My sister works for an insurance company and has a meeting with members of the DNR tomorrow to talk about the current tag situation and how to better control population. Keep in mind she is representing property/casualty industry. She wants to hear different perspectives before her meeting. Any thoughts?
Crockett
PMA Member
Well! Yea ! They are paid!!!!!
Liv4Rut
Active Member
That would be an interesting meeting.
Insurance agent: Deer collisions cost us XXX million dollars this year, what can you do about it?
DNR: Our deer herd levels are down back to our targeted goal and below target in some areas.
Insurance agent: Yeah but deer collisions are costing us XXX million dollars per year, what can you do about it?
In my opinion, the insurance companies will never be happy. It is taking money out of their pocket. I drive about 50,000 miles a year throughout this great state and note many deer killed a long the roads. A lot of these areas really aren't even that wooded or they are in areas I wouldn't even expect deer to really be in. I just wonder how many of these areas even really get hunted that much. I know my idea of a quality hunt is not sitting in a ditch leading up to a noisy interstate. I see tons of deer all the time a long interstate 80 that are pretty much just living in fence lines that seem impossible to kill.
I got to believe over the years that more people are driving. Speeds are getting faster. Urbanization in many areas is leading to less habitat for deer to actually live in therefore they bounce around from whatever wood lot they can to get away from people.
I have also lived in high density deer areas and it seems the locals simply know there are a lot of deer in the areas and know how to look for them and you rarely see accidents in these areas. On the flip side areas that to me don't look like prime habitat or in urban areas is where the bulk of the accidents are that I notice.
I am not sure where I am going with this but if there are deer, more roads, more people, more cars there will be accidents.
Insurance agent: Deer collisions cost us XXX million dollars this year, what can you do about it?
DNR: Our deer herd levels are down back to our targeted goal and below target in some areas.
Insurance agent: Yeah but deer collisions are costing us XXX million dollars per year, what can you do about it?
In my opinion, the insurance companies will never be happy. It is taking money out of their pocket. I drive about 50,000 miles a year throughout this great state and note many deer killed a long the roads. A lot of these areas really aren't even that wooded or they are in areas I wouldn't even expect deer to really be in. I just wonder how many of these areas even really get hunted that much. I know my idea of a quality hunt is not sitting in a ditch leading up to a noisy interstate. I see tons of deer all the time a long interstate 80 that are pretty much just living in fence lines that seem impossible to kill.
I got to believe over the years that more people are driving. Speeds are getting faster. Urbanization in many areas is leading to less habitat for deer to actually live in therefore they bounce around from whatever wood lot they can to get away from people.
I have also lived in high density deer areas and it seems the locals simply know there are a lot of deer in the areas and know how to look for them and you rarely see accidents in these areas. On the flip side areas that to me don't look like prime habitat or in urban areas is where the bulk of the accidents are that I notice.
I am not sure where I am going with this but if there are deer, more roads, more people, more cars there will be accidents.
Fishbonker
Life Member
The meeting is actually a re-convening of the Deer Study Advisory Committee. The Committee has members from all stakeholder groups. On one side you have the FB on the other side you have the IBA. There will be presentations from the DNR on the state of the deer herd in Iowa and their proposals for the future. The Committee will discuss the findings and make recommendations.
Fishbonker
Life Member
From tomorrow's presentation:
Road-killed deer information has been collected in Iowa since 1951. The information is collected by the Department of Transportation personnel and law enforcement officers throughout Iowa on rural interstates and state highways. The number of observed deer killed on rural highways decreased by about 25% in 2010. The estimated number of vehicle miles driven increased in 2010 when compared to 2009 so the adjusted road kill (kills per billion miles – KBM) declined by 26% overall (Table 2). The trend in the KBM rate has been a declining one as the deer population decreases.
Table #2 will not copy and paste but suffice it to say the paragraph speaks for itself. A few years ago when this Committee met ther were map overlays from the DOT showing where road kills were highest. They were, as Liv suggested, higher in urban areas. They were also high near what were referred to as "deer sanctuaries” where deer were either not hunted or under hunted. I would like to see the updated versions of the maps.
Road-killed deer information has been collected in Iowa since 1951. The information is collected by the Department of Transportation personnel and law enforcement officers throughout Iowa on rural interstates and state highways. The number of observed deer killed on rural highways decreased by about 25% in 2010. The estimated number of vehicle miles driven increased in 2010 when compared to 2009 so the adjusted road kill (kills per billion miles – KBM) declined by 26% overall (Table 2). The trend in the KBM rate has been a declining one as the deer population decreases.
Table #2 will not copy and paste but suffice it to say the paragraph speaks for itself. A few years ago when this Committee met ther were map overlays from the DOT showing where road kills were highest. They were, as Liv suggested, higher in urban areas. They were also high near what were referred to as "deer sanctuaries” where deer were either not hunted or under hunted. I would like to see the updated versions of the maps.
loneranger
Well-Known Member
I always drag this up about my 50 yrs of hunting in MI. They have lowered numbers ,,especially in N-Lower Mi, to the point that some of my friends there, have quit hunting, and yet the Officials still give out liberal antlerless permits. Expect much the same here. The Almighty Dollar Speaks,,,there are never enough deer gone!
The insurance industry needs to get real and realize that Iowa deer hunting is an industry of its own and there are many areas of the State that nothing much will bring down collision rates. Many landowners want deer on there land and won't allow the Farm Bureau induced Bumstead harvest plan like last year.
SquirrelBoy
New Member
There is a large tract of land right next to I-380 on the Toddville exit that is somebody hunting honey hole. Prime habitat with plenty of food and plenty of deer. Is it any surprise then, that deer get hit on the interestate there all the time? The Deer Xing signs don't help, do something else, like put up a high fence like they have on parts of highway 30. Or force that land owner to reduce the deer popuplation on his property.
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Altiman94
Member
I find it pretty difficult to feel bad for the insurance companies. They collect premiums from a lot of drivers who will never hit a deer in their lifetime to pay for a few people who do. We have to look past the 'it's costing us $ attitude'.
Deer are a natural resource that need to be managed for herd health and overall experience of hunting. The deer don't need to be controlled to limit a couple more car-deer accidents. Deer hunting itself is a major industry as well, so we can't cater to one set of people and forget the other. We need to balance all the interets involved and make the best decision.
Deer are a natural resource that need to be managed for herd health and overall experience of hunting. The deer don't need to be controlled to limit a couple more car-deer accidents. Deer hunting itself is a major industry as well, so we can't cater to one set of people and forget the other. We need to balance all the interets involved and make the best decision.
loneranger
Well-Known Member
Sounds good,,but that's not the way Legislators,Poiticians,and Farmers see it. "Brown Rats", is what they say to me...
SquirrelBoy
New Member
If the Farmers hate the deer so much, are they actually calling any of the hunters that have Volunteered on the DNR website to reduce the numbers? I have registered in multiple counties every year and never get one call. If a farmer complains about the deer, then his complaint should be taken as an invitation to go hunt his property! So if the DNR's website is not working, maybe the Farm Bureau would like to come up with something of their own!
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AIRASSAULT
PMA Member
Same here. I've been signed up with that for a few years and haven't heard anything.... I here lot's of complaints from farmers... they will even say something about it right to my face and then when I ask them on the spot if I can hunt there, I still get a no..
exactly, everything anymore is about greed
revup
Get Wild Outdoors
Urban areas are the "problematic" areas.
Make urban hunts more desirable.
Lower the amt of does that need to be taken, before you get a any sex tag. (but this could also hinder the amt of deer taken)
Put a blanket process on it, so every city has the same process to get a tag/tags.
Advertise urban hunts in the IDNR regs book, and put more emphasis on it.
Maybe create a page on the IDNR website, just for urban deer hunting info.
Make urban hunts more desirable.
Lower the amt of does that need to be taken, before you get a any sex tag. (but this could also hinder the amt of deer taken)
Put a blanket process on it, so every city has the same process to get a tag/tags.
Advertise urban hunts in the IDNR regs book, and put more emphasis on it.
Maybe create a page on the IDNR website, just for urban deer hunting info.
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Part of the problem is the premise of the meeting & question at hand. We HAVE controlled the population and then some as of now. We probably went overboard in most the state. The top 2/3rd's of the state have been hammered far too greatly in most areas. There will ALWAYS be pockets of high populations BUT much of the state is suffering. "HOW TO BETTER CONTROL"?!?!?! Is that really what they are asking in 2012 when we've laid the hammer down for 3-4 years?!?!?! OK....
-Machine guns year round
-Land mines & trip wires
-Grenades & napalm mortars.
Does anyone think the whining from insurance companies will EVER end if we don't have every single deer killed?
Poor insurance companies, I feel bad that they are RAKING in fortunes every year- go watch tv ANY time of day (ok- just car-insruance) and you'll see half the commercials being from auto-insurance- that stupid lizard, annoying nationwide nerd, Denzel Washington Wannabe from Allstate, retard with the car up the pole from state farm, obnoxious transvestite Flo from Progressive that needs a beating, etc, etc, etc. Financially fat Insurance companies that are going after low hanging fruit (going after deer collisions) in IA having way too much pull is ridiculous.
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mplane72
PMA Member
That is a awesome post! I almost choked on my ice cream reading it and you make some good points too.