What Happened to the Deer

[bdalameda]

I just got back from a 2600 mile ride from my home in California to south eastern British Columbia to visit relatives in Washington and BC. I looped around on my way home through Idaho, Montana and into Nevada and back over Carson pass in the Sierras and back home. On the entire trip I saw only one deer that had been hit by a car in central Oregon. I have ridden much of this route many many times over the years and have always seen the deer carnage on the roads and many many deer in the fields all over. On highway 97, Oregon has installed many miles of deer fence and built overpasses and under passes for animals. This may account for some of the lack of dead deer but certainly not all of it nor the total lack of live deer in the fields etc.. Has anyone else noticed this? Does it have something to do with the time of year, migratory patterns etc.??

Dan

 

[SMSW]

Pick one:
The deer now look both ways before crossing.
The deer are wearing air bag vests and ATGATT and surviving.
The deer are all dead.
The deer are on vacation.

 

[SupraSabre]

Your problem, not seeing Deer, is because you didn't come into Utah. I think they all moved here, so they could get hit by the trucks we have going up and down I15!

 

[Larry Fine]

The deer are wearing air bag vests and ATGATT and surviving.

 

[the Ferret]

pfffft I saw more dead (and live ) deer than that on my 42 mile loop today.

 

[NTausch]

They all ar my house eating our flowers.

 

[Ron]

I'm not a hunter but with so many deer that they're getting killed and tearing up cars, why not open up longer seasons or increase the limits? Yes, I know there are places that want to ban all hunting. Imagine what that will be like a few years later.

 

[RobbieAG]

I think all of your deer must have migrated to the east . We have had more than ever the last year or two.

 

[Billy Collins]

I think there’s another possibility- they have all moved to NC. I see more and more dead deer ( both whole and parts of) on the sides of and in the middle of the road around here. I dunno what worse, hitting a deer or hitting a car.

 

[bdalameda]

That was what so surprised me. I usually see thousands of deer - the highways through Oregon are usually littered with deer carcasses. The last time I rode through parts of Idaho and Montana deer were literrally jumping over the road, it was just crazy. Riding through the fields I usually see herds of deer especially near my sisters house outside of Spokane. This trip nothing - I can't figure out why and what changed.

 

[flyfisher]

Probably time to see your eye doctor… Just saying

 

[catcher]

Hah! It's them or us - extend the hunting season!

 

[ST1100Y]

The deer are on vacation.

Well, kinda...
Over here our (western) roe deer (a tad smaller then their US brethren), normally also spotted on farmland and/or uncultivated open spaces, are not that stupid thus start to hide in woodlands providing cool shade during the hot summer months...

 

[SMSW]

Hah! It's them or us - extend the hunting season!

Be careful what you wish for. Larson's cartoons show deer hunting us.

 

[ST Gui]

I remember hearing a traffic report on the wireless about a deer struck by a car on a local major highway. The newscaster said a call to the CHP about what would be done about it being in a lane of traffic got the response "It's expected it will dissipate with traffic.

 

[Al st1100]