Deermagnet could use this [Text View]

deermagnet

08/04/2010, 08:36 AM

That sounds like it actually works, but it only works on a small road section where the device is placed, and it only works at night. We need something on our vehicles that works. Not all those gizmos that do little or nothing to stop deer. I've been seeing deer on the side of roads lately, but none crossing in front of me. It's always on my mind and I've been driving slower at night. I still know I'll hit another deer with my VX eventually. I'll do my best to prevent it, but it will happen again.

I work and play in Monroe County and it's almost like a war zone out there with all the deer.

The sight is familiar to anyone who drives in the Poconos: A dead deer crumpled by the side of the road after it wandered into the path of an oncoming car. A deer can dart out in front of your car at any time and nearly anywhere in Monroe County � and if you're unfortunate enough to crash into it, Paul Brooks is the man you're likely to call.

Brooks is the worker who patrols roads and cleans up the remains of deer that have been killed in crashes. He loads them into the back of a county truck and hauls them to the landfill. On busy days in the fall, he can handle as many as 10 or 15 deer. Many deer that are struck will end up running off into the woods to either recover or die away from the roadway. But where and when he is busiest reveals some of the patterns that make some roads and seasons more prone to deer-related crashes. During 2009, Brooks cleaned up nearly 800 deer from roads in Monroe County. Each morning he checks messages left on the county deer hotline where callers can report deer killed on local roads.

Brooks is responsible for cleanup on two-lane roads � a PennDOT contractor removes deer from four-lane roads like Interstates 80 and 380 and Route 33. So far in 2010, Brooks has picked up more than 260 deer on local roads, behind last year's pace. After he checks his messages, he hits the road and heads toward any dead deer reported by callers � he makes sure his route takes him down some of the roads that most often have roadkill. "I usually head up Route 191 North from Stroudsburg to Mount Pocono," Brooks said. "I head down Route 115 from Blakeslee. Route 115 North and South has quite a few deer usually."

In 2009, Brooks said he picked up more deer in Stroud than any other township � more than 120 deer were killed in car crashes there. Tobyhanna Township was second with 87 deer and Pocono Township third with 84 deer killed. Those numbers indicate more crashes in certain areas but the Pennsylvania Game Commission says drivers should be prepared for deer to appear alongside roads anywhere and anytime. "Whitetail deer, like most animals, are most active in morning and evening hours right before dawn and around dusk," said Tim Conway, information officer at the game commission's office in Dallas, PA. "We have deer in just about every town, anywhere there is a wooded area and at any given time people should be prepared to see deer."

The annual habits of deer tend to lead to more crashes during the spring and fall months, he said. As experienced hunters already know, deer are most active during the fall breeding season. "I've had 15 to 20 per day during the rut from October to November," Brooks said. "It picks up a little bit in the spring too but the fall is worse."

As for roadkill removal on highways, it is up to drivers to report where cleanup is needed, said PennDOT spokesman Shawn Brown.
"We don't know where to remove deer unless people report it," Brown said. "We rely on people to report where those deer are and then our contractor will be dispatched to pick it up." When deer emerge from a long winter they become more active to search for food, Conway said, and that can lead them across local roadways during the spring. "The best thing to do is just slow down and be aware of what's around you," Conway said. "Too often drivers can get distracted by what's going on in their own cars and the next thing you know you have a deer in front of you � and they tend to travel in groups so when you see one there's probably more."

I had an electronic deer warn thingy on my VX for a while back in the day. This deer is getting blasted with it as I took the photo. It didn't phase her at all. :(

http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/imgs/52-4.jpg

Mark Griffin http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/gifs/D1.gif