Missouri Deer Collision Bill Will Cost Sportsmen

[vermonster13]

April 7, 2008 (Missouri)

A bill recently introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives will end up costing the sportsmen of the state and could set a negative precedent on who is responsible for any kinds of damage caused by wildlife.

House Bill 2498 requires the Missouri Department of Conservation to pay to the owner of a motor vehicle the first $250 of any damage caused to a vehicle that collides with a deer.

Outdoorsmen must rally against the bill, as wildlife is the responsibility of all people of the state.  Money to cover the damages of deer/vehicle collisions should not be taken from the funds provided to the Missouri Department of Conservation by the licensing fees of sportsmen.  Those fees must continue to be used for scientific conservation of the wildlife of the state.

As written, HB 2498 states that vehicle owners must provide “clear and convincing evidence” that the damage was caused by a collision with a deer and that the owner was legally operating the vehicle at the time of the accident.  The provisions of the bill say there must have been contact with a deer and do not cover damaged caused to a vehicle due to avoiding a deer.

The bill was introduced on Friday, March 28 by Representative John Quinn (R-Chillicothe) and was co-sponsored by Representatives David Pearce (R-Warrensburg), Therese Sander (R-Moberly), Steve Hunter (R-Joplin) and Brian Munzlinger (R-Williamstown).

Take Action! Missouri sportsmen should contact their state representatives and ask them to oppose HB 2498.   To contact your representative, call (573) 751-3659 or use the Legislative Action Center at  www.ussportsmen.org.

[gwm]

I just can't believe this is serious! How did such thinking make it this far?

[Ray Hammond]

Its easy, showme...look to your public schools..the dumbing down of America has happened on our watch.

Public education's new role is to simply create a legion of mindless robots capable of changing sheets in hotel rooms, cooking burgers at Mcdonalds, and taking care of the children of the wealthy politicians, and perhaps, if you are lucky, still working in one of the few manufacturing facilities that hasnt moved overseas.

Independent thinking, personal responsibility, and LOGIC are not required for those kinds of jobs.

The representatives listed should be ridden out of town on a rail.

On the other hand, our responsibilities as hunters requires us to take on the new role of being good stewards, limiting the numbers of deer - whitetails are prolific breeders, and have successfully evolved to live in suburbia. AFter all, the game departments did what we asked- give us deer to hunt...lots of deer. And they did.

We are going to have to start taking does, and hunting in urban/suburban areas to keep the animals at social carrying capacity or you will see more of this lunacy.

[Onestringer]

I want to thank Vermonster for the heads up.  I will be contacting my representative tomorrow.  I can't believe this, it makes no sense.  There is no one to blame for deer car collissions.  If anything, a deer that is hit on a public highway that is surrounded by farm land that is posted and the nice farmer will not let good sportsman on to their property why should the DNR be blamed.  Or even better why not let that nice farmer use some of his fat hunting lease money to pay the first $250.   This is just nuts, next thing we know someone will be sueing McDonalds because they are fat, oh wait someone already that.

[pdk25]

Scary.  I guess a good solution would be to kill all of the deer in the state so that there would be no risk at all.

[vermonster13]

I believe the underlying thought is this would force MDoC to raise license prices so exorbitantly that it would force a lot/most of folks out of hunting(if passed). Bet the insurance industry would love it also for other reasons.

[Mudd]

It's just plain ignorant and that's what I told Representative Robb. I hope everyone from Missouri will take time to call in. If we make a show of our opposition, it might fail. Then again it might not knowing some of the stupid stuff that gets passed. It not only happens at the state level but federal as well.
Anyway, they know how I feel about it and they know I vote.
God bless,Mudd

[flatlander37]

Thanks alot, Dave, for the heads up.  I'll be calling also.  Mark

[TRAP]

pdk25, unfortunaltey, the white-tailed deer is thought of as vermin by a percentage of our population.  Pretty sad, but true.

I'm not sure where bills like this are generated. My guess is they are generated by someone or group of someones lobbying the legislature on behalf of the auto-insurance industry.  

This has been kicked around for many years in Missouri and I'm sure in other states as well.  

93% of Missouri land is privately owned and the wildlife of the state are shared by all citizens of the state.  I find it ironic that when deer cause damage to a vehicle there are those that want the state to pay $250.00 (essentially the auto-insurance decuctable), but if state government were to tell landowners who could or couldnt hunt deer on their property there would be revolution.

My point is, while the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) manages deer for MO citizens by setting limits and seasons, they don't own the deer, and shouldnt be held reponsible for the damage deer cause.  Landowners, citizens and hunters alike are responsible for controlling Missouri's deer herd within the parameters set up by the MDC.  If those parameters need to be changed, then by all means, get involved in deer managemnent and change things.  Deer are not like cows that get out of a pasture and stand in the road and total vehicles. Cows are "owned" deer are not.  I for one don't want to hunt "owned" deer.  Just doesnt set right with me.

Deer regulations are about as liberal In Missouri as you could possibly make them without allowing them to be shot at will.  

Much private land in Missouri is off limits to any form of trespass and permission to hunt is getting harder and harder every year.  That's fine, I agree wholeheartedly with Private Property rights.  

But,

if you own 1000 acres of land and allow 2 hunters to gun hunt for one weekend out of the year (pretty typical) and your two hunters kill two nice bucks and dont do their share by killing some does along the way because they are either too lazy or their heads dont look good on the wall, then dont expect the MDC to pay you $250.00 when your teenage daughter leaves your house at 7:00 PM to go visit friends and smacks a big fat doe on the blacktop road that runs in front of your farm. Give me a break.

Sorry for the tangent but the Bill is ludicrous and I will  be calling my representative to let them know just how I feel about the possibility of spending tax dollars in such a manner.

Trap

[gwm]

Being born and raised in MO I just can't believe my home state would be so regressive. It literally makes me sick.

Thanks for putting it on my radar. I need to make sure everyone at home is aware of this.

[Bonebuster]

In Michigan, a major factor in the high number of deer car collisions is simply stupidity.

More traffic, more speed, and less brains.

If you drive 65 or 70 mph on two lane roads after dark, or the fringes of daylight and dark, you ARE going to hit a deer. It`s not an if, it`s a WHEN. Simply slowing to the legal speed limit will reduce your chances greatly.

Our DNR set out over a decade ago to seriously reduce deer numbers, and did just that. Lower deer numbers did reduce the numbers of deer hit by cars, but it was not in line with the reduction of the deer herd. Deer were and are still being hit in record numbers.

I have NEVER hit a deer. I have had one run into the side of my vehicle, back when I was in high school.(1983) Many of the people who hit deer, do it several times a year. When someone hits several deer in a year or two, it`s not just bad luck. It`s a problematic style of driving. Too much speed, and too little brains. They are the same ones passing when they shouldn`t. Driving too fast on slippery roads...ect.

Our lawmakers in this country need to be held accountable. Not the DNR. Record keeping on who hits deer and when would be a good start. If someone hits several deer in a short period of time it should reflect on their insurance record, not yours or mine. And believe me, if you think you do not pay for the poor driving record of others, think again.

Hitting a deer can happen to anyone, at any time. But there is alot that can be done to prevent it.

Representitive John Quinn, and everyone who co-sponsored bill HB2498 should hear from every sportsman, and non sportsman in Missouri.

[ckruse]

I agree that this is ridiculous, and will be contacting my Rep. today. This also turns into an investigative nightmare for law enforcement when some idiot runs his car into something then wants to claim "I hit a deer". Missouri State Highway Patrol has for the most part stopped responding to car/deer collisions unless there is injury or an extreme amount of property damage. This just creates unnecessary work and load on the system. CKruse

[TRAP]

Exactly Cam, This would be an investigative nightmare.  Let's take it to the next level and try to determine whether or not a driver was negligent when he/she hit the deer.  

If you're going to grant ownership of deer to the Conservation Department, how about when negligence on the driver's behalf is determined the MDC charge people that hit does with their automobiles $250.00 and they can charge more for antlered bucks, expecially those with good genetics.  MDC could charge $2000.00+ for 150 inch deer if it was dtermined a driver exceeded the speed limit or something.

This is just a plea for another Government handout and an effort to avoid ressponsibility,

Trap

[ckruse]

Here's another great idea: I'm barreling through the corners of SW Missouri in my RX-7 and hit a big old raccon that's crossing the road. It literally busts the living $h*t out of my nifty ground effects. If the State pays $250.00 on a deer, they should pay $100.00 on this 30# boar coon! I would say at least $150.00 for a large coyote!

I can make up stupid assenine scenarios all day long. I just don't get paid to do it like the above legislators. I spoke with my State Rep. this morning and he assured me this was going nowhere. CKruse

[nd chickenman]

reeks of something that the insurance companies would lobby for.

[ChuckC]

Get a law passed that if you hit one of the Department's deer with a motor vehicle, you will be charged 500 dollars for the cost of the deer, payable to the Department.
ChuckC