Some roadkill deer becomes venison, the rest become a clean-up issue for the county
NOTE: A reader contacted us recently suggesting we look into what happens to dead deer left by the side of the road. So we looked into it ...
Dispatchers often call them car vs. deer accidents, but the deer never wins.
If it doesn't die on the spot, a deputy is called to deliver the coup de grâce.
Some deer are just left to die by the side of the road and when that happens, there can be some expense to county taxpayers for disposal of the animals.
According to Tim Hens, county superintendent of highways, when the county had a contractor to remove the deer, the fee was $30 per animal.
On average, the county had 160 deer a year removed for an approximate expense of $4,800 per year.
The contractor used to feed the dead deer to mink he raised, but recently discontinued his deer pick-up business, Hens said.
That has left county workers the task of disposing of the carcasses.
"It is just not as cost effective when you factor in the loss of productivity to leave an active job to run across the county to pick up one deer," Hens said. "It might be different if you could wait a few days and pick up several in one trip, but most residents don't like the deer lying there for more than a day or two, especially in the summer."
Hens said the county is collecting quotes from potential new contractors and hope to resume a paid pick-up service in 2013.
Not all dead deer go to waste, however. Some become venison stew, steaks or hamburger.
If a driver reports a deer strike, the driver has first dibs on getting the animal tagged, or dispatchers maintain a list of people who might be interested in claiming the animal.
Drivers are only required to report the collision with a deer if their vehicle sustained more than $1,000 in damage or they need an accident report for insurance purposes.
So far in 2012 (as of a week ago), there have been 512 car vs. deer accidents reported to Genesee County dispatchers. In 2011, there were 514. In 2010, 406 (stats from earlier years are harder for clerks at the Sheriff's Office to retrieve from records, so we didn't request those figures).
There are no special permits necessary, according to Linda Vera, spokeswoman for the DEC, to remove deer for disposal purposes.
If a deer carcass is off the road, a farmer can just scoop it up with a loader or drag it off with a tractor and dump it in the woods.
"The DEC encourages the composting of animal carcasses, but the animals are allowed to be disposed of in landfills or other approved disposal areas," Vera said.
