Patrol Effort Helps Reduce Deer-Auto Collisions

On his way to work Monday morning, February 25, the manager of Idaho Fish and Game's Boise River Wildlife Management Area had to stop along the road to put down an injured mule deer fawn. Later, after lunch, area manager Ed Bottum went home because he wasn't feeling well. Only after fitfully trying to nap did he realize he was sick about seeing and killing that poor broken fawn. But it wasn't the first, and after a while they add up. The Boise River Wildlife Management Area headquarters sits just off the west side of State Highway 21 between Lucky Peak Dam and Hill Top - a killing field for wintering and migrating mule deer. An estimated 200 to 300 animals are killed annually by vehicle collisions from Barber Drive on Warm Springs Avenue to Hill Top on Highway 21. The "road kill year" at the wildlife management area begins September 1 and runs through August 31. Since September, WMA staff members have hauled away or moved 85 animals. Most were mule deer; one was an elk. Many more deer are injured in vehicle collisions and move away from the road and die later - uncounted and out of sight. They simply disappear. Earlier this winter, a small buck had been sleeping in the WMA equipment shed. "We disturbed him when we moved our bulldozer to plow snow," Bottum said. The buck "ran" to the field behind the WMA headquarters office, where staff members got a chance to observe his movements. He was obviously injured. His legs were not broken, but the back of his body was stiff. He walked with his back humped in the middle. "Coyotes ate him a day later," Bottum said. Wildlife mortality along Highway 21 has been a perennial problem. This winter Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer Rob Brazie organized a series of special patrols in cooperation with the Idaho State Patrol and the Ada County Sheriff, to reduce speeding and deer mortality on eastern Warm Springs Avenue and Highway 21. During four special patrols conducted during two weeks in February, officers issued 37 citations and 59 warnings. They slowed drivers and raised awareness of the role of speed in relation to deer-vehicle collisions. Officers worked in teams of two, combining a Fish and Game officer with a state trooper or deputy sheriff. The teams patrolled two target areas:

• Highway 21 from Lucky Peak Dam to Hill Top.
• Warm Springs Avenue from Star View road to the Highway 21 junction.

Patrols coincided with peak deer activity during the early morning rush hour from 6 to 9 a.m. and the evening commute from 5 to 8 p.m. Vehicle speeds were checked by radar and violators stopped. Warnings and citations were issued, depending on the vehicle speed. The speed limit in the Highway 21 target area is 55 mph. The Warm Springs target area has a daytime speed limit of 45 mph and a night time speed limit of 35 mph. The lower night time speed limit was initiated several years ago in an attempt to decrease deer-vehicle collisions. Officers detected 96 speeding violations. Drivers were given a flyer with information about vehicle-animal collisions and avoidance techniques. Conservation officers discussed the handout and stressed the importance of speed reduction in avoiding accidents. The handouts included a National Safety Council report that notes 655,000 wildlife-related accidents resulted in more than 100 deaths, and more than 4,500 injuries in 2007. Violators said they were aware of deer on roadway, with several having "just missed one" or "hit one last year." All supported patrol objectives, and most thanked officers for educational efforts. Officers noted fewer speeding violations on Highway 21 by the end of the effort. But even with a lot of deer crossing Warm Springs, drivers still exceeded the night time speed limit. View video: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/news/video/education/DeerPatrol/vid3_5…