YAY_Images / Depositphotos.com
The term “Deer in the Headlights” didn’t just appear out of nowhere…not in the way that the deer involved seem to do this time of year. It’s the seasonal “rut” when doe-eyed does bring out the romance in the bucks, and the last thing on their minds is avoiding some humans in a vehicle.
Dusk and dawn are the most dangerous times of day for deer appearing on roadways, and Sheboygan County was the #5 County in the state for such collisions last year, with some 763 incidents. The surrounding counties of Washington, Fond du Lac and Manitowoc also ranked in the top-10, with nearby Waukesha County tallying the most in the state with 937 accidents last year.
If you have such an encounter, the one good takeaway is that you just tagged a deer and it’s yours to keep. The Department of Natural Resources has a non-emergency dispatch line staffed daily from 7 AM until 10 PM, and voice messages are taken overnight. By calling 608-267-7691 you can leave your first and last name, a call-back number with the area code, the road name, township and county where the accident happened, and whether the deer was a buck, doe or fawn. With that, the carcass is yours…meaning the whole thing must be removed and not just parts of it.
If you still have questions, you can call the DNR at 888-936-7463.