North Carolina Deer / Car Collisions Rising

[jaybeach]

I also live in Michigan, and I believe the Insurance companies are the major cause of the declining deer herd in much of the state (probably not the U.P. where Taquamenon lives - they're militant about their deer hunting up there). But in most of the Lower Penninsula, while the DNR continues to talk about a "very healthy and robust deer herd", most of the hunters I talk to report seeing very few deer - and that goes for everyone that THEY have talked to, also.
We have had very generous bag limits for too many years, which has resulted in drastically reduced numbers of deer (what the insurance companies want, and are no doubt paying for under the table).
The problem is, most guys got used to getting anywhere from 2 to 5 deer per year, and now everyone complains about the lack of them (including me), even though we forget that the annual limit used to be ONE with bow and ONE with gun.
IMO this is why it's important that we put the emphasis on the privilege of being able to hunt, the joy of being able to enjoy the beauty of God's creation and the many benefits gained from sharing the outdoor experience with family and friends. If we are blessed to harvest an animal - that's frosting on the cake (or gravy on the biscuits, if you prefer).
:thumbsup:

 

[2172]

When we lived in NJ, my wife was the only family member who hadn't hit a deer...I hit one, and had one run into the side of my vehicle...my then-teenaged daughter who once phoned and said, "there was a deer herd, and I missed most of them".was also famous for reminding a trooper that "you come to all of my accidents.." I think her total was about 6. My son got about 4, but 2 of those were when one jumped of a high spot onto the hood of his vehicle and, a week later the day we got the car out of the shop, another one did the same thing, and its body landed on top of the remains of the first in a ditch...people who have lived in suburban or rural NJ tend to drive carefully at night..even after 10 years in western NC, I tend to flinch at roadside movement...Hank