Vehicular Venison

It’s that time again. The leaves are turning bright autumn colors, and lovesick deer on the road to romance are finding it crowded with motor vehicles. There are more deer and cars in the U.S. than ever before, so the situation isn’t as amusing as it might initially seem. Deer cause car crashes that kill about 200 people in the US each year, twice as many as Hurricane Sandy. State Farm Insurance says deer collided with 1.23 million vehicles between July 2011 and June 2012, 7.7 percent more than last year. The company’s claims from deer collisions rose almost 8 percent while those for other collisions fell 8.5 percent.

Autumn Driving is Here!

Fall driving season is here. That means admiring colorful foliage and colliding with frisky deer. The downside: the average car-deer collision auto repair bill is $3,171. On the other hand, you get a heap of fresh venison, for free.

You’re most likely to run into a deer in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. Chances are 1 in 53, much better than the odds at West Virginia casinos. Compare the rates in your state here.

Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-bem

Image (“Vehicular Venison Sausage, after Disney”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Virginia Is For Meat Lovers

Former Virginia hunters just got a postcard from the Commonwealth’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries inviting them back to the woods to kill deer. Deer hunting season opens Saturday, and the Old Dominion’s forests, farmlands, highways, and suburban yards are chock-full of whitetails (Odocoileus virginianus). They’re pesky and hungry, but also tasty.

Attention locavores: the average deer yields 50 pounds of organic, free-range red meat. Vegetarian hunters can donate venison to needy meat-eaters at local food banks.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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