Deer Crashes in Iowa

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Deer Crashes in Iowa

• Where the Country Club
• Meets the Cornfields

by Robert Thompson, Program Evaluator
Governors Traffic Safety Bureau
Presented at the 2004 International Traffic
Records Forum
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Iowas Exploding Deer Population
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Defining the Problem

• Nearly 13,000 deer-vehicle collisions occur in
  Iowa each year
  
• These crashes are, by far, the largest single
  contributor to property damage only crashes

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Under Reporting

• Substantial under reporting with the DOT
  receiving about 7,500 deer crash reports each
  year
  
• Problem is growing with reported crashes up 25
  plus in the past decade

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The Numbers

• We had 10 deer crash fatalities in Iowa last
  year the worst year in our States history
  
• Iowans experience over 600 deer crash injuries
  each year

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Another key factor -

• Limited woodland habitat under pressure from
• Transition from town to rural/suburban living
• Movement of Iowas population from farms and
  small town to the golden circles

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The Golden Circles
The vast majority of Iowas job growth is in
these two areas

These areas are growing as population continues
to decline in the rest of the state

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The next big problem --

• Limited woodland habitat
• Only about 7 of Iowas land is timbered or
  forested
  
• Iowas hardwood forest acres ( oak and hickory )
  continue to decline substantially
  
• 92 of our 2.5 million acres of timber are owned
  by private landowners

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History of the Forest Resource
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Why People Own Woodlands

• Enjoy Beauty
• Protect Nature
• Wildlife Habitat
• Part of Farm
• Legacy
• Other
• Tax Exempt
• Hunting
• Investment/Harvest
• (FR Study)

• Beauty/Aesthetics
• Preservation
• Wildlife Habitat
• Hunting/Fishing
• Part of Farm
• Commercial/Income
• Privacy
• Other
• Baughman Study

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• Not to many years ago, people valued woodland
  like cropland, that is, on basis of its income
  potential from the trees. Woods were going for
  200 to 400 an acre back then. Northeast Iowa,
  with its wooded hills and streams, is now a hot
  spot for recreational property. Were seeing
  some parcels sell for 2,000 an acre on up.
• Duane Sheffert, Key Stone Realty

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Given that woodland habitat is limited,
and not likely to grow substantially, what
are the other deer crash reduction options?
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Managing the herd -

• Several key efforts are underway to reduce Iowas
  rapidly growing deer population including
  
• Expanded hunting season including special bow
  seasons
  

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Herd Management (contd)

• Special antlerless deer or doe only season
• The HUSH program or Help Us Stop Hunger
• This program involves deer hunters, local meat
  processors and the Food Bank of Central Iowa

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Results

• The expanded hunting season resulted in the
  harvest of approximately 142,000 deer
  
• The antlerless deer season resulted in the
  harvest of 40,000 additional deer making a total
  record harvest of about 182,000
  
• The HUSH program resulted in venison for over
  1,600 Iowa families in need

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Other Key Efforts Raising Public Awareness

• Deer Task Force Formed
• Multi-disciplinary including DPS, DOT, licensing,
  ABATE of Iowa, DNR, Insurance, AAA and others
  
• Results include Poster, Brochure and Press Release

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And As of July 10, 2004, ZERO deer vehicle
fatalities so far in 2004 (at least for the
2-legged animals)Thank-you