# Holding those who hit deer responsible



## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Just wondering everyones feelings on the subject. Should those who hit deer with their cars be held responsible?

Tonight when I came across 2 freshly hit deer (a doe and fawn) laying on a mountain dirt road, an actual mountain road, you should slow down and expect deer come on. I feel that those who drive to fast for the given situation and hit a deer or more than one deer should be held responsible for doing so and should be fined for hitting it. A relative of mine who works for a trucking company has told me that he on his radio could listen to guys seeing who could take out the most deer, seeing as it did little damage to the truck, today this has changed I suppose but who knows a big rig vs a deer isn't really a match. I don't know I just feel whenever you are on a road where there are potentially going to be deer, SLOW THE HECK DOWN, and on mountain roads you should be driving slow anyways now going 60mph in the dark just because you can. What's your thoughts?


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## clean pass through (Nov 26, 2007)

Just like anytime you are in a vehicle and cause damage to state property you should get a fine of some sort. On the reports it is reported to the state of damage of 200$ for each deer. However I don't think the state actually goes after the insurance company. But if you hit a delinator post your insurance will get a bill. :evil: 

Slow down, Use your high beams and dont over drive your headlights.


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## Fishrmn (Sep 14, 2007)

clean pass through said:


> But if you hit a delinator post your insurance will get a bill. :evil:


Delineator posts don't jump in front of you.

Fishrmn


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## hemionus (Aug 23, 2009)

> I don't know I just feel whenever you are on a road where there are potentially going to be deer, SLOW THE HECK DOWN


this would be on any given road in the valley. there are deer anywhere between the front and the lake now. should everyone on I-15 slow down according to this? I am just playing devils advocate :evil: .


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## duck jerky (Sep 8, 2007)

No I do not think anyone should pay for hitting a deer.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

duck jerky said:


> No I do not think anyone should pay for hitting a deer.


Other than a deductible.


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

What the hell are you supposed to do when the **** things jump out and you pretty much have NO time to react? I think it is just something the state will have to deal with for a while until they find a good way to keep the deer away from the roads. IMO

On the other hand, if they catch someone stealing the meat or the head, then yes give them a hefty fine.


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## tuffluckdriller (May 27, 2009)

What a stupid idea. Are you going to hold people responsible for killing that mosquito with their windshield, too? Duh. It's a fact of progressive life that vehicles travel at speeds that will kill elk, deer, moose, cows, antelope, cats, dogs, people, etc... :roll: give me a break... :roll:


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## clean pass through (Nov 26, 2007)

Hey that car just slammed on the breaks while driving in front of me because there was a dead elk in the road. Its not my fault, I hit the back of them because they should have not been slowing in the travel lane. Despite the fact I wasn't leaving enouph following distance or paying close attention to dangers on the road. 

Question If the speed limit is 60 MPH and you see caution sign for deer, and you know from experience deer are in the area, and it is night time, is the speed limit still 60 mph or lower?


I am not saying every case is unavoidable but the most are if people are not over driving there headlights. At 60mph a vehicle is traveling at 88 ft a second the average reaction time for a human is .75 to 1.5 of a second. If you are going 60 miles per hour you see a deer and start to react to push the brakes you have already traveled around 80 ft before your brakes have been touched. Then depending on the vehicle and how it has been maintained depends on how long it will take you to stop from the reaction time. Probably around 200 ft for good road conditions. 

Most headlights are effective out to about 100 ft at the most on high beams. Thats why the law states a vehicle can not follow closer than two seconds from the driver in front of them. You need to give yourself time to react to WHATEVER situation happens on the road way in front of you. Including wildlife! 

However some are the result of the deer just runnig out in front of the vehicle but not all.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

I hit a deer on I-15 on a motorcycle June 21 , 2003. @ 11:30 AM. Ya gotta be kidding, a fine. :lol:


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> On the other hand, if they catch someone stealing the meat or the head, then yes give them a hefty fine.


Stealing the meat? :? The fact that Utah doesn't allow for the meat to be used unless you jump through hoops and red tape first is ridiculous! In many other states, it's perfectly legal to take the deer and use the meat. No matter how big or little it is. In GA you can use the deer regardless of who hit it, without a special permit or having to call the fish and game dispatch. There are NEVER deer left on the road down there. The locals pick them up and eat them. That right there saves the taxpayers money not having to hire a state run crew to go out and pick up all the dead deer carcases. And if you think we hit a lot of deer here in Utah, you aint seen NOTHIN!

Getting fined for hitting one? That's about the most retarded thing I've ever heard! If your horse gets loose and gets into the road and gets hit by a mom taking her kids to soccer practice and the accident ends up killing the mom, YOU should be sighted and charged for the accident! NOT the soccer mom. Just because she was going ten over the speed limit to get her kids there on time doesn't mean she gets to pay for your negligence. It's no ones fault the deer are on the roads. They cause tons of damage to vehicles every year, and even some fatal accidents. It is not the drivers fault. When deer end up in town and around roads they're doomed. Period.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

+1 on the loopy bit. How can you charge a person for hitting a wild animal? Come on, think about this for a minute. I have seen deer killed by people driving 25 mph on a residential road! I hit one doing 45 and there is no way i could have avoided it regardless of speed. It bailed off a hillside directly into my lane of travel. No time to react even if i was doing 10 mph.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I will take another route, if I hit a deer I think the DWR should pay for the repair of my vehicle.  

Really though the poll just has a yes or no question, I think if you are driving legally and hit a deer then no. However if you are driving illegally you should get a fine. However this would be hard to prove.

I always thought it would be a good idea to slow the interstate speed down during the migration season, but I know that would never fly. But I do think seasonal speed limit reductions would reduce the death rate of deer.

Oh and how about this situation. I had a friend come into the office a few years ago and was cussing under his breath, I asked him what was wrong and he said that he was just coming down main street in Cedar City on the south end of town and a herd of deer ran across the road so he stopped to miss them, at that point a 4 point buck ran into the side of his truck and caved the door in. The buck jumped up and ran off. Now should the DWR pay for his truck?


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

If the deer are ocularly challenged, then I think that would warrant a ticket.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

That don't make no sense!


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Oh contraire, the deer (actually the State) should be the one held responsible for being on the road. If a state owned tractor (the state owns all the deer, right?) for example pulled out into traffic and caused and accident...Hum... of course, on the other hand, if an area is declared "open range", the rancher is not responsible when you hit his cow...another Hum...I wonder if this issue has ever been in court? Does a "deer crossing" sigh in essence declare a stretch of road as "open range" for deer?...triple Hum.


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## wapati (Nov 29, 2007)

who pays me if the deer hits me by running into the side of my car (deer was un-insured)? ... Still waiting for that check


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## Old Fudd (Nov 24, 2007)

Maranda Rights will be next. Hate to see em get hit.Bothers me big time. Why don't we arrest the high rollers who build up on the Wasatch. and force the deer down. cause they just can't digest asphalt.


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## fishnate (Sep 11, 2007)

Why do people think the government has to be involved in every stinking little thing in our lives? TAKE SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! I hate to see animals smashed on the road but I like to drive and so it's an acceptable risk. I've nearly smashed deer while going under the speed limit while NOT talking on a cel phone, NOT eating a hamburger, NOT changing radio stations, NOT smoking or NOT drinking anything and NOT because the government nanny said I shouldn't. In fact I've even had a few deer jump out of thick brush in the bright day light right in front of my car. Animals get hit by accident and that's why it's called an accident. If you hit a large animal move it off the road. In fact that is the only time I have hit a deer was one that was left lying in the middle of the road on a rainy night. That was likely a neglagent public hazard that likely could have been avoided and if any citations are given perhaps that is a case to be argued.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

I hit a deer going less than 10 mph, after I braked hard to miss 6 others that crossed the road in front of me....I did not see deer 7 until it was already breaking my headlight. I was also with my brother as he drove down Blacksmith Fork canyon when a 2 point jumped up from the steep side of the road and ran head long into the rear door of his truck (nice big dent and scratches all over the paint)...deer ran off.

Fines????? Come on 1-I!


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

I don’t think a fine for the motorist is the right thing to do, hitting a deer is not premeditated it’s an accident. I do think the state could be more animal migration friendly when installing our highways. Having alternative routes for animal to take over or under our major hiways would lessen the impact (no pun intended) on the deer vs car problem.


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## rukus (Apr 11, 2008)

> I hate to see animals smashed on the road but I like to drive and so it's an acceptable risk.


+1


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Okay, I can see the points on the freeway and high speed limit roads where reaction time isn't fast enough. But lets put into perspective if on a road, asphalt or not, has a cattle crossing sign or free range cattle/livestock crossing the road, typically it doesn't matter if your reaction time wasn't fast enough if you hit someones livestock on a road where they are out and roaming (legally) you still have to pay for the livestock you smash into simply because the cattle had the right to be out and grazing. If you hit a cow driving off the mountain during the summer, we'll your responsible to pay for the cow, why is a deer so different? In areas where deer are the norm such as a mountain/canyon road or somewhere heading into the hills you should expect it just like when you know there are cattle roaming you should expect them, either way in the end its your fault for hitting the cow, not the cow being on the road. High speed highways I see the fight, but in mountainous areas I don't see the fight, people should be driving slow enough to stop if something is in the road.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

There are alot that can't see the deer, whether it is training or interest I don't know, but I am constantly having people tell me they can't believe I can see the deer, whether I am driving and slow down and they wonder why I am slowing down or I am a passenger and I tell them to "watch out for the deer up ahead". :?


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

TEX, 

The reason I say they shouldn't be able to take the meat or head is because people might use that as an excuse to hunt for antlers by actually trying to hit a deer because they want the head. Plus, we don't have a TON of deer here compared to Georgia, or any of the other white tail states for that matter. But I guess I change my mind about the meat part. The DWR should at least be the ones salvaging the meat.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Nope! they all go straight to the land fill. :?


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

Dang that sucks. I sometimes get sick of seeing dead deer on the sides of the roads. Im sure there is good meat still left on them.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

I think we ought to just pass a law that all deer are to cross *ONLY* in designated crosswalks. If they fail to obey, well, they get what's coming to them.... :shock:


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

this is a silly non enforceable idea, that if implemented, would undoubtedly get overturned in less than a year.

As an example, I'm 38, I've been driving for 22 years. I've always prided myself in never having hit a deer in my vehicle. This spring I bought a new suburban, not cheap. Exactly 5 days after I purchased said vehicle, I had an accident involving a deer. It was in a neighborhood, on the east side of layton. I was going the speed limit, a whopping 15 miles an hour (private neighborhood in mutton hollow with lower speed limit). A deer came busting out of someone's back yard and ran full speed into the rear passenger door of my vehicle, hard enough that the deer actually had to be put down. The door panel was smashed, the window was shattered, the door could not be opened without bending the door worse. 

So I'm just wondering, in this silly proposal, do I get a fine in addition to the $500 deductible on my insurance and new higher premiums? Or because it was an animal that didn't have enough common sense to avoid running headlong into the side of a barely moving vehicle, does the state owe me a reimbursement check? 

And in response to 1-I's claim that I should be fined because I would be if I hit a cow...I'm pretty damned sure that if a cow were to ram the side of my vehicle on public land, I'd be legally able to seek reimbursement from the rancher. I might not ever get paid, put I'm just betting I'd be able to get a judgement against him or her.

I get that there are plenty of times that a deer/car collision can be avoided, but just as often its not.


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## OKEE (Jan 3, 2008)

Kevin D said:


> I think we ought to just pass a law that all deer are to cross *ONLY* in designated crosswalks. If they fail to obey, well, they get what's coming to them.... :shock:


I think we should move all the deer crossing signs to better location to many deer are getting hit where they are at now. :O---: :lol:


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

I just don't understand why the deer can't push the button at the crosswalk just like everyone else. At the very least they should be cited for jaywalking.


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## plottrunner (Apr 3, 2008)

one eye do you sit home all day thinking of off the wall **** to post on here.... :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

WasatchOutdoors said:


> I just don't understand why the deer can't push the button at the crosswalk just like everyone else. At the very least they should be cited for jaywalking.


A-FREAKING-MEN! The deer are worse than cyclists driving in the road. :evil: :wink:


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

Funny you mention that Pro. I just paid a ticket in Centerville i got for crossing the yellow line....while avoiding a cyclist who felt like it was ok to ride outside of the normal bike lane in a 50 mph zone. Next time he's gonna need a new bike.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

WasatchOutdoors said:


> Funny you mention that Pro. I just paid a ticket in Centerville i got for crossing the yellow line....while avoiding a cyclist who felt like it was ok to ride outside of the normal bike lane in a 50 mph zone. Next time he's gonna need a new bike.


See, it is possible for utefan and cougarfan to agree on things. :mrgreen:


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## mack1950 (Sep 11, 2007)

**** nation spit my coffee allover my puter a ute fan and cougar fan agreeing
on anything has about as much chanch as i do drawing a dinosour tag thlis year


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## tuffluckdriller (May 27, 2009)

Maybe 1-I has 1-screw loose or so... :lol:


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## quakeycrazy (Sep 18, 2007)

1-eye, I was going to ask you if you were serious but unfortunately I think I know the answer.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

1-I- are you the one that wrote the letter to the editor in the Logan Herald saying the state needed to keep the deer off the highways because he had an accident with one ?- that one got some pretty good comments also.


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## Greenhead 2 (Sep 13, 2007)

1eye wrote this


> A relative of mine who works for a trucking company has told me that he on his radio could listen to guys seeing who could take out the most deer, seeing as it did little damage to the truck, today this has changed I suppose but who knows a big rig vs a deer isn't really a match.


Dude I think your uncle is telling you stories! I've hit two deer since August in my semi. It has cost me out of MY pocket, when you add up down time and shop bills over 17,000 dollars! If a company driver was doing this he would be out of work for atleast a week with no pay. Also if that were to get out that a driver was purposely out hitting deer, he would be fired and have a very tough time getting another job. So unless he hated the guy he worked for and he wanted a new job, what would be the reason to do this?

I know a few guys that have cow killers on the front of their trucks and don't slow down when deer and elk cross the road, but they aren't out hunting them like your uncle says. Where I hit my deer I see them every day. I know they are there and watch for them. Deer are suicidal! Two winters ago there was so much snow that the elk were camping out in the highway. How would it be my fault for killing over a dozen elk when they sleep on a snow packed road? I'll put one through my radiator long before flipping my truck to avoid them.
I sure hope my kids are going to a different high school than you did.


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

I think this question kinda throws a wrench into the theory that *"There are NO stupid questions."*


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## Rod (Nov 4, 2017)

clean pass through said:


> Just like anytime you are in a vehicle and cause damage to state property you should get a fine of some sort. On the reports it is reported to the state of damage of 200$ for each deer. However I don't think the state actually goes after the insurance company. But if you hit a delinator post your insurance will get a bill. :evil:
> 
> Slow down, Use your high beams and dont over drive your headlights.


If they are claiming that a deer is state property, which I do not believe they have the right to make that claim, then much like if my dog does harm or damage to someone or something I am held responsible then the state would be responsible for the damages to my car done by their deer.


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