Here’s Why You’ve Been Seeing So Many Dead Deer on KY Roadsides

I am currently sporting a dent on the left front fender of my car because of a deer encounter. It's not a recent one--it's a 2021 dent--but it could have been. Also, it was a very slow-speed encounter meaning the fender will live and so will my wallet.

But back to that recency issue.

Have you been seeing a lot of dead deer on our Kentucky roadsides of late? I have and not just around here. On a road trip to Paducah this weekend, I lost count of how many I came upon. Interstate highways, two-lane roads, four-lane unlimited highways, you name it. There they were.

Deer and Road Salt

Skunks and coyotes pile up on the shoulders because it's mating season, and they like to wander when they're amorous. For deer, it's because of the salt. I'm guessing all hooved mammals love licking salt; I used to help my cousin take salt licks to the cattle when we'd visit my family out west.

But in the winter, after road crews dump it keep roads from getting slick, it's still there--it is now--and deer love it. Hence the number of dead deer on the sides of roads. And sometimes, the salt doesn't even have to be on the road.

Road salt is a pain in the butt in this context because a lot of just doesn't go away very easily; we still have it on our sidewalk from when it was put down nearly a month ago. That means it's up to us to keep an eye out for wandering, salt-loving deer. Be safe.