Watch out for those deer

Some folks seem to be deer magnets.

Larry Anderson, maintenance supervisor for Coeur d’Alene Homes, has been charged twice by furry four-footed neighbors.

“The first time was about 10 years ago. I was driving about 35 miles per hour on the Coeur d’Alene Lake road when one jumped out and slammed into the side of my pickup. It scrambled to its feet and ran off, but left me with $3,500 worth of damage.

“Three years ago I was driving down 15th Street, this time about 15 miles an hour, and another one jumped me, hit the side of my Yukon. This time I was lucky. It only cost $1,800 to fix up the rig.

“Guess you’d call it a hit-and-run. That deer also got up and took off.”

According to the Fish and Game Department, we share North Idaho with about 200,000 white-tailed deer.

Kootenai County Sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger points out that, “We’re getting more hits every year as we build homes in the woods. And, of course, there’s no hunting in populated areas, so I’d expect the animal populations to increase.”

Cops are targets, too.

“We have 55 officers in our patrol division.” Wolfinger says, “and they put on a total of about 550,000 miles yearly. Our cars hit five to six deer every year.”

Idaho State Police Lt. Chris Schenck reports that, in his division, the five northern counties, the patrol has logged 128 crashes between the critters and cars in the past year.

His troopers, who drive about 35,000 miles per year, struck two deer in the past 12 months, damaging patrol cars to the tune of $3,850.

The deer density problem is so great in some areas that residents are beginning to take steps to protect their property.

Fernan’s mayor, Jim Elder, says about six months ago the village passed an ordinance prohibiting the 200 residents from feeding wildlife, including the 30 to 40 deer that frequent the area.

“We’re working closely with Fish and Game and among the options we’ve considered is trapping the animals then transporting them to forest areas far from people,” Elder explains.

“Some folks have suggested shooting them, but that’s not an option for us,” he says.

Kristine Fogel of Farmers Insurance, says her office, which carries about 800 policies, records about four vehicle/deer collisions a year. The damage ranges from $2,000 to $4,000 per accident, she says.

ISP’s Schenck reminds that Idaho state law requires that motorists report accidents that result in damages of $1,500 or more.

“But we’d like to know about all collisions with animals for statistical purposes,” he says. “And in these days of high repair costs, it doesn’t take much to exceed that $1,500 threshold.”

With the increasing darkness of winter, the officer expects that collisions with the animals might become more frequent.

“Slow down at night, and remember if you see a deer, there are probably more in the area,” Schenck says.