every day i see a dead deer on the road, anyone else notice this phenomenon?

[AbsolutelyPatsy]

what's it all about?
more house building?

does anyone try and reduce their population?

Eh?

Um...

does anyone else see so much dead deer on the road ?

is there a deer culling programme that is currently not happening?

It's badgers where I am. I've lost count of the number of dead ones I've seen lying on the roadside. I wonder if lockdown and less traffic on the roads lulled wildlife into a false sense of security and now things are returning to normal-ish they are being caught out.

@AbsolutelyPatsy

does anyone else see so much dead deer on the road ?

is there a deer culling programme that is currently not happening?

Depending on where you live this is possibly the case.

Lockdown has meant that organised shoots haven't been happening.

I saw what I thought was a dead deer at the side of road in Northumberland today. Driving back past the same spot I slowed down and it was actually a badger.

It was bloody huge! I got a shock, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a badger before

May and autumn are peak times for deer accidents. There are hundreds of deer killed every year on the roads in this area . If you are noticing more is I that folk are less experienced in driving to avoid them?

Yes, I seem to see loads of road kill at the moment

There’s not been many shoots taking place. Lots of people from overseas not able to travel here etc.

Pick it up and freeze it. Not if it’s a badger though and not if you’ve killed it. .

I haven't noticed this, no. But I think Fionnula's explanation is likely the right one, combined with it being May. Animals have got used to the roads being quieter and aren't being as cautious about them.

venison?
hmm

yes badgers too

I find it sad going down the motor ways as there's so many dead animals. Today there was a fox cub

I drove from north Norfolk to London a few days ago and must have seen at least half a dozen dead deer at the roadside - most very small ones. Must be awful to hit one.

deer, badgers, foxes, dogs - sadly lots of each in our area. Haven't noticed more than usual for this time of year

Eh? So you’re seeing 365 dead deer each year? I’ve lived rurally for 9 years and not seen one.

Have seen foxes and badgers on hard shoulder, always feels sad when I see them. But never a deer, let alone every day.

There are far too many deer where I am, I very narrowly missed hitting one a couple of days ago, skimmed the back end of a baby one a while back (it ran off, I did have a look to check if it was injured but couldn't see it), my friend wrote her car off by hitting one a fortnight ago and there was a huge dead deer on the road a few weeks ago.

They do need to do something to bring down the population of deer where I am. I live in a village and they are now sometimes on the main roads. They also do lots of damage to the environment

I drive a lot at night on country roads and I'm always nervous I'm going to hit one.

I know someone who is employed by the local county council to cull deer. (Large forest) . He is an expert shot and a very careful, experienced person. He culls older, injured and sick animals and sometimes young male deer when there are too many of them for the land to support.
He is also called out to humanely despatch deer that are badly injured on the roads.
As for badgers, i've also noticed what seems like an increase in numbers dead at the side of the road: I have no idea if this is true or not but i have heard that people who take part in illegal badger baiting dump the carcases there.

Pmsl at pick it up and freeze it.

Yes, saw a dead deer on the side of busy dual-carriageway 'A' road yesterday. Normally only see them in rural areas.

Deer are more active at certain times of year-as for badgers- unfortunately most of the ones I see dead are the ones farmers shoot then dump them on the roadside so they look like roadkill.Unfortunately seems to be a common occurrence in parts where I live.

Lockdown has had an impact on deer culling, so there are more deer about. This episode of Farming Today explains it in some detail

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vq6y

06/05/21 - Deer culling in lockdown, gene editing in the EU and DIY farm machinery

apparently there was one in our local town, round the housing estate, presumably disorientated, they are absolutely on the increase, plus they are losing their usual green areas due to the massive house building that is going on.

thanks for the farming today link, due to the closure of hospitality there has not been a market for venison

I work nights. I regularly see muntjac wandering around town while driving between sites. And foxes. The population has risen dramatically since I was a kid and they are everywhere -they spread like wildfire. Or pate if you hit them.

I saw two dead rats near Catford Broadway last week.