Or, as he puts it, “just hit the damn deer“.   WTH?

I am right in the middle of deer country.  There’s not a week that goes by that some poor deer has been struck by a vehicle.  And yet, in over thirty years of driving, I have not hit a deer.  I know, I know, it could always happen tomorrow, but I think my track record is pretty good.

The closest encounter I’ve ever had was several years ago at the beginning of deer hunting season.  I noticed a deer running towards the highway, so I slowed down.  Sure enough, the deer ran right in front of where I would have been had I not slowed down.  The poor thing had a look of terror on its face from being hunted, I presume.

Other times, I have seen deer near the road, and slowed down accordingly.  It was almost a nightly occasion that I would see them when driving home from work late at night.  I knew their favorite spots and looked for them to walk out in front of me.

There is nothing in this article about driver responsibility:  slowing down to the speed limit, not talking on the cell phone, not texting while driving.  He only gives them a little responsibility in not paying attention and tailgating.

The most deer deaths I have seen have been on a four lane highway that people now use as a race track.  It didn’t used to be that way —  the increase in speed has seen an increase in deer deaths.

And Indiana does not have the same laws as Wisconsin –a deer will lay dead by the side of the road until nature takes its course.  I suspected that the poor were making use of roadkill, and this article confirms that — at least in Wisconsin.

Edited:. The DNR does have a program where poor folks can be gifted with a deer.