Roadkill observations from a day in western Iowa

I usually drive about 300 miles every Monday to deliver plumbing supplies in western Iowa. Last week I counted 8 road-kill deer on my Monday deliverys.
Today I started a list just to see how many and what kind of road kill critters I could count in one day's driving. I was surprised to find there were so many. Here's the list of potential tie-rod benders I saw on the side of the road.
Deer...3 dead, one mega-fat doe crossed the road in front of me and lived to cross another road. Later in the day I saw a similarly fat doe browsing at the side of the road...
16[!] dead racoons.
4 dead possums
1 red fox
1 groundhog
2 cats
1 pheasant
4 skunks
1 very brave live chicken pecking at the side of the road.
2 dogs
Holy shit! I could support a liger with this much meat!
I live in fear of smacking a big, fat deer with my 46 Chevy pickup. The local radio stations report deer-car accidents on the morning rush-hour .....there are always at least 5-6 going on at once! Every day!
Hope we have a really cold winter to thin these animals out a little.
I've already hit and killed 2 deer...one bent up the front of my 66 Lincoln coupe and the other totalled my 93 aerostar van..
Just a Monday observation..

 

OH NO! Not the Rocky Good Time Van!

That really sucks. At least your coming out of these with no injuries.


jerry

 

We seem to be having a skunk epidemic here. I see or smell one dead on the road almost every day. We have the others, racoons, possums, and deer in particular. But this season, pole cats top the list.

 

You ought to come to Southeast Michigan Rocky;it's officially,"Deer Bumper Season" here.Actually it is that all year round.

I live just inside the city limits here and we have a half dozen of the critters living in our neighborhood.

On a trip to Jackson awhile ago,there is a section of M-50 that runs between Brooklyn(home of MIS)and Napoleon;a distance of about 7 miles.I counted 19 deer carcasses alone! Forget about raccoons and 'possum;they're too numerous.

Among the "animated" critters I've seen recently are a pair of HUGE wild turkeys grazing near someone's mailbox(seen them in the area several times)and several blue herons and sand hill cranes. Those buggers are HUGE! Stand damn near as tall as me and they have been known to be VERY aggressive.Wingspans well over six feet.

 

Well, hopefully the hunters will be getting their full limit this year, with shotgun, bow, pistol, rifle, spear, crossbow, Kentucky long rifle and whatever else the odd weapon guys can get approval for a hunt with.

 

The Goodtime van is dead?

 

In Texas, if you go out at night a do a little "road hunting" the MAN will take your rifle, your ride and your beer and won't give 'em back till you pay a giant fine..... (Don't ask how I know) On the other hand, if you run one of these four legged mofo's over with your prize ride, the state don't know whose mother fuckin' deer that is! Fuck deer. Half the body shops around here would close if it weren't for them.

 

I forgot, do me a favor and run over Hillary if ya see her out there

 

rabbits, lots of rabbits, hundreds. ive lost count of how many ive hit, on my 9 mile drive to work i once counted over 30 rabbit pancakes

 

The suburban deer around here, and there are many (I saw 19 yearlings in a single herd last spring) are so accustomed to traffic that they look both ways before crossing the highway.

 

ROCKY,LOOK OUT FOR BULLWINKLE!!!(someone had to say it) We have these high lift critters to contend with up here,instant chop top (or beheading)

 

And if venison jerky is on ebay with an Iowa address we should think twice??

 

running up k-18 and highway 12 ~~almost back open from were it fell into the river in the flood~~ i was thinking the same thing the last few days, i counted more dead racoons then ive got fingers. one of those deer comitted suicide with my passenger side front quarter a bit ago as well

 

Now is the time to get to work on that fur lined cockpit.

We are overrun with wildlife as well.

 

Is there a market for the tried and true Aussie Bull bar?

 

Amazing. Who would have thought?

Im suprised the tree huggers aren't out there with signs picketing to close the road in fear of endangering too many animals at once.

 

Last week I found a wounded deer sittin in the middle of the road in the woods. I turned the car around and got back to the deer.

On of the back legs was completley ripped off and laying a fiew feet away.The poor deer (poor dear) was still living, scared to death, bleading and full of pain.

I called the police and they called the local Forest Gard, wich showed up and shoot the poor thing out of his misery right bevore my eyes.

Yeah! Make my day.

Makes me think about my driving habits in the night.

It´s not that he shoots it, it woud be shot sooner or later anyways.
Here in Germany deer don´t die because of senility.

But it was the fear, pain, and helplessnes I saw in his eyes that tuched me.

Frank

 

I drove about 250 miles Sunday and I saw a few deer.. both small, though, maybe yearling if that. I think either three or four of them - and all along the interstate. But they're everywhere up here, heck the one afternoon I was getting some things out of my grandmother's basement and walked around the house into the door, I come back and startle a deer in the back yard.

This house here is less than a mile from the actual city and we have skunks and groundhogs all over the place.

 

Got a call from a cousin in Western Wisconsin Sunday, his wife's minivan is back in the body shop for the 4th time this year, but she's a deer magnet anyway... On a trip to Miami, she hit one of out German Shepherd-size dear in a rental on Alligator alley.

 

This is a wonderful guide

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0898151864/ref=sib_dp_pt/105-2999271-2618003#reader-link

A simple read

and only a penny

 

Rocky if you see some sheep that look lonely stay away from them ,they are all going steady with me and are not allowed to cheat.

 

Decades ago the largest natural predators of deer were bears and wolves. Now its Peterbuilts and Buicks.

 

couple of accidents here lately a kid hit a deer on a backroad and somehow the deer ended inside the car with this kid
the kid couldnt get out of the car and the deer woke up and killed the kid inside the car ..

a dude on a scoot was waiting at an intersection for an eightteen wheeler to pass , as the truck crossed the intersection it hit a deer and knocked it into the dude on the scoot ,, the dude didnt even know what hit him..sorry for the buzz kill i hate the fuckers also

 

A buddy of mine is a big deer hunter. He was out scouting and saw a big buck that had just ran into someones car door and had killed himself by spearing himself with his own rack. He found the point stuck in his heart when he dressed it out.
Free 220 pound deer and did'nt have to waste a tag!
Now thats recycling!

 

"Im suprised the tree huggers aren't out there with signs picketing to close the road in fear of endangering too many animals at once"

in iowa were if your a vegetarian you order a salad and pick the pound of meat out of it, lol ,i dont think so.

also if i recall correctly tman, the goodtime van is an astro, the deer crushed one was a while back

 

Do you think Rocky is getting bored on his 300 mile trip????

Brian

 

its funny this thread came up. just the other day i was thinking of counting the different road kill on my way to work and back home (just to pass the time) and as safariknut says we have a deer population issue in the south east michigan area. But it seems to get much worse near the time of rut. Too bad my crocodile passed away, he would have a feast!

 

I had counted in a 160 mile trip over 50 dead deer. and in one 45 mile strip there were about 35 dead deer..

 

One got me in the 36 a couple years ago.People ask about the little "Deer Hunter" sticker in the window, I say the car not me.

 

I'm used to seeing dead deer on the side of the road but lately in Eastern Iowa on Hwy 30 Ive seen dozens of red blotches on the pavement. Those deer must have exploded like they were in a Quentin Tarantino movie. I wonder what the highway looks like from the sky?