State streamlines roadkill-reporting process
STEVENS POINT – Motorists who kill deer in auto crashes no longer need to contact local police to get a permit allowing them to keep the game meat.
A new state Department of Natural Resources call center can issue permits at any time of day or night. Previously, a motorist who wanted to keep a roadkill carcass had to contact local police who then had to send an officer who would issue a permit before the animal could be removed from the site.
The law changed to save both drivers and officers time after crashes — particularly important when officers may be busy with emergencies, Portage County Sheriff Mike Lukas said.
And there are a lot of crashes in Wisconsin — about 26,000 deer are killed by vehicles every year, according to the DNR.
Drivers still have to contact police after crashes that result in $1,000 or more of damage to a vehicle, Lukas said. Officers who respond to those accidents will issue car-killed deer tags, according to the DNR. The system eliminates the need for an officer to respond for the sole purpose of providing a tag.
Drivers who need tags for turkey or bear should still call local police.
The new call line will be staffed daily between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Outside those hours, motorists can call and leave a voicemail message that includes their name, phone number, county in which the carcass is located and the location of the crash using the nearest intersection or mile marker. The motorist can then take the carcass.
Tags must be issued within 24 hours of taking the deer to comply with the law.
The DNR will issue the tags through a computer-generated system and mail or email them to customers.
Sari Lesk can be reached at 715-345-2257 and slesk@stevenspointjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter as @Sari_Lesk.
How to report a car-killed deer
Call the DNR hotline at 608-267-7691 to get a tag for car-killed deer. The line is staffed between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Calls received after hours will be routed to a voicemail. Motorists then can leave the following and take the deer:
•Name, last name spelled out
• Phone number
• County in which the deer carcass is located
• Location of the carcass based on the nearest intersection or mile marker.
Car kill numbers
In 2011, the most recent data available, 26,114 deer were killed by cars and removed from roads, according to the state. That included:.
• 610 in Marathon County
• 364 in Portage County
• 507 in Wood County