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There’s an element in Luzerne County that makes it a treacherous place for deer.
It has nothing to do with hunting, poaching or disease, but it’s an aspect that ranks the county near the top of the state in two categories that highlight the hazards that deer face, particular during this time of year.
The numbers just don’t lie.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission keeps annual records of all the calls it receives for injured/sick deer and those killed on the road.
The former category includes animals that could be suffering from a disease, starvation or a wound sustained from a variety of causes, including collisions with vehicles.
In 2017, the southwest region counties of Westmoreland, Butler, and Allegheny topped the list, in that order, for calls reporting injured/sick deer. But coming in at fourth place was Luzerne County with 178 calls, not far behind the 206 for Allegheny County. First place Westmoreland County reported 267 calls in 2017, while Lycoming County was fifth with 141 calls.
This year, as of Oct. 15, the same five counties are leading the state again when it comes to injured/sick deer calls. Westmoreland leads with 214, and Luzerne County is fifth in the state with 105 calls.
By the way, the statewide total last year was 4,991.
Anyhow, it’s not a surprise that the counties in the southwest rank near the top as outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) — a fatal illness contracted from a biting midge — result in hundreds of dead deer across the landscape.
The disease also turned up in the southeast this year, but has yet to appear in Luzerne County or the northeast region. When it comes to calls to report a dead that is suspected to be sick, PGC biologist Kevin Wenner said he typically receives a dozen each year from Luzerne County.
So if disease isn’t a factor, what is it about Luzerne County that allows it to rank near the top of the list?
The answer can be found in another set of yearly data collected by the Game Commission: Roadkill/Dead Deer.
This list is also dominated by counties in the southwest, as Butler (594 calls), Allegheny (458) and Westmoreland (327) led the way in 2017. York County had the fourth-highest amount of calls with 287, and coming in fifth at 273 was Luzerne County.
The number of reports of deer being killed on the road is unique to Luzerne County when it comes to the northeast, as the next highest total in the region is from Northampton County at 169. In fact, the average number of roadkilled deer calls to the PCG in 2017 for counties in the northeast was 69.
Luzerne County’s total quadrupled the average.
There are several factors that contribute to the number of calls regarding injured/sick deer and those killed on the road. The overall deer population is an obvious component, as is the number of people.
But it’s the third factor that sets Luzerne County apart: Highways.
Luzerne County has a lot of them, with Interstate 80 and 81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike all traversing the area. All of those paved pathways for speeding cars and trucks creates a perilous situation for deer, and it shows in the Game Commission data. The majority of those calls reporting injured/sick deer are for those animals injured by a vehicle. The presence of two interstates and a turnpike also explains why Luzerne County ranks high on the Roadkill/Dead Deer list.
However, these rankings aren’t anything to be proud of but rather something to be heeded as a warning.
When you drive by one of those yellow “deer crossing” signs in Luzerne County, the numbers dictate that you better take it seriously.
The roads in Luzerne County are a dangerous place for driver and deer alike.
