As fall draws near, motorists would be well advised to watch more closely for deer crossing roads and highways.
During the rut, the time when deer go into a mating frenzy, the animals range about more, are less cautious about darting onto thoroughfares and often collide with oncoming vehicles. Cost of those accidents runs into thousands of dollars each. In Kansas statistically one in 125 motorists is likely to be involved in a vehicle-deer collision at some point in their driving careers. The state ranks 18th among the 50 states for numbers of such accidents.
Caution is the best way to prevent an accident. A good rule is to pay close attention at places where deer may leap onto a road — near streams, wooded and brushy areas and natural pathways along fence lines and hedgerows.
Few injuries occur from such collisions, except for the poor deer, but the possibility of severe injury and even death hovers among statistics.
Vehicle accidents is the outcome of a large deer population that affects everyone.
In illumination of an aside, for those who hunt and consume venison, comes from Dr. Don Davis, a wildlife disease specialist at Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine. Davis knows what of he speaks, having more than 40 years experience. He recently wrote about chronic wasting disease, which has been found in deer in 24 states, including Kansas.
Here is some of what Davis had to say:
“Much of the concern about CWD is rooted in fear. … how it might affect deer and hunting opportunities. …For several reasons, this fear is overblown.
“First, CWD does not affect people. It affects deer, elk, and moose … there are no documented cases in people. This isn’t unusual; there are lots of things that affect cats, dogs, horses, and wildlife that don’t affect us. The World Health Organization notes that humans have lived alongside sheep for years, and yet scrapie — CWD in sheep — has never crossed the species barrier to infect humans.
“… Second, CWD has been around for decades. It was first detected in the wild 30 years ago in Colorado.
“… CWD is in nearly half of states and likely has spread to more, undetected. Like any other wildlife diseases in animals we hunt for food, it’s something that will exist. But there’s no evidence that humans are susceptible …
“In other words, we’d be better off worrying about deer-car collisions.”
Consequently, be careful when driving about the countryside, including en route to a deer stand. And, when fortunate enough to bag a nice bundle of venison on the hoof, don’t be leery about having it processed, packaged and made ready for consumption.
In Kansas where multiple types of grain, all sort of leafy forage and ample drinking water are at hand, venison, when properly handled and preserved, is a tasty adjunct to commercial meat products. Also, it comes on the lean, a healthy feature.
— Bob Johnson
