we don't leave bodies lying around here,yet?
JC
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 4:44 p.m.
Tom, by your lack of knowledge about what the DNR does I can only assume you spend little to no time north of Lansing. The MIDNR owns approximately 4.5million acres of natural land, a large majority being in the Upper Peninsula. They are tasked with the stewardship of these areas with very little state funding and almost no way of generating income aside from hunting and fishing licenses, unlike local police forces who at least have citations to generate income. They also on a yearly basis have to keep an eye on and fight forest fires which is time and resource intensive.
jcj
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 1:16 p.m.
Please enlighten us as to ANY proof that "the current practice leads to more disease and cross contamination of illness."