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If you have done much driving around the rural areas of our region in recent weeks, you have likely noticed the increased presence of road-killed deer along the highways. Insurance industry statistics indicate that Pennsylvania is usually one of the top states for deer-vehicle collisions each year, so a dead deer on the roadside is a common sight any time of year. The top month for deer-vehicle collisions, however, is November for several reasons.
Overall deer numbers are the highest of the year now as this spring's fawn crop are approaching six months old and a significant part of the statewide deer herd. Yearling bucks have left their family group and often travel many miles in the fall from where they were born to establish a new home range.
With the end of daylight-saving time, many folks tend to be driving home at dusk or dark now when deer are often on the move. The cooler autumn weather in general also creates increased deer activity.
One enormous factor on the spike in deer-vehicle collisions is the peak of the rut, the breeding season for deer, typically occurs for about two weeks from early to mid-November in Pennsylvania.
During the rut, even the wariest old bucks abandon their natural caution and succumb to the urge to mate, and they prowl about relentlessly for receptive does. And both bucks and does will do some crazy things when distracted by their breeding rituals, like bolting across a busy highway at any time of the day or night.
I can vividly remember the first time I encountered a buck completely possessed by its mating urge during the rut. I was in my late teens and hunting grouse alone along the steep side of a hollow on our property.
I had just flushed a bird from a tangle of grapevines and shot well behind it, missing my target completely. As I stood there berating myself for such inept shooting, the sound of a deer running in the dry leaves close by started me. I turned to see a doe bolting straight for me and bounding past just a few feet away. As I watched the deer disappear out the ridge, I wondered what would make it run toward a shotgun blast. Then I heard another one coming. This one was a small buck and already close enough that I could hear it grunting like a pig. It seemed totally oblivious to my presence until it was close enough that I could have probably poked it with the barrel of my shotgun.
When the fork-horn finally noticed me, it jerked to a stop, stared right at me for a second or two, then put its head down and trotted off on the trail of the down, grunting again as it went.
For drivers who have the misfortune to hit a deer, there are some rules and regulations that must be complied with at the scene of the accident. If the deer is severely injured but still alive, however, be aware that you may not legally "put it out of its misery." As harsh as that sounds, that is the Game Commission's position on the situation because doing so could subject you to fines and penalties for illegally killing a deer. Call 911 and have them send Game Commission personnel or a local law-enforcement officer to dispatch the animal, especially if the deer is near the highway and could present a hazard to other motorists.
It is permissible for a road-killed deer to be taken for the meat. If the driver does not want the animal, another passing motorist may claim the carcass.
Only Pennsylvania residents may take road-killed deer and after doing so must call the Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD within 24 hours to report the incident and receive a free permit number allowing you to possess the carcass. The head and hide of a road-killed deer should be kept for at least 48 hours unless instructed otherwise by a local game warden.
Deer-vehicle collisions are not required to be reported to the Game Commission if you are not taking possession of the deer.
It is illegal to remove the antlers from a road-killed buck unless you are taking possession of the carcass. If a road-killed buck is taken for the meat, the antlers must be turned over to the Game Commission. It is unlawful to give to another person the whole or edible parts of a deer killed on the highway. It is also illegal to take possession of a road-killed deer and use the carcass to bait coyotes.
Another issue for picking up road-killed deer in our area are the rules related to chronic wasting disease that prohibit the removal of high-risk deer parts, essentially the head and backbone, from any of the established Disease Management Areas or Established Area in Pennsylvania. Most of south-central Pennsylvania is now designated as part of DMA 2 or an EA.
Complete information regarding high-risk parts and DMA maps is available on the Game Commission website: www.pgc.pa.gov.