# Roadkill - Trip through Wisconsin



## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Between Beloit, Wisconsin and the Minnesota border I must have passed 3 tons of venison rotting in the ditches. Looks like the highway department just leaves them out there awhile, as some had been out there long enough to bloat and rip open.

What kind of hunting season does Wisconsin have to end up with so much excess deer population? These looked like almost all does and the occasional spike male.

Strangely enough, I was seeing an average of about 4 corpses per mile of highway. It resembled a bizarre battleground between technology and nature. There were a few technology corpses, abandoned with smashed in grilles and busted radiators, but for the most part nature was losing.


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Your assessment is correct, lots of dead deer everywhere.
The new policy seems to be, let the varmints clean up the mess.

I have seen the same deer on several week end trips, slowly disappear, with only an orange mark on the carcass, I guess to let everybody know, "Yup, been there and seen that".

For years the DNR seemed to go out of there way to prevent "thinning the herd", with "buck only zones", "party tags, posted land etc, till the balance tipped to the high side.

Now they have all sorts of special seasons, Earn a buck, (need to kill a doe, and get a special sticker), eradication zones (CWD/chronic wasting disease), extra tags (12 bucks each) and so forth.
I think it has a lot to do with "churning income" from the peoples "rescorce", and provide Gov. jobs.

I guess the thing to do is find a "Deer Crossing" sign and sit down and wait, the deer want to "go south for the winter".


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Yea use to drive through there,just had to be real careful all the Deer I would see any time of the day.

big rockpile


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

I just keep thinking about all that meat rotting on the side of the highway, the cost of cleanup, the potential for disease in the decaying corpses, the damage done to automobiles. Plus the fear and pain that those animals died under. A gunshot from a responsible hunter (not a lingering gutshot from a poor hunter) is far more humane. It's a sinful waste. Does the Wisconsin wildlife agency think their policies are working?

I'm not from Wisconsin and I don't spend a lot of time IN Wisconsin, so I am aware that I'm talking out my nether regions here, but it sure didn't look good to me when I was going through there.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

far northern counties have a list and when a colistion is reported if the driver of the car who hit it does not want it dispatch calls the next person on the list 
in the southern counties it is on a county by county bassis for a contract to clean them up but with no state buget there is little mony for any of that this year 

i got a deer in the cdw (cronic wasting diseas) herd reduction zone and took it in for testing like last year (it makes my wife feel better) the guy said no testing this year no money for it no buget 

in green county in the paper we had 6 items of buisness for five days by the county sherrif all 6 were deer car collisions 4 cars drove from sceen 2 hauled no injuries.
and the local pd gave an 86 year old woman a ticket for speeding in town.

a big part of it is that corn is comming down that always seems to get the deer moving.

most of out deer hunting takes place in the 9 day season sat befor thanks giving till sun after


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

also they could give a hoot if their polocies work we have had 4 dnr heads in the last 8 years and they are political apponties of the govonors broken system


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Wisconsin just barely makes it into the top 10 states for reported car-deer collisions. We're beat out by PA, MI, IL, OH, GA, MN, VA, IN, and TX in that order. Wisconsin ranks 10th. 

The driver of an involved vehicle has first chance to claim the deer. If unwanted, then anyone else can claim it. Salvaging of dead deer on the Interstate highways is discouraged due to safety issues with other drivers. Standard policy is to quickly get it off the roadway and into a grassy area. It's amazing how quickly they vanish back into the earth after Nature's undertakers go into action. 

Also, many of those in the I systems are not reported or claimed since the drivers don't even know they hit them. Often a semi driver gets to a truck stop and does a walkaround and finds blood and hair!

Martin


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

i sould also mention that if they are hit by a 18 wheeler they are not much good brused up , my dad and i stopped to pick one up off the interstate on the way back from a bow hunting trip (unsuccesfull one) .
we stopped this was in the days pre cell phone checked it over it looked ok so we drove back an exit called shrrif to tag it met him there and he tagged it but would not let us feild dress it , said it would atract dogs and then he would be back out for dogs hit on the road. (Like a whole deer left there wasn't going to atract the same number of dogs) so he helped us load it on the roof of the van , he shoud have let us feild dress it because what we couldn't see was that she was all busted up inside and when i passe the rope to my dad and he heaved her onto the roof the cop was pushing he up she let loose and he got an entrails and blood shower. you can never tell how busted up they are inside. and they don't let you field dress them on the side of the road. we got her home she stunk bad when we opened her up and she got a hole in a freinds feild instead if steaks and burger 

so my wife sais unless i hit it or saw it get hit i am not allowed to bring it home and it has to be 32 or below


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Trick is to just "nic it" in the head, so as to not bust up the meat.

Years ago my father worked for the DNR, and at the time they were dispatched to any deer road kill.
They were supposed to drag it off the Hwy, dig a 6' deep hole, lime it, and bury it.
Yeah, right.........

Any way the drill was, a-one, and a two, and a three, and it "ran" right onto the woods.
Couldn't "find" most of them.

Also, dead deer on the side of the road works better to slow down Illinois drivers than any sign.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

hunter63 said:


> Also, dead deer on the side of the road works better to slow down Illinois drivers than any sign.


That also can slow down some Wisconsin drivers! One night a friend from Platteville and I were going to visit his daughter in Rhinelander. He had a brand new Cadillac. He picked me up and drove as far as Portage and said he was tired and I was to take over the rest of the way. That was in May when the does run all over the place looking for a quiet spot to drop their fawns. Just north of Portage, began seeing dead deer. Last thing I wanted to do was smash up his new Caddie so it was pins and needles all the way. Even ran over some of the "fresh ground venison" when I couldn't avoid the gore!

When you think of it, there has to be some serious damage to kill them on the spot. A problem with a lot of those seemingly intact deer is that they are mush inside. Often it's simply all of the ribs on one side trying to come out the other side. Even if gutted out within the hour, they are raunchy, as Pete and I will attest! Those hit in a front shoulder usually swing around to destroy the hind quarter on that side also. With what else happens between the shoulder and hip during that second, it ain't good even when fresh.

Martin


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## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

Ernie said:


> Between Beloit, Wisconsin and the Minnesota border I must have passed 3 tons of venison rotting in the ditches. Looks like the highway department just leaves them out there awhile, as some had been out there long enough to bloat and rip open.
> 
> What kind of hunting season does Wisconsin have to end up with so much excess deer population? These looked like almost all does and the occasional spike male.
> 
> Strangely enough, I was seeing an average of about 4 corpses per mile of highway. It resembled a bizarre battleground between technology and nature. There were a few technology corpses, abandoned with smashed in grilles and busted radiators, but for the most part nature was losing.


Sounds to me like people in Wisconsin just aren't paying attention. I have to slow/stop for about four or five deer a week (not to mention a half dozen or so raccoons, 'possums, foxes, armadillos and domestic critters). I wonder what they are doing instead of driving?

donsgal


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

donsgal said:


> Sounds to me like people in Wisconsin just aren't paying attention. I have to slow/stop for about four or five deer a week (not to mention a half dozen or so raccoons, 'possums, foxes, armadillos and domestic critters). I wonder what they are doing instead of driving?
> 
> donsgal


I saw no living deer the entire trip, oddly enough, but much of it was after dark.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

donsgal said:


> Sounds to me like people in Wisconsin just aren't paying attention. I have to slow/stop for about four or five deer a week (not to mention a half dozen or so raccoons, 'possums, foxes, armadillos and domestic critters). I wonder what they are doing instead of driving?
> 
> donsgal


like martin said most on the Interstate system are hit by semis and they are not going to slow down ,or move over for a deer **** or anything furry
they run grill gaurds ,push bars ,or deer bumpers what ever you want to call them most are a tubular steel gaurd that looks to be desinged to knock them down and keep the out of the radiator 

more and more are just a big red smear on the road .


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## NWoods_Hippie (Nov 16, 2006)

Sometimes up here in the WAY northern part of Wisc. if the local boys find a fairly clean and not to busted up road kill deer they will pose it by the side of the road, best one last winter was dressed up like a hunter all in blaze orange with a toy rifle...

Margie


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## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> like martin said most on the Interstate system are hit by semis and they are not going to slow down ,or move over for a deer **** or anything furry
> they run grill gaurds ,push bars ,or deer bumpers what ever you want to call them most are a tubular steel gaurd that looks to be desinged to knock them down and keep the out of the radiator
> 
> more and more are just a big red smear on the road .


from the OP's post:



> There were a few technology corpses, abandoned with smashed in grilles and busted radiators, but for the most part nature was losing.


Doesn't sound like semis to me. And your response is EXACTLY why I do not drive the interstates. 

donsgal


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## Micahn (Nov 19, 2005)

I have known people to stop and get themselves some meat if they hit something or see one hit in front of them. To me that seems like the right thing to do so it does not go to waste.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Michigan counties used to contract a road kill clean up crew. But with the money troubles with all the jobs lost in the state and tax money being short it lays along the road. The home less that could use the meat don't have ways to transport it either nor a place to keep it. Dumpster diveing is easier too. Some counties still have a crew that goes out and dust the bigger critters with lime.

What are they doing while driving. talking on cell phones #1. talking to other/s in the car/truck #2
reading, #3 eating/drinking #4 Make up being applied includeing men shaving #5. Drinking #6

Speeding with tunnel vision is the biggest killer of critters on the road here.

 Al


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071103/FON0101/311030049/1985

Hunters are killing twice as many now as in the 80's, and the DNR knows there's too many!


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/hunt/deer/fall_deer_per_DR.htm

You might have also been passing through some of the highest density parts of the state.


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