Published: November 24, 2009 10:58 pm      

Poor mast driving deer across roads?

If motorists cruising along Interstate 64 are spotting an unusually large number of dead deer along the highway, there are two good reasons for the road kill.

First, state Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro says, the rutting season was in full force until just recently, and that is nature’s way of sending deer far and wide, including some unscheduled jaunts across roads.

Jezioro was unaware of any huge numbers of road kill in the southern counties, however.

“Unless there’s just somewhat of a shortage of food in that area,” the director reflected while taking part in the annual two-week firearms season in Taylor County.

“Just like squirrels. This fall, we killed hundreds and hundreds as they were moving in search of food. Deer may be the same way. But this has been the first mention of that.”

What constitutes a large number of road kill is anyone’s own individual take. To some, this year’s number might be high. To others, it is low, or about average.

A couple of weeks ago, along Interstate 79 in northern West Virginia, it seemed as if eight or 10 fell victim to motorists, he said.

“When deer are rutting and moving, they’re going to be on the highways and they get killed,” he said.

Perhaps, he suggested, it’s a case of an abundance of motor vehicles rather than deer.

“This past year, we had a mild winter, so now we have more deer than we did say a year and half ago,” he said.

“There wasn’t any winter kill. Normally, if you get some severe weather, you kill out some of the weak. But we didn’t have that last year. I think this year we’ve had more deer than the year before.”

Poor mast conditions are forcing deer to wander farther than usual in search of food, the director emphasized.

When populations grow to an undesirable size, the DNR adjusts its hunting seasons.

“Every year, we look at the kill figures and also what has been seen, then we adjust the seasons,” Jezioro said.

“If you have too many deer, you need to shoot more does, of course. If the population is down, you reduce that number of does taken to give them a chance to bounce back.”

This week ushered in the annual bucks-only hunt with firearms, and the DNR has predicted a higher kill than last year when foul weather plagued the critical first three days.

State Farm Insurance recently said that West Virginia, for the third straight year, heads the list of states where collisions with deer are likely.

In the Mountain State, your chances of having a run-in with a fleeting deer over the next 12 months are one in 39.

Michigan is second, with a one in 78 chance, followed by Pennsylvania (1 in 94) and Iowa (1 in 104). Montana is fifth.

Obviously, the chances are higher during the deer migration and mating season from October to December, the insurance company says on its Web site.

“The main thing to do is try to slow down,” Jezioro advises when a deer is caught in one’s headlights.

“Hold the steering wheel straight. Most people are going 50 to 60 mph. Don’t try to swerve. That’s where people get in trouble and upset their cars and cause something more serious than hitting a deer. Don’t try to swerve. You’re going to get off the road and then you’re going to roll over.”