They dont put up high fences because it costs money. Why would the state want to spend money when they can make money. Its a win win for everybody... except the deer hunter and future deer hunters. The worst part of it is we are doing it to ourselves and 90 percent of us are to dumb to figure it out or just dont care.
Just the fencing issue, I could write 20 paragraphs of cost and analysis. I'll save you some time and keep a bit shorter
In short, when constructing a new highway, the cost of the fence is a absolute tiny fraction of added cost. When it's weighed out VS deer collision and safety, it's a no brainer and would EASILY save money. Look at a few locations across the state....
Iowa falls has a stretch on highway 20 that's about 2 miles on both sides, saves countless collisions, lives, damage, etc. highway 80 by Greenfield exit (just west of DSM about 40 mins) has same thing.
2 new areas of highway have been created over the last few years....
OTTUMWA has a 1.5 mile area that cut right through deer habitat- we're talking an absolute massacre on the road. Fairfield (15 miles away) did the same thing. Fairfield hwy had the "bad deer area" which is a couple miles fenced in- they knew it would not be safe not put up, knew it would be minor $ in the new highway budget and knew they were cutting a highway through deer habitat.... Fairfield = around zero accidents per year of course on those couple miles of fenced areas. Ottumwa = I will NO JOKE claim the 1st year over 50 deer were hit there on that new section of highway, NO FENCE of course.
Fairfield highway (both 34 in Ottumwa too) probably costed a few million dollars for a couple miles of highway? Probably, let's just say I'm close. 2 miles of 8 foot high fence on both sides could be done for $75,000- maybe it's more because of unions & all the bureaucracy BUT let's say I'm in ballpark. Fairfield the $ was spent and a lot has to do with SAFETY! They are creating highways they know will be safe with fence or knowingly creating highways they know are going to be MASSACRES!!!!.....
Fairfield, basically zero collisions, zero injuries, zero $ in damage on that stretch since open. VS Ottumwa... NO WAY did Ottumwa have less than 50 deer hit 1st year and 2 years after AT LEAST another 25 per year- I see it all the time there. So, in 3 years that's 100 deer collisions at highway speeds..... Let's say an AVERAGE of $4,000 per car in damage and some had to have injuries to driver (I won't even add in medical bills from the deer collision injuries that I'm sure occurred on some of these collisions) ...... That's a GRAND TOTAL (in 3 years) of $400,000 VS $75,000 to build a fence. That's not even counting year 4 and on which would save double digit collisions there & again, I didn't include medical costs for those 1st 3 years. Those are the solutions we need, they pencil out and highway folks are not creating safe roads in those areas in my opinion. Just a nerd analysis here!