OCR Text |
Show Study completed on deer killed on highways One out of every two deer killed on the highway Is hit between be-tween the hours of 6 and 10 p. m. And, one out of every two deer fatalities occurs Friday through Sunday, A report compiled jointly by the Division of Wildlife Resources Re-sources and the Utah Highway Department noted the above facts and many more. The study shows the leading counties coun-ties for deer-vehicle accidents are Millard, Utah and Beaver, in that order. Most fatalities occur in October, due, probably, to migration of deer from summer sum-mer to winter range. The deer migration routes often cross major highways. iufciicsi acciaent rate Is In June or July. Migration Migra-tion from winter to summer range begins In May and term-inates term-inates in June and accounts for June collisions. July fatalities are attributed to an increase in highway traffic because of vacationers va-cationers and weekend travelers. travel-ers. The report showed that in 1970-71, 1,681 deer were killed within the highway rlght-of-way. This figure, however, is minimal, according to Division biologists, because many deer go beyond the right-of-way to die after being hit. What the report does not say Is that even though deer killed are often yearlings, without youngsters, many times a doe with young may be the victim. When this occurs, fawns left behind will probably succumb before the summer ends. The report noted all species of wildlife and livestock killed on Utah's highways. Among them was an African lion killed near Yuba Reservoir in 1969 no, not a transplant; Just a circus escapee. |