DEER MOVEMENTS AND BEHAVIOR ALONG AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY

COLLISIONS WITH DEER ARE AN IMPORTANT CAUSE OF HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. STUDIES WERE MADE OF WHITE-TAILED DEER ACTIVITY AND BEHAVIOR BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 17 AND FEBRUARY 25, 1968, ALONG AN UNOPENED SECTION OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY IN NORTH-CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. THESE STUDIES SHOWED THAT: (1) MANY DEER FEED ON VETCHES AND GRASSES PLANTED ON HILLS AND VALLEYS ADJACENT TO THE HIGHWAY, (2) MORE DEER WERE FOUND IN VALLEYS THAN ON HILLS, (3) AS FOOD ON THE OPEN SLOPES BECAME SCARCE IN WINTER DEER RETREATED TO THE SURROUNDING FOREST FOR BROWSE, (4) DEER WERE ABUNDANT ON AND NEAR THE HIGHWAY DURING RUTTING SEASON EXCEPT WHEN DEER HUNTERS WERE IN THE AREA, (5) THE NUMBER CROSSING THE ROAD WAS GENERALLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE NUMBER ON THE SLOPES AT ANY ONE TIME, (6) ONLY 14.9 PERCENT OF THE DEER CROSSED THE ROAD SINGLY, THE REMAINDER CROSSED IN GROUPS OF TWO TO SEVEN WHEN CROSSING WAS SLOW AND DELIBERATE, (7) DEER WERE ABUNDANT ALONG THE HIGHWAY BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN SUNSET AND 11 P.M., BUT WERE RARELY SEEN BY DAYLIGHT, AND (8) MOST HIGHWAY CROSSING OCCURED AT THE JUNCTIONS OF HILLS AND VALLEYS AS SHOWN BY TRACKING DATA AFTER SNOWFALLS. AFTER THE HIGHWAY WAS OPEN TO PUBLIC USE, HIGH DEER MORTALITY WAS SHOWN ON THE HIGHWAY.

• Record URL:
  • https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrnews/hr-news-36-01.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 36, pp 36-42, 5 FIG, 2 REF. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Peek, F W
  • Bellis, E D
• Publication Date: 1969

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: pp 36-42
• Serial:
  • Highway Research News
  • Issue Number: 36

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Crash rates; Days; Deer; Night; Traffic crashes
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225534
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 21 1994 12:00AM