DEER XING - Danger

There was an interesting front page article in The Vicksburg Post yesterday on Deer Xing. I thought I would share some of this information with you during deer season that you may already know or that could be helpful.   

Motorist are report hitting fewer deer in Warren County so far this season despite evidence of the deer population booming across the state.

From November 1 though Wednesday, 15 vehicle collisions with deer had been reported to Vicksburg Warren E-911, said Jason Tatum, director of the emergency dispatch center. Just one of the crashes involved injuries.

In November 2012, 27 collisions involving deer were reported, and two people were injured in “vehicle vs. deer” collisions, he said.

Not every wreck involving deer is reported to E-911, Tatum said.

Deer who are hit by a vehicle are considered to be lawfully killed, and anyone who has a hunting license or is exempt from licensing regulations may possess a road kill deer carcass, according to state law.

It’s hard to pinpoint why Mississippi drivers are seeing an increase in deer collisions.  For the seventh year in a row, deer-vehicle confrontations are most probable in West Virginia with 1 in 41 expected to hit a deer. Many other northern states have a higher probability of deer-vehicle collisions, and these states for the most part have much shorter hunting seasons then Mississippi.

We have a very, very liberal long deer season in the South.  You have a legal way to harvest deer from October 1 to mid February.  You need to thank hunters for removing excess deer off the roads.

How to avoid an accident:

More than one – Deer travel in herds; if you see one, others may be nearby.

Light the way - Use high beams headlamps as much as possible.

Look for signs – Be aware of deer crossing signs.

Watch the time – Deer are most active between 6 and 9 p.m.

Use your eyes – Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles.

About 1.23 million collisions last year were caused by the presence of deer.  The most happen in November, with more than 18 percent of the accidents taking place.