Deer crossing signs in Iowa

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HadEnuff Well, duh!!!,,,I KNOW deer can't read signs. I assumed that's why they put a picture on the sign.

Since they can't read, why don't we make them go to school?

OTOH, fuggetaboutit.... let's not give the NEA any ideas on how to expand their base.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Fortunately, most deer collisions are survivable (by the humans, not the deer or the vehicle). The ones to really be afraid of are elk and moose. Much more likely to kill all involved. I'll never forget one dark November night in the backwoods of Maine when I was driving a little too fast for conditions. Barely avoided hitting a moose that probably weighed half as much as the car I was driving. Two passengers kidded me about it for the next week, saying I owed them for new underwear.

Yeah I won't drive after dark if it's avoidable in big game country. DW sees a specialist in Durango, those appointments are always scheduled for 1:00 PM.

Of course loose farm animals can be deadly too. I have a good buddy that had a late night drunken(he's in recovery today) encounter with a cow. Didn't end well for either. He avoided the dui, but couldn't explain the cow tracks on top of his datsun away. Made for a good story during his drinking years.

Wouldn't want to hit a hog either.

ETA: Couple years ago, not far from here, a young guy lost his life in a motorcycle and wild turkey collision.

[Curmudgeon]

“Think of how stupid the average person is... and realize half of them are stupider than that!”
- George Carlin

[MissMolly]

Audio of lady calling into a Fargo radio stations requesting deer crossing signs be moved to a safer place. It's a hoot

https://youtu.be/RFCrJleggrI

[audreyh1]

In Yellowstone once a full size bison was walking down the middle of the road coming towards us. I didn't want to pass it in my car, so I waited by the side of the road. Another car came up behind it, it moved to one side of the road, the car passed it, and it returned to the middle of the road. Hmmmm - I guess it understood traffic rules.

[CoolRich59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 In Yellowstone once a full size bison was walking down the middle of the road coming towards us. I didn't want to pass it in my car, so I waited by the side of the road. Another car came up behind it, it moved to one side of the road, the car passed it, and it returned to the middle of the road. Hmmmm - I guess it understood traffic rules.

Well, I'm like you. This past September we took a trip to Montana and visited the National Bison Range (highly recommended!) where you can do auto tours through the park.

At one point, as were navigating through a switchback turn, there were several bison standing in the road. After waiting a few minutes, I thought I would crawl forward and see if they would move out of the way.

The smaller ones did, but there was a big fellow who didn't budge. He was on one side of the road and there was a steep drop off on the other. One good push would have sent us over the edge.

I waited a few more minutes and cars were backing up behind me. So, I inched forward and and he eyeballed me the whole time as I crawled past him at about 1mph.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolRich59 Not only are moose bigger, they cop an attitude too. We were camping in either Canada or Maine. I had headed into a nearby town for some provisions and was heading back to the campground in the late dusk when I rounded a turn and almost hit a moose walking in the middle of the road. I came to a stop and waited for him to head to one side or the other. Instead, after giving me a dirty look, he turned and sauntered on down the middle of the road. There was no way I was going to try and pass him, so meekly followed him at a safe distance. It seemed like a while, but was probably only a couple of hundred feet when he decided at last to leave the road and head into the forest, allowing me to continue on my way.

Same here in Northern Canada, at midnight. As we got closer and closer to it, we finally realized what that white floating thing in a sea of darkness was in front of us, and slammed on the brakes. He looked back and sauntered along.....

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolRich59 Well, I'm like you. This past September we took a trip to Montana and visited the National Bison Range (highly recommended!) where you can do auto tours through the park. At one point, as were navigating through a switchback turn, there were several bison standing in the road. After waiting a few minutes, I thought I would crawl forward and see if they would move out of the way. The smaller ones did, but there was a big fellow who didn't budge. He was on one side of the road and there was a steep drop off on the other. One good push would have sent us over the edge. I waited a few more minutes and cars were backing up behind me. So, I inched forward and and he eyeballed me the whole time as I crawled past him at about 1mph.

We spent a couple of hours in a bison jam in Yellowstone in 2006(?). A great experience! We were only 4-5 vehicles back from the end of the herd and realized what was going on. I felt sorry for the poor folks way back who would have no clue as why nobody's moving for a couple hours.

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon “Think of how stupid the average person is... and realize half of them are stupider than that!” - George Carlin

George was a great comedian, but he didn’t understand statistics. It’s the median, not the average.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh It’s the median, not the average.

And, if deer make it to the median, they're temporarily safe.

[HadEnuff]

I've maintained for years that the deer hunting permits should be more along the line of bass fishing limits. Something like "5 per day" per hunter...

When I can drive an hour without dodging 3 deer, and seeing 3 others dead on the road, I'll start worrying about the viability of the herd.

[harley]

To get home to our MD house, we pass through a half mile of thick woods. I see a lot of white tails there, and I've always driven slowly and carefully through there. Then comes a half mile of very narrow (25'?) causeway. I always used to speed up through there, since there's nowhere a deer could hide to pop out at me. However, a few years ago I was driving on the causeway and barely avoided a very slow and low flying Great Blue Heron. Now I drive slowly through the causeway too.

[CardsFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 And, if deer make it to the median, they're temporarily safe.

On average

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolRich59 Not only are moose bigger, they cop an attitude too. We were camping in either Canada or Maine. I had headed into a nearby town for some provisions and was heading back to the campground in the late dusk when I rounded a turn and almost hit a moose walking in the middle of the road. I came to a stop and waited for him to head to one side or the other. Instead, after giving me a dirty look, he turned and sauntered on down the middle of the road. There was no way I was going to try and pass him, so meekly followed him at a safe distance. It seemed like a while, but was probably only a couple of hundred feet when he decided at last to leave the road and head into the forest, allowing me to continue on my way.

I had the same thing happen to me but I was on a snowmobile. I was heading to meet up with a friend about 6:30 am one morning and came around a corner to see a moose in the trail so I stopped. We eyeballed each other for a minute or so and then he sauntered down the trail a couple hundred feet and took off into the bush. It was a pretty cool way to start the day.... I wish I had a camera with me.

I never felt in peril but I did not turn the machine off in case I had to hightail it out of there.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HadEnuff I've maintained for years that the deer hunting permits should be more along the line of bass fishing limits. Something like "5 per day" per hunter... When I can drive an hour without dodging 3 deer, and seeing 3 others dead on the road, I'll start worrying about the viability of the herd.

Too many is not good! Where we lived in MO. you could take 1 buck, 10 doe. The last year I paid attention, the doe permits became unlimited. Few hunters took their limit[10].

I remember being a kid hiking in PA and finding a place where a bunch of deer tried to survive over a winter. Nobody who loves those wonderful critters would want to see an overpopulation.

Fewer folks are hunters today and in many areas the herd is too big. It's complicated by urban sprawl. Deer survive well close to humans. I've seen that many times.

My sister lived on Lake Travis in the 1980s. They were trying to give out birth control for deer(deer don't like condoms&#128514 . Too many in a highly populated area.

We live on a canyon boarding San Juan National Forest. In our development we always have deer. National Forest? Never seen one there, nor has anyone I've talked to.