Crakajak
Daily Driveler News Team
Does GDOT report road kills to WRD as a deer killed in the county?
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GDOT reporting to WRD
- Thread starter Crakajak
- Start date
I've wondered the same thing. Also insurance claims. I know a lot of deer get hit/killed and are never reported to anyone. It sure would be interesting to see road kill numbers and how they relate to the harvest reports.
Last I looked at the season harvest there were less than 200,000 and I know the state used to shoot for a 50% harvest. So if the deer population is 1,000,000 as the state says that means a harvest of 500,000 along all , methods. Is that happening or are road kills pushing that number higher? Maybe that's why people think the deer population is dropping?
Last I looked at the season harvest there were less than 200,000 and I know the state used to shoot for a 50% harvest. So if the deer population is 1,000,000 as the state says that means a harvest of 500,000 along all , methods. Is that happening or are road kills pushing that number higher? Maybe that's why people think the deer population is dropping?
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
WRD gets an annual summary of reported deer vehicle collisions from GDOT, which is usually around 8,000 deer. When you add in those not reported to GDOT, but claimed on insurance, the total is around 50,000 per year. The deer population usually loses between 10 and 20% of the population each year to mortality factors other than hunting. That non-hunting mortality includes deer-vehicle collisions, disease, predation, and poaching. This has also been verified from mortality investigations on radio-collared deer over many years.
mattuga
Banned
Thanks Killmaster
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Great info to quell deer death gossip and educate from a wildlife professional. Just shows that the trigger finger on does in low population areas is the main factor in continued decline or lack of recovery.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Great info to quell deer death gossip and educate from a wildlife professional. Just shows that the trigger finger on does in low population areas is the main factor in continued decline or lack of recovery.
XIronheadX
PF Trump Cam Operator !20/20
I wonder what those numbers were about 1990. I don't know where they get population numbers anymore. I think 5000 a year got hit between Newborn and Shadydale back about that time. I hit one running 65 and dodged 17 more between there. I could have sworn it was over 2 million, but I found something that said 1.5. It was a task to get to the woods back then. That mayhem guy was laying all over the road.
County Road departments probably pick up many more deer than GDOT. So many more miles of road under their care.
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
It's around 1.3 million. Annual hunter harvest is around 25%, so it's 35 to 45% total. Before coyotes were impacting fawns, a reasonable hunter harvest was around 35%.
The mtn man
Senior Member
Does the amount of doe days in a particular county have anything to do with the number of deer that are hit on the roads?
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
No, doe days have traditionally been set regionally in accordance with the desired population trend in the 10-year deer management plan. Once we have several years of game check data we may be able to make adjustments at the county level. Because of the inconsistent manner in which deer-vehicle collisions are reported, I don't consider it a reliable enough source of information to base harvest regulations on.
Crakajak
Daily Driveler News Team
Charlie,thanks for the information.I didn't know if that was being counted in county totals.Thanks
b rad
Senior Member
thinks for always sharing ur info its good to have someone like u a wildlife biologist on a page like this to share valuable info just curious how does dnr make their claim of 1.3 million deer in the state I know surveys and what not and calculation but do you consider this a good estimate?
HuntinJake_23
Senior Member
I know many do not go reported, I work in a city where deer getting hit happens multiple times a day, even more when the rut is on. Most people don’t even stop to report it and who knows how many make it to the wood line and never are found. It’s a shame to see so many get hit, a waste of meat in my opinion. Also have found some of the biggest bucks I’ve ever seen get smacked by a car.
The mtn man
Senior Member
Thanks, that's good.
HM
Senior Member
Jim Boyd
Senior Member
I know this is off topic but SC DNR reports that roughly 30% of our deer are harvested by hunters annually.
We are also well off of our reported total of 1.2 million statewide herd total from about 7-8 years ago. I think we are estimated at 750-800K now.
We are also well off of our reported total of 1.2 million statewide herd total from about 7-8 years ago. I think we are estimated at 750-800K now.
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
Population estimates come from a technique called population reconstruction. It's a reverse accounting model that uses deer harvest and estimates and age structure reconstruct the population post-harvest. I don't put a lot of stock in the final number, but the trends over time are the more usable information.
