Deer in the fall

[stall]

My Daughter lives in a rural area and we’ve seen literally herds of deer crossing the road; given that, I did a bit of research. We all know that hitting a deer with your car can spoil your whole day; it’s not pleasant for the deer either.

In 2017 there were 72,500 insurance claims in New York State costing $303mil in damages. The nationwide cost of deer accidents was a little north of $6bil. Your odds of hitting a deer in NYS are 1 in 161 and these yearly odds are bettered by half in the month of November, that’s a one in 80 chance and while I couldn’t find a study, I’ll bet it’s even worse at dusk, that seems to be “suicide” time for our local deer.

In our fall season let’s be careful out there, SDC needs the members.

[Colgate Studebaker]

My son still lives in Wisconsin and he runs a body shop. There are days during the "season" that they get 10 or more deer hits towed in. Most hits end up as totals as the costs are so out of whack. Bill

[sweetolbob]

I've spent more than a few hours in the Michigan woods tracking and watching them. I'm an active deer hunter and I'll agree with your observations. While the deer will move anytime, they tend to spend daylight hours resting and traveling little. In hot months they just pull up a pine tree and spend the day time in the cool shade. As the months cool they tend to move more as they eat more preparing for winter. But dusk and dawn are still the times when they move from/to cover and into feed areas.

Late October and November is both the rut (mating season) and hunting season. While the deer still prefer to move at dusk and dawn natural instincts can cause them to be more irresponsible at other hours. That compounded with the fact that most hunters move into the woods before dawn and about dusk cause even more movement at that time.

I currently live in a wooded area with a significant amount of deer and we are seeing more of them now preparing for winter.

Bottom line - I agree with your observations. You can hit one anytime but dawn and dusk currently are probably the prime times.

Bob

[52-fan]

The only deer I ever hit was in Virginia. It was dusk and I was driving my 52 Champion. I tried to stop, but clobbered one of the deer. The deer was killed, but the car unhurt, except for losing the Champion script off of the hood. There was deer hair caught under the emblem in the center of the hood.

[Gunslinger]

With all the development in my area the deer are far more common on the roads and residential areas than ever before. The same goes for other critters like bears, foxes and most any others being forced from their normal home areas. Yesterday my dog kinda freaked out when she saw a deer looking in the basement window at her. Scenes like the are very common in my yard...the pics were taken from my kitchen window...

[52-fan]

Fresh venison!

[studegary]

There were three deer in my driveway when I looked out the garage window this morning. I reside in a populated area on a 2/3 acre lot where most of my neighbors have 1/3 acre lots.

[Skip Lackie]

I hit a deer at dusk a few years ago with a 78 El Camino. Cost me $1600 to repair with used body parts and me doing all the labor except final paint.

We live in a residential neighborhood in Washington, DC on a lot about 9000 square feet in size and are swamped with deer all year long. They actually walk right down the street in mid-day as if they lived there (which they do). DC has a 1800-acre natural park (Rock Creek Park) that runs through the middle of the city and serves as perfect reservoir for deer. They can then come and go when they want access to our garden plants. The National Park Service uses sharpshooters to reduce the deer population during winter nights, but it's not enough.

Our tiny back yard is fenced, as we foster Labrador Retrievers prior to adoption. With a bit of a running start, deer can jump over it with ease. Last year we let a dog out in the back yard to do its business and it rocketed over to a back corner of the yard, where it cornered a big buck. The deer was too close to the fence to jump over it and instead went after the dog with its antlers. The dog survived, but suffered a pretty serious injury and the vet bills were around $1500.

[sweetolbob]

With all the development in my area the deer are far more common on the roads and residential areas than ever before. The same goes for other critters like bears, foxes and most any others being forced from their normal home areas. Yesterday my dog kinda freaked out when she saw a deer looking in the basement window at her. Scenes like the are very common in my yard...the pics were taken from my kitchen window...

That's a lot of Buck's in one area. The herd around you must be substantial in size. We don't see that many deer around my place but Judy and I enjoy watching them when they show up. It's interesting to watch the does during the year. There's one dominate female here and she's fine until a younger one intrudes in her vicinity. We've watched her up on her back legs pawing the heck out of the other one or head butting them.

We're starting to see more deer currently as my woods are full of oaks and the farmers are harvesting the corn. Someday I'll get my cell phone out in time to shoot Judy lecturing the deer that are eating here Hostas just outside the picture window. As she's finger pointing they are just staring back at her. I don't have that kind of courage.

Great pictures, Bob

[52-fan]

I hit a deer at dusk a few years ago with a 78 El Camino. Cost me $1600 to repair with used body parts and me doing all the labor except final paint.

We live in a residential neighborhood in Washington, DC on a lot about 9000 square feet in size and are swamped with deer all year long. They actually walk right down the street in mid-day as if they lived there (which they do). DC has a 1800-acre natural park (Rock Creek Park) that runs through the middle of the city and serves as perfect reservoir for deer. They can then come and go when they want access to our garden plants. The National Park Service uses sharpshooters to reduce the deer population during winter nights, but it's not enough.

Our tiny back yard is fenced, as we foster Labrador Retrievers prior to adoption. With a bit of a running start, deer can jump over it with ease. Last year we let a dog out in the back yard to do its business and it rocketed over to a back corner of the yard, where it cornered a big buck. The deer was too close to the fence to jump over it and instead went after the dog with its antlers. The dog survived, but suffered a pretty serious injury and the vet bills were around $1500.

I am thinking that the buck just didn't feel the need to jump out. A whitetail deer can do amazing jumps with no running start.

[Gunslinger]

That's a lot of Buck's in one area. The herd around you must be substantial in size. We don't see that many deer around my place but Judy and I enjoy watching them when they show up. It's interesting to watch the does during the year. There's one dominate female here and she's fine until a younger one intrudes in her vicinity. We've watched her up on her back legs pawing the heck out of the other one or head butting them.

We're starting to see more deer currently as my woods are full of oaks and the farmers are harvesting the corn. Someday I'll get my cell phone out in time to shoot Judy lecturing the deer that are eating here Hostas just outside the picture window. As she's finger pointing they are just staring back at her. I don't have that kind of courage.

Great pictures, Bob

We normally don't see so many bucks...I understand it's referred to as a "bachelor herd". We far more often see the does and fawn...supposedly the bucks stay close by but in the trees. The deer bed down in our yard nearly every night. They will eat my wife's flowers and other shrubbery which she gets very angry about but there's little to do about it...most deer repellant is that in name only. We had to build a small greenhouse due to the deer getting into the garden and cleaning it out...along with the rabbits and groundhogs.

Mother Nature at work.

[benaslopoke]

One of our cars had only liability insurance(minimum coverage).. After being sideswiped by a deer and an $800 repair bill, we took out comprehensive coverage for a lots less than that repair bill.. We are now not afraid to drive and hit another deer.. Shoulda, coulda, woulda, had we known..

[studegary]

I am thinking that the buck just didn't feel the need to jump out. A whitetail deer can do amazing jumps with no running start.

I agree. One son of a neighbor behind our home put in a garden with a fence around it that was about six feet high. I watched deer just stand there and leap over it and then back out when they were finished eating the goodies (no running start). I told my neighbors and they installed a top over the garden. I think that worked.

[JRoberts]

I know that this time of year is when we should all be on the watch for deer crossing the road. This was confirmed yesterday when I drove the 120 miles to my son's house. Along one 20 mile stretch I counted five dear carcasses along the road side. One however was right square in the middle of one of the two north bound lanes. At 70 mph that could have been a disaster in and of itself. We live a bit out of town and in the country around us deer are a problem to keep a watch out for at night on our country roads.

[Lark8girl]

Just last night I mentioned all this to Lark VIII girl, and the next morning at sun up , a Deer ran in front of her and she nearly "grilled it", it was close she asked me if there was hair on the front of her 2019 Equinox. I was about a half mile ahead of her and did not see any Deer. About 7 years ago she did hit one $7000 to fix a then new Trailblazer.

Husband of Lark VIII girl