These five Indiana counties see the most crashes with deer

The number of collisions caused by deer is just one of the interesting data points contained in a state report released this month.

Ryan Martin, ryan.martin@indystar.com
A whitetail buck stands guard over a herd of seven deer that were grazing and searching for acorns among the monuments in Crown Hill Cemetery.

More Hoosiers used high-powered rifles to hunt deer last year, following a new state law that expanded the firepower allowed for hunting on private land. 

But while the change made it easier for hunters, Indiana didn't see an increase in the number of deer harvested last year. The total was actually lower than the previous several years. 

Those details were included in an Indiana Department of Natural Resources' annual report on white-tailed deer that was released earlier this month. 

With more than 100 pages, the report contains a lot of other interesting data, such as the total deer harvest, the most popular counties for hunting and where most vehicle collisions with deer occur in Indiana.

Here are some highlights:

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JUMP IN RIFLE HUNTING

Indiana DNR interpreted the new lawHEA 1231, to allow the use of high-powered rifles on private land.

With those rifles, hunters can shoot deer from more than 100 yards away, said Joe Caudell, DNR deer biologist — with the bullets moving fast enough to still kill the deer. 

"You want the deer to die quickly, to minimize pain and suffering," Caudell said.  

Other rifles may only be effective up to 50 yards, he said.

The change made it easier for hunters, which led many hunters to grow concerned that the new law would lead to a lot more kills, Caudell said. That fear happens with any new regulation. 

But the data show that people didn't harvest more deer than in prior years, according to the report. About 72 percent of hunters took one deer; about 20 percent took two; and about 6 percent took three. Those numbers remained flat over 2015. 

Rifles grew in usage last year, though, replacing shotguns as the most popular weapon. In 2014 and 2015, rifles accounted for about 16 and 19 percent of all deer kills, respectively. That jumped to 37 percent last year. 

The percentage of hunters using muzzleloaders and shotguns dropped the most.

DEER HARVEST LOWEST SINCE 2003 

Hunters harvested about 119,500 deer last year, about 5,000 fewer than 2015 and the lowest number since 2003. 

Such fluctuations are common, Caudell said. The total number of deer and hunters affect that number, he said, but so could the weather on a given weekend. Pinpointing the exact cause for last year's drop is impossible, he said. 

He noted that the harvest numbers in the early 2000s are roughly the same as the numbers over the past few years. 

Harrison (2,948 deer); Noble (2,714); Franklin (2,709); Washington (2,609) and Steuben (2,454) counties were the most popular for hunting. With only 110 deer killed, Benton County saw the fewest number of deer harvested. Marion County saw 416 deer killed. 

WHERE MOST DEER CRASHES OCCUR

Vehicle collisions with deer cost Hoosiers at least $119 million in economic losses last year, according to the report. 

And that was in a year that saw 1,300 fewer crashes than the prior year. 

Still, there were 14,000 crashes reported last year; that number only includes those that resulted in an injury or at least $750 in property damage.

Kosciusko (405 crashes); Allen (401) Steuben (374); Porter (323) and Noble (320) counties — all in northern Indiana — had the most crashes. With nine crashes, Union County had the fewest. Marion County had 108. 

Most crashes occurred on state roads, amounting to 36 percent of all crashes. County roads (28 percent) and U.S. routes (17 percent) were the next most common.

Nearly half of all crashes happened between October and December, which is normal every year. That's when males will venture further seeking to breed with females, Caudell said.

They're also "a bit distracted and probably less cautious," he said. 

OTHER DAMAGE CAUSED BY DEER

Deer cause other damage too, like foraging through crops. DNR collects reports of at least $500 in damages.

All told, there were more than 500 reports last year, with about 16,000 acres of soybeans and 14,000 acres of corn damaged. Hay (1,578 acres); garden crops (1,555 acres) and timber (1,400) were the next most common damage type. 

"A lot of times they're on the edge of deer habitat," said Caudell, noting that deer will move beyond the habitat to snag extra food. 

That's especially true for deer near small farms that are carved out of heavily wooded areas, which is far more common in southern Indiana, he said.  

Whenever a damage report is filed, Indiana DNR considers issuing permits for hunting out of season to reduce the deer problems in that area. 

About 1,500 deer were killed as a result of the permits last year. 

Call IndyStar reporter Ryan Martin at (317) 444-6294. Follow him on Twitter: @ryanmartin and on Facebook.

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