Q: Almost every night on Seipstown Road between Fogelsville and Seipstown, a small number of deer can be seen on the south side of the road. You can see the glowing eyes and/or the silhouettes in the field. Even though there is a "danger — deer crossing" sign in each direction, I'm surprised there are not more injuries or damaged vehicles from hitting deer. There probably are, since many of them don't get reported. Recently my car was hit by a deer on that road, which is the fifth time since 1993. I've heard that someone living near the area may be feeding the deer. Whether that's true or not, there is no question the area has an excessive, uncontrolled deer population. All the fields surrounding this area are posted 'no hunting.' To my knowledge nothing is being done by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to alleviate this road hazard.
— Stan Hamm, Weisenberg Township
A: This section of Seipstown Road in Upper Macungie and Weisenberg townships may be a particular trouble spot, but roadway deer strikes are all too common in many parts of an area once known as Penn's Woods, as well as in other parts of the country.
As part of its mission to manage deer and other game animals in Pennsylvania, and well as the state's wildlife habitat — difficult and always controversial balancing acts — the state Game Commission has the authority to prevent people from feeding wildlife on their own properties, but the regulation applies to only two species, bear and elk, spokesman Jerry Feaser said.
Bear encounters in suburbia have been increasing as the supposedly intelligent two-legged animals bulldoze ever more animal habitat, and though black bear attacks are extremely rare, the animals can pose direct safety threats. Supplemental feeding of elk "increases disease risk, long-term habitat destruction, risk of elk-vehicle collisions, and habituation to humans," according to commission documents.
But the commission can't prevent people from feeding deer on their own land, Feaser said.
"We put information on the [commission] website" discouraging the feeding of deer, "because of this very type of issue," Feaser said of roadway safety. But he added that officials get "push-back" from the public, and from some legislators, when they try to venture farther along Legal Restriction Road, in part because observing deer and other wildlife is so enjoyable to so many.
Perhaps if more residents who own substantial tracts of wooded land would allow hunting on portions of their properties, more of the animals would be killed by sportsmen before becoming roadside obstacles. It would be a more humane outcome; often the animals are badly injured on the road and need to be dispatched, or remain semi-mobile and likely suffer, possibly to die later.
Feaser acknowledged that a lack of access for hunters contributes to the road problem. In many areas, "property owners potentially have large enough lands to allow some hunting, but for whatever reasons they do not allow hunting, and it creates a safe haven for deer," he said. "We cannot force owners to open their land to hunting."
Reliable statistics on roadway deer kills are as elusive as the animals themselves scurrying through dark, dense woods. The Game Commission collects some carcasses, but the state Department of Transportation does most of the work, using its own staff as well as contractors. And as you note, Stan, not all of the incidents are reported.
In 2010, there were more than 3,000 crashes statewide involving deer, resulting in more than 600 injuries and eight fatalities, PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said. Most of the accidents occur between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., in October and November, during the rut.
Assuming that this section of Seipstown Road crosses a favored path of the animals for whatever reason, I thought a fence might help, along both sides of Seipstown Road, forcing them to cross some other, less-traveled road. But it would have to be a very long, costly, and perhaps unsightly set of fences.
And they would have to be 10 feet high or more, Feaser said. Even then, a bit of erosion, and the animals might be able to get under the barrier, or a small break in the fence, and they'll get through it. They're resourceful creatures, he said, adding that there is no "deer-proof" fencing. "You can deter deer," he said, but the fence has to stop somewhere.
Young also slammed the brakes on my fence proposal, saying it's not standard PennDOT practice, and that a fence most likely would send the animals to another area of the same road to cross. He also raised cost issues related to installation, maintenance and possible right-of-way acquisition.
Weisenberg Township Administrator Reynold Reinert said he's lived on Seipstown Road for nearly 40 years, and has yet to hit a deer. He attributes that record mostly to luck — "I've been close, don't get me wrong" — but said he could offer no solutions other than the signs already posted, joining Feaser and Young in forcing the fence concept off the road.
Reinert isn't accusing you of speeding, Stan, but he noted that many people drive too fast on Seipstown Road, and suspects that speed is a factor in many deer strikes. Most of Seipstown Road is posted at a reasonable 40 mph, dropping to 35 in the village of Seipstown. Regardless, Reinert urged motorists to ease off the gas in general, and that was Young's first-gear recommendation as well.
"To reduce the risk of a deer-related crash, motorists should slow down and be especially cautious," Young said. "Motorists should also increase the following distance between vehicles, especially where deer-crossing signs are posted. Deer often travel in herds, so if you see one deer crossing the road, there's a strong chance that others will follow."
Road Warrior appears Mondays and Fridays, and the Warrior blogs at mcall.com. Email questions about roadways, traffic and transportation, with your name and the municipality where you live, to hartzell@mcall.com, or write to Road Warrior, Box 1260, Allentown, PA 18105-1260.
