Deer season - aarrgghhhhh

[chocolatepuppy]

Someone gave me the idea of driving with once finger ready on the horn, not sure if that would help or not...

Caseysmom, I was told never to beep at a deer, it might panic and charge right at you! Not sure how true, but was told that.
I also hate driving certain places this time of year, always afraid one will run out in front of me!

[cassiesmom]

I also hate driving certain places this time of year, always afraid one will run out in front of me!

Me too! The deer blend in well with the trees along the road. I try to avoid certain stretches of road where it's not too well lit. I've swerved to avoid squirrels, too.

[IRescue452]

I'm glad she's ok. Been there done that. I work 2nd shift so I'm driving through rural areas at night every night. Some roads I have to go like 15mph on because of the deer.

[dab_20]

That is always a scary thing, especially if your an animal lover and you kill the deer.

I lived in Minnesota when I was younger, and there were TONS of deer at all times of the year. One winter night my mom was driving, I was in the back seat. I was around 8 years old. A deer came out of no where and it was icy and we hit the deer and went into the snow filled ditch and hit a tree. We couldn't get out of the car because the snow was so high. This is very dangerous in MN considering how cold it gets there. Luckily we were equipped with blankets and hats and gloves, and it took about an hour before someone drove by and called the police. I remember bawling my eyes out because the deer was dieing and kept kicking my door. I felt SOO bad for it.

[sparks19]

It's awful for both the deer and the driver. I hope people will drive slowly and be alert on roads with forests around.

It happens here, too.

Fences along the roads, at least in some places, might be a good idea.

fences don't really work... deer can easily jump them. there is a 6-7 foot fence lining this one cornfield here and they jump over it as if it isn't even there lol

I've luckily never hit one but I've seen many that have been hit... one was right down the road from our house. not even any forest there. and this was in the middle of the day. During this time of year they can be really unpredictable... especially when they ladies are in the mood lol.

I avoid driving at night as much as possible. My night vision stinks and I know I just wouldn't see one until it was too late.

[sasvermont]

I saw a truck with a buck in the back, just today. I am not a hunter but do believe herds need to be controlled by thinning them each year. I could never do the deed. I hope everyone uses the meat for food and takes care to kill them quickly and not just wound them.

Pennsylvania really does have a deer problem, as do many states. Whenever I drive to PA, I try to avoid the back roads because the deer are grazing in the middle of roads etc. etc. There are deer everywhere. And of course, more and more houses are being built in areas that deer had as their habitat.

I live in a rural area, with lots of places for deer to hide and live. They do wander into my yard and field quite often. I love seeing them in the field. Many of the fields are "posted" so no one shots them in my part of town. I still worry when I am walking my dog. I usually wear a bright colored coat and stick to the edge of the woods.

[dab_20]

I saw on TV once that a town was using fake wolves to keep the deer off the road. They had glowing eyes and the deer actually stayed away! I don't know why more places don't do that.

[Bonny]

There are deer whistles you can have put on your vehicle but I don't know how well they work?

[Puckstop31]

I saw a truck with a buck in the back, just today. I am not a hunter but do believe herds need to be controlled by thinning them each year. I could never do the deed. I hope everyone uses the meat for food and takes care to kill them quickly and not just wound them.

Absolutley. I use every single bit of the deer I kill. Also, I hunt for many reasons but NEVER just to put antlers on the wall. I take the concept of the ethical kill to the extreme. If I am not 99% (you can never be 100% sure) sure of a clean, ethical shot I simply will not take it, period. I respect the wild and the hunters role in it.

Pennsylvania really does have a deer problem, as do many states. Whenever I drive to PA, I try to avoid the back roads because the deer are grazing in the middle of roads etc. etc. There are deer everywhere. And of course, more and more houses are being built in areas that deer had as their habitat.

From what I see, the largest issue in PA is access to the deer, especially near Philly and Pittsburgh. The PA Game Commission issues a HUGE number of antlerless tags for those areas, but a large majority of them do not get filled. Well meaning but misinformed people own a lot of the land they live on near the cities. They feed them and do not let people hunt them on their land. One way or the other, the population has to be controlled. Hunting is the best and least expensive say to do that. If they dont get hunted, they overpopulate and then Cronic Wasting Disease takes over. Or they just starve to death in winter. OR they end up as road kills.

Another issue is the hunting seasons. Archery season needs to be longer. PA cuts it off right at the high part of the rut. Rut is when you get the most daytime movement and its when they are easier to hunt. Hopefully the commission does something about it, or its only going to get worse.

I still worry when I am walking my dog. I usually wear a bright colored coat and stick to the edge of the woods.

I recommend that you and your dogs wear blaze orange when walking trails during the firearms hunting seasons. Other colors are less recognizable. All gun hunters know what blaze orange is.

[cassiesmom]

I was coming home from church choir last night and saw a doe on the side of the road. I learned from this thread to pay attention, because where there is one deer, there might be more. I was able to slow down (I wasn't going the speed limit anyway because the road was wet from rain) and don't you know, behind the first one there was another. So I slowed down even more and they turned and went back the way they came. I was afraid they were going to walk out onto the pavement. It seems like drivers around here don't pay attention to the deer crossing signs. Aargh, I don't like deer season.