County Left Rattled After 100 Dead Deer Discovered Along Train Tracks
Okay… what happened here?
This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Christine Sellers
Dozens of dead deer have recently popped up along the train tracks in Kittson County, Minnesota, rattling local residents.
Around 100 white-tailed deer were found dead following an accidental corn spill that occurred from Thief Falls to the Canadian border, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said, according to WDAY News. While these accidents are common, the DNR said, the corn spills can draw deer to the tracks, prompting them to try to “outrun” the train, rather than jump into the snow along the railway, the outlet reported.
Deer farmer and former Kittson County Sheriff Steve Porter shared a video to the Steve Porters Trophy Whitetail Facebook page showing multiple deer congregating near the train tracks.
“I just had a guy from Holt send me this video….looks like corn is spread all over the railroad tracks there as well. What is going on?,” Porter wrote.
Porter told the outlet he’s been getting calls for weeks about the situation.
“One guy called me and said there are three dead deer along the tracks,” he said.
“And then I started hearing more and more reports of more deer getting hit by the train, more than usual,” he noted.
Deer can be hit by trains, but they “aren’t typically fed on the railroad tracks at the hardest time of year when they are starving,” Porter told WDAY News.
Not much can be done to prevent the deer dying, which is “kind of a shame,” he explained.
“People are interested in white-tailed deer, they love them right, they love their white-tailed deer, they like feeding them, they enjoy it, they plant food plots, they’re watching deer, it’s kind of a shame.”
The Minnesota DNR told WDAY News that the number of injured deer it has put down due to incidents near the train tracks is in the teens. The DNR also has not seen any more dead deer this winter in comparison to previous years, meaning the situation isn’t unique.
The Minnesota DNR calculates its winter severity index (WSI) from Nov. 1 to May 31 with values of 50 or lower considered mild, 51 to 119 considered moderate, and 120 or higher considered severe. Factors that influence deer survival include snow depth above 15 inches, sex and age composition of the deer herd, and high deer densities and food competition.
A spokesperson for the Minnesota DNR said they are “aware of the reported situation along the train tracks in Kittson County” in an email to the Daily Caller.
“Often this type of event occurs when grains, like corn, soybeans or wheat, fall from moving rail cars. Because food is scarcer in the winter, the fallen grains then attract whitetail deer and other wildlife who seek easy access to food sources in the colder weather.”
“Unfortunately, when this happens wildlife are occupying the tracks when another train comes through. The deer often respond by trying to outrun the train rather than move out of the path, especially if the snow is deep beside the train tracks. Regrettably, this can result in deer being injured or killed,” the same spokesperson said.
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