Relationship of Autumn Hunting Season to the Frequency of Deer–Vehicle Collisions in Michigan

Abstract

Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) in the United States annually cause an estimated 29,000 human injuries, 200 human fatalities (Conover et al. 1995), and >$1 billion in property damage (Conover 1997). Total social costs of DVCs likely are greater due to human injury, trauma, absence from work, and additional costs of highway safety officers (Hansen 1983). More than 65,000 DVCs are currently reported annually in Michigan, USA (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts 2003), which is a 230% increase since 1982. The actual number of DVCs may be greater than reported due to suspected under-reporting of DVCs (Decker et al. 1990, Conover et al. 1995). Deer-vehicle collisions involving white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in northern latitudes occur most frequently during autumn (Puglisi et al. 1974, Allen and McCullough 1976). Hunting has been implicated as a contributing factor to the autumn peak in DVCs because it increases movement of whitetailed deer (Etter et al. 2002). If hunting actually contributes to increased frequency of DVCs wildlife managers could be subjected to political pressure to alter hunting seasons or deer populations. A need to understand relationships between hunting and DVCs is necessary to evaluate harvest policies or efforts to reduce DVCs. Our objectives were to examine temporal patterns of DVCs in Michigan and to determine possible interactions between firearmhunting season and frequency of DVCs.