Top 10: Two Washtenaw County communities rank high in car-deer crashes
Two Washtenaw County communities were among the top 10 spots for car-deer crashes in Southeast Michigan in 2008, according to data released today by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
Scio Township came in 6th with 108 crashes in 2008, and Sylvan Township took the 10th spot at 93. Two Livingston County communities also ranked among the top 10: Genoa Township was 5th at 111, and Brighton Township was 7th at 107.
In Southeast Michigan, Oakland County had the most car-deer crashes at 1,859, SEMCOG figures show.
Statewide, there were 61,010 car-deer crashes in 2008, accounting for about 19 percent of all vehicle collisions, according to SEMCOG data compiled using Michigan State Police information. A total of 12 people were killed in car-deer crashes statewide.
Here's a look at the number of car-deer crashes in all Washtenaw County communities over the past three years:
SEMCOG data over the past three years shows car-deer crashes in Southeast Michigan have declined - but only slightly. Last year, there were 6,278 vehicle-deer crashes, down from 6,280 in 2007 and from 6,358 in 2006.
That figure represents nearly 5 percent of all crashes in 2008 (133,440 total). In 2008, a vehicle-deer crash occurred every 1.4 hours, SEMCOG said.
According to SEMCOG, the greatest number of deer crashes occur in the early morning between 6 and 7 a.m.; overall crashes occur most often in late afternoon between 3 and 6 p.m.
SEMCOG attributes the prevalence of car-deer crashes to rapid development in previously rural areas and a statewide deer herd four times larger than in 1970 and 10 times larger in Southeast Michigan.
Comments
HornetPower
Thu, Oct 22, 2009 : 9 a.m.
We live on 8 acres in Saline and have friends who hunt. Our deer population is increasing like crazy and we have a lot of deer living on our land. Could someone point me in the right direction to find out what the rules are regarding hunting on your own property? Thank you!
Rork Kuick
Wed, Sep 30, 2009 : 11:31 a.m.
Crossbows. I nearly forgot to mention that this year, in southern lower Michigan, folks will be able to use crossbows in the bow season as if they were any ordinary bow. Part of the reason for that was to increase the kill. Bow hunters have decreased steadily since 1995, and this might make it so some older bow hunters come out again, and some new folks will show up too. I will be polite to them, even though it is bad for me personally, because it's more competition for me on public lands. Safety first, and take only good shots.
Rork Kuick
Wed, Sep 30, 2009 : 7:30 a.m.
Jcj: Sorry, and thanks for the correction. I forgot about the 5 doe tag limit down here, since it is more than I will ever try for, and also cause I often shoot one in the unlimited areas near Alpena. I'm flush. Some other ideas: 1) If you have semi-large lot, you might try to get someone you trust to shoot some deer there. How to encourage that I don't know. The more you garden, or love woodland flowers, the more motivated you might be. 2) Coyotes might help. These animals may help kill some fawns early in the year. Hunters I talk with generally dislike coyotes for this reason (and perhaps also due to kill of other game animals like pheasant though), and often shoot them on private lands. I am slightly open-minded but have been against that attitude so far, but am a fairly rare exception I think. They are beautiful to me, and probably have reduced the stray cat population in my area, which I also like, since the small creatures cats kill really belong to the canines, owls, hawks, and other native predators. We can probably learn to live with coyotes more easily than wolves or bears, and they are "here" already. See what you can do to get your friends to resist harming them, and value being able to watch these incredible animals. 3) If we limited the buck kill, folks might shoot more does, but most hunters won't like that, and I am not sure it would actually achieve the desired goal. 4) Other states have dabbled with "earn a buck" rules (you have to kill an anterless deer first, and only then can kill a buck), and some private land owners self-apply the rule. It might encourage cheating though (long to explain the details). Also, we have no universal deer-checking mechanisms in Michigan to enforce such a rule, and creating the checking mechanism would be expensive. 5) Get out the word that increased doe/buck kill ratio can lead to more large bucks (an incentive to many hunters). It is a long debate on how to actually achieve this in the real world, since it is playing off short vs. long term benefits for some hunters, and the deer move as they wish, usually in ways that thwart local efforts, so cooperation of people is important. I don't want to debate "quality deer management" here, since that happens in-depth in more appropriate places. Some private land owners are doing experiments though.
jcj
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 9:44 p.m.
It is not feasible to save enough land to support the deer numbers. How do you tell the deer to stay in the areas that have been saved for them? As long as deer have enough food and cover it is hard to control their numbers and where they go. I have seen deer near the corner of Dexter and maple on more than one occasion. I don't believe that all of the developments are necessary but I also don't believe we have the right to tell everybody what they can do with their land. That would be no different than telling you that you can't sell someone your car unless it gets 30mpg.
Indicat
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 8:31 p.m.
How about figuring out a way to preserve some land so the deer can live in their natural habitat instead of being forced to co-exist with humans? Are all of these developments really necessary?
jcj
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 8:04 p.m.
Rork Kuick I agree with EVERYTHING you said EXCEPT that "the rules art more liberal this year". Actually we are limited to 5 antlerless deer a year per hunter. For a few years we could buy 1 antlerless permit a day until they were gone.
essene
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 2:53 p.m.
And we actually spend a lot of money in this state to maximize the deer population. Where are the wolves when we need them?
ChelseaGirl
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 1:49 p.m.
I agree with Rork Kuick. We also need more than just the men to get out there and hunt. Take it from me, I am a 43 y.o. female who has been hunting for several years now. Women are just as capable of hunting. Be confidant, take your hunter saftey course. Be responsible. Be sure that once you take aim you can dress it, haul it, process it (whether you take it to a facaility or to family/friends)and put it on the dinner table. We also need to get our children out there. Forget the television and video games! There is so much to see when you are hunting. Squirrels, birds, turkeys, you name it! Sunrise, sunset. We just had a youth hunt and parents, we work all week long, do something with your child and take them out of doors. You would be amazed at how an impression can be made that will last a life time for a child when their father, mother, aunt, uncle takes them hunting. I know it did for me and I've been able to pass that memory on to my nephews. I am so proud, my nephew shot a 9 point over this past weekend. It also teaches him gun safety. There is a lot you can learn while hunting. Try it.
Rork Kuick
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 12:36 p.m.
Folks, the hunting rules have been very liberal for some time, and are even more so this year. Antlerless deer tags ("doe tags") are essentially unlimited for private land in southern lower, and an additional early (sep 17-21) season was instituted for them this year, in addition to bow, firearm, muzzleload, and late seasons for both bow and firearm covering all of Oct1-Jan1. We have been allowed 2 bucks per person for a few years now. The DNR has done about all they can about that except put bounties on them. Tags cost just $15. Despite that there are still too many deer. I think a problem in some neighborhoods is that they are neighborhoods, and you do not want to get permission from all owners within 450 feet of your position (that's the rule) and even with permission, it seems unsporting to shoot them from your roof, and they might end up on the neighbor's back yard. That's if it is even legal in your community. How to encourage folks to kill a few more is hard. My help: the whitetails down here are rather delicious, particularly the young of this year, though it would be best if you killed adult does (and as close to my house as possible). Perhaps let your neighbors know if you pre-approve of their efforts to kill deer. We need even more solutions though. I want to end by adding the usual hints about how to drive careful. About half of deer accidents will happen Oct1-Dec1. I nearly hit one this morning. A second deer followed it 2 seconds later, as expected (if you are experienced), so do not celebrate your near-miss prematurely. Don't tailgate - you have to be prepared for the car in front of you to break like crazy at any time. The van behind my little car (which stops on a dime) was a bit close and nearly shot off the road entirely to avoid me. If you know an area, you likely know where to be most careful. If you are unfamiliar, be even more paranoid.
81wolverine
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 12:06 p.m.
Unfortunately, it's a fact that deer populations are out of control. In addition to causing traffic deaths, the economic cost from 61,000 auto insurance claims, crop losses, damaged landscaping, and deer-borne diseases is getting to be very high. I read another article that said there are more deer in the eastern U.S. now than the time of colonization in the 1600's/1700's. Although I'm not a hunter and I really believe deer are beautiful animals, greatly expanded hunting programs for deer is the only option to bring their numbers down to healthy levels.
Matt Kaz
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 11:46 a.m.
oh deer!
Bob Dively
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 : 11:43 a.m.
Image link is broken.