Motorists tally 340+ deer kills in 2005

By ROGER MORRIS Western News Publisher

If there's road rage on Libby area highways, it must involve deer.

In 2005, local drivers had hit more than 340 deer within a 10-mile radius of Libby on U.S. Highway 2, Montana Highway 37, Pipe Creek Road or Farm-to-Market Road, according to local state highway maintenance supervisor Van Swearingen.

The count only involves deer carcasses picked up by the state highway crews, so the count could be considerably higher, Swearingen said.

"I would add another 20 percent for the carcasses we didn't find," he said. "And there are crashes where the deer run off or we just didn't find the carcass."

Typically, the highway crews have picked up 180 to 230 carcasses a year, Swearingen said. The higher number was caused by the winter of heavy snow, 1996-1997.

The months of September and October saw the most deer killed and U.S. 2 south of Libby on the four-lane near R & Y Cabinets is the top place for a motorist to hit a deer. However, Swearingen said Montana 37 north of Libby becomes a great place for motorists to encounter deer as fall gives way to winter.

"That's 340 deer we don't have to worry about," he continued. "But now they're coming out of the hills south of here and staying in the valley bottoms where the highway is."

The New Year has started off on a quick pace, too, with eight carcasses picked up during the first four days of the year, Swearingen said.

Longtime resident Dick Buti, who owns Gene's Body Shop, said if you live in Libby for any length of time, you're going to hit a deer.

"When I moved out of town years ago, I bought a brush guard for the front of my pickup," he said. "I've lived here all my life and had never hit a deer. Since then I've hit three and not one of them hit the brush guard."

Over the years, Buti has kept track of the deer accident business he does estimates on. He said 140 estimates a year is his average. His best year was 163 in 1994. The best months for his business, not for motorists, is September, October and November.

"We usually see an increase in March, that's when it starts to green up and it greens up first along the roadways," he said.

Buti believes the biggest problem is in town.

"We had a pretty good size herd of mule deer living down here near the shop all summer," he said. "With a leash law in town to keep dogs from roaming free, the deer have become just like rabbits."

He said one woman brought her car into the shop after hitting a deer and while sitting where she parked next to the body shop, a couple of deer walked between the building and her car.

"She was furious," he said.

"We've just been inundated with deer hits all summer and fall," he said.

Dennis Quinn, owner of Denny's Body Shop, agreed that 2005 was a good year for the auto body repair business.

"We had a lot of deer last year," Quinn said. "It was a good year for us but bad for everyone else."

And he saw all kinds of hits to vehicles.

"The deer run into all sides of the vehicles we see," he said.

"Deer repairs are pretty simple, the usually don't involve structural damage," he said.

Shane and Sheila Sichting of American Muscle Autoworks said it was a good year, too.

"Fall was really busy and it's still busy," Sheila said.

"It's good; I can't complain," said Shane. "It's been people driving badly and deer hits."

He said his experience shows US 2, Montana 37 and Pipe Creek Road are the areas where people hit the most deer.

"Actually there's a lot more deer running into cars than people hitting deer," Shane said. "Last year was busy, this year is busy and it's good."

On the positive side, Sichting believes that as the Swamp Creek section of Highway 2 is widened, the number of deer kills will drop for that area.

"It will be like out there past Happy's Inn where you can see the sides of the road and less deer and being hit," he said. "Right now deer are popping out of the trees and onto the roadway in places."