Dead deer on side of road. That time of year.

[RSKY]

On a recent trip from Mayfield Kentucky to Paducah Kentucky on Highway 45 we counted 18 dead deer in less than eighteen miles. This was northbound in the center and on the east side of the road. Don't know how many were on the other side of the four lane. Not talking about piles of bones these were all hit in the last week or so. All the divided highways around here are like this. At least one every mile. No wonder there are so many body shops in the area. And Kentucky ranks fourth among the states on deer vehicle collisions. We even see coyotes hit now. And the coons, possums, groundhogs, armadillos, and (ugh) skunks are too numerous to count.

Where was I going with this?

Oh yeah, I remember now.

And there were nearly 145,000 killed in legal hunting in 2022. So how many deer are lurking around the state? Do they outnumber the people? I didn't see one in the wild in our area until I was in my late teens. They just didn't exist.

RSKY

 

[square1]

For nearly 2 years driving was highly curtailed. This drastically reduced the number of roadkill deer. Those deer that would have been hit & killed by vehicles are instead reproducing, increasing the deer population at a greater rate. We're going to have to hit & kill a lot of deer to reverse the pendulum.

 

[LD1]

The deer population definitely needs some "control".

Humans have had a hand in severly declining the natrual predators of deer. Like wolves, coyotes, cougars/mountain lions, bears, etc etc.

And too many people still think hunting is a bad thing.

We just lost the place we have been hunting for 15 years. Neighbors sold, someone from CA bought it and wants to make it an animal sanctuary and absolutely forbids hunting because it is too cruel. Whats cruel is letting the population be uncontrolled and the entire deer population suffers....not enough natural resources to sustain the current deer population. 50 healthy deer is better than 100 sickly and malnourished deer competing for the same food and water sources.

 

[Jstpssng]

someone from CA bought it and wants to make it an animal sanctuary and absolutely forbids hunting because it is too cruel

They are the same people who want to protect the coyotes and reintroduce wolves. We had an easy winter last year, and this year is looking to be the same. Plus the coyotes seem to be in decline, whether due to hunting or mange. (I suspect it’s both.) Our deer herd is doing better than it has in some time.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I don't have an answer to your question, but I do know Kentucky is slam full of deer. Lots of counties have no legal limit on the numbers you can take, that should tell you something.

 

[Hay Dude]

PA deer really bad, too.
Same with foxes.

I see both dead along road sides.
As a hay farmer, we also get a lot that stagger into nearby hay fields and die. There’s more hit by cars than you can see.

 

[MossRoad]

Back in the 80s and 90s we had a state park here that was 6 square miles. Over 1/4 of it was lake, so about 4.5 miles of land inside a 2 x 3 mile rectangle. There were several hundred deer in there. You could drive in and see herds of 60-70 deer. 15-20 bucks in groups. And they were all skinny and small. There was nothing green from the ground up to 6' high. You could see several hundred yards through the woods. They ate everything. Every evening they'd go out of the parks and decimated the crops. There were hundreds of deer blinds on properties bordering the park, but you can't hunt after dark, so it did no good.

The state finally started doing herd reduction hunts in many state parks. After several years, things started changing. The herd was drastically reduced. The undergrowth came back. The few deer that you now see are large and healthy looking. You can't look through the forest more than a few yards like it's supposed to be. If a tree falls down and creates a well of light, the small trees under it immediately start stretching up to grab the sunlight and the hole in the canopy is quickly filled in.

At first, people were upset because they could no longer see the herds of deer, but most finally realized that hers of deer that large are not natural and they weren't healthy and were eating themselves into starvation.

 

[RSKY]

PA deer really bad, too.
Same with foxes.

I see both dead along road sides.
As a hay farmer, we also get a lot that stagger into nearby hay fields and die. There’s more hit by cars than you can see.

Coyotes nearly wiped out the fox population in this area. But they seem to be making a comeback. Also Bobcats are getting thicker. But the deer are what scare me right now. There are places on local roads where you just slow down and keep an eye out for them. Usually close to a small creek crossing with a woods on both sides of the road. One of my sisters cannot have flowers in her yard. The deer come up to her back door and eat them out of the flower pots.

RSKY

 

[bdhsfz6]

PA deer really bad, too.
Same with foxes.

I see both dead along road sides.
As a hay farmer, we also get a lot that stagger into nearby hay fields and die. There’s more hit by cars than you can see.

I live in PA as well which rates #3 in the nation for vehicle related deer accidents. It seems I can't drive 5 miles to the grocery store without passing a recent kill.

I did get a chuckle out of one I saw last week. The carcass was lying on the shoulder with its legs sticking up in the air. Someone with a warped sense of humor tied a helium balloon to one of it's legs that said "Get Well Soon".

 

[5030]

Lime it down. Keeps the stink under control....