I just got back from an Illinois bow hunt on a friend's family land. On the way home, I noticed something - coming thru Illinois and Kentucky, we probably saw 100 dead deer on the side of the road, then on into Tennessee and Georgia we continued to see probably 40-50 more. Once into Alabama didn't see a single one.

I also notice since this season I will have hunted in Illinois, Georgia and Alabama - I see a whole bunch of deer in Illinois and Georgia during most hunts...not so much in Alabama.

What do you think is the reasoning for this? Is it deer density? Deer population? Deer activity caused by normal rutting patterns vs alabamas rut? The areas I was driving thru and hunt in?

On a side note, didn't get anything in IL, but had a great time, saw a bunch of deer including some big ones, just couldn't get one to come into bow range. Hunting up there is a whole different world!!

Just less deer here than there.

Alabama deer know better than to step in front of cars. Bet there are bunch of dead ones down in Auburn though.

We killed too many does, coyotes ate a lot of the rest of them and there are about 193 deer remaining in Alabama.

There was a thread about this a few weeks back. I think the consensus was higher deer density elsewhere coupled with the rut starting in other areas.

Hmmmmm, I travel through Florida and Georgia at night to get to Alabama to hunt. I have never seen a deer in FL or GA on these trips but once I'm in AL I see deer all over the place.

They are all down hwy 20, going into and out of GA

On a side note, 231 into Huntsville, from New Hope through Owens Cross Roads, I saw dead deer all the time.

The natural browse is dead up north, so deer have to move/travel more and also will feed along the roadsides more. As you move south, there is more and more natural browse remaining in the woods, so there is less and less need to travel over or near roads, resulting in fewer fatalities for the deer since there is less contact.

Exactly

I drove home from Tuscaloosa Saturday night after the game I saw a total of two deer both were in Mississippi on hwy 45, but I can not say I minded...Ihate hitting them with my vehicle.

Tell me how a deer can be so elusive during the day but step right out in front of a dang car with headlights and a horn blowing in he middle of the night!!!!!

They're bedded down and asleep during the day... Up and moving at night...

That might have something to do with it, but I've noticed their persimmons are just now falling this time of the year, and there are still plenty of acorns on the ground.

I think its more likely they are in a pre-rut pattern and are moving more. I noticed it every time I drove to Illinois also, and it seems to be the worse two weeks before the Illinois rut....

I've been going to IL and IA since 1995 and the road kills in KY have always been that way. For fun every year I start counting them while going through KY.

that's why Ron White doesn't hunt them

I don't know about the side of the road but I see dead deer when I sleep.

All those states you mentioned have a mid November rut or earlier. Yes, even GA.

Vehicle collisions get bad this time of year.

Your deer sightings would be more of a local situation I would think. The one place I hunt in AL I've averaged 7 deer per sit the last two years in limited hunts.

It's evolution! If a deer in Alabama gets near a busy road, it's removed from the gene pool quickly! In certain counties, deer have evolved that cover their eyes when someone shines a bright light across the field they're in!!! They automatically bolt at the sound on a window being rolled down!

That count includes at least 10 button bucks that I will kill for does as soon as they show at my cornpile.

While I can understand what you're saying to a degree, the natural browse was not dead where I was and where I was driving. Seen plenty of honeysuckle and brier. Acorns were everywhere you looked. Not to mention there were plenty of standing beans and corn, as well as cut beans and corn everywhere you looked. A deer could have lived in a 500 square yard area and never have to move at all or go anywhere near a road.

I made the same drive Saturday night and saw over 12 deer on 45 and all were in Alabama from state line to deer park. Weird how both of us traveled the same stretch at the same time and had two completely different outcomes.