Reducing Road Kill
 

I belong to a CO that is looking for effective ways to reduce road kill of elk and mule deer. We know that various fencing experiments have failed, short of high fences which are unacceptable because they prevent migration. Has your state come up with any viable solutions?

RE: Reducing Road Kill
 

Off the top of my head:

Post more signs of wildlife crossing
Petition to have known trouble spots speed reduced

These would probably be the easiest and most effective to get done, depending where you live.

RE: Reducing Road Kill
 

I saw something on television not too long ago (don't remember the program) however what they did was build a pathway under the highway for the deer and elk and other animals to travel under and set up cameras to film the entire thing. very interesting it was sort of an underpass looking very similar to a road way but just dirt on the ground.

RE: Reducing Road Kill
 

You'd think that would be enough. But it's been done, along with stepped up patrols by the UHP.Part of the problem is that the highway is heavily used bycollege students who are reluctant to drive55 mph andtruckerswho sometimes can'tavoidanimals becausebig rigs don't stop very fast or can't swerve to avoid a collision. So the only solution would seem to be to keep the animals off the road.

RE: Reducing Road Kill
 

I would think that it would depend on the area that you're concerned with. If it is an area that is used to graze a lot of cattle, chances are wildlife/vehicle colissions are higher because the barrow ditches have some of the only grass that has not been over grazed by cattle, so animals are much more prone to feed next to the road and get hit. I personally believe this is the reason there are so many deer hit in the mountains in many areas. So if you can better control or stop the grazing of cattle in areas with high colission rates I have no doubt that you would be doing a lot of good. Just a thought.

RE: Reducing Road Kill
 

I think having a larger area of cleared land next to teh road. THis will help motorists see the animals earlier and give them more time to react. THe animals aren't going to change their behavior so we must provide ourselves withteh best chance to avoid them. if the land isn't to big try adding 10 feet of extra buffer between the road and the treeline.