BEST route to avoid deer/ellk collisions

Which route would have LESS encounters with deer/elk? (leaving very early in AM,feeding time) Route thru Evergreen to I-70 using CR ?
near Bergen Park OR do Fairplay/South Park over Hossier Pass thru Breck down into !-70? Time is not a factor,but NOT hitting a deer/elk
is paramount for me. THANKS in advance.

:faint:

Deer are deer, they are everywhere, best route,,, ain't one.

What Martin said. They are everywhere. However, I have found travelling routes with slower speed makes a difference in reaction time by others and myself on the same road. So if I have the time I take the leisurely route.

Hi,thanks for the response.....here's how my mind works. I take note of the location of deer/elk/car accidents when reported. It helps
to UNDERSTAND the patterns of the population of deer/elk and what migratory routes are being used. I DO understand they are everywhere,however when you look deeper you can see the habits. I do not know the Evergreen and/or Fairplay pattern,as I do not drive that route consistently. Driving 285/43 I am aware of the patterns.....and am ALWAYS looking ahead/side for movement. Because
I drive at a "sane" speed that habit is engrained within my driving. Accidents DO happen,regardless of how observant you are,I just try to minimize the danger as best as I can. :smiledance:

The main thing when driving in the dark is not to over drive your headlights. Most people drive way too fast and that's why so many of these animals are hit. If you drive up here there will be animals in the road. No avoiding that.

Then forget the CR 73 from Conifer to Evergreen and CR 74 from Evergreen town to I-70 as there are numerous deer and elk all along the way and people stop especially for them. They have right of way it seems. I still like it cuz the speeds are slower. I don't know of any roads that don't have deer/elk crossing as some migration paths just occur along all the mountain roads. And while I might see some more in one area it doesn't mean others won't try a different path, which is obvious when you see the carcasses all along 285.

Hoosier Pass is fine...especially as the speeds up the Fairplay side are supposed to be no more than 50 MPH and on the Breckenridge side are 30 MPH. Haven't seen too many carcasses alongside the road until this past week. All are deer.

285 is scary whenever you drive...however there should be fewer Elk as they are higher up during the hot part of the year...during the winter there are a couple large herds and quite a few collisions.

I just go the speed limit or a little under at night and say a prayer... If someone is with me I put them on "Animal Watch", not just deer but there are a lot of fox in the area, too.

I report all hits on 285 to CDOT for cleanup and done so for years. Once I compiled all the hits to see if there was a pattern to it. Let me see if I can find it

According to DOW the herd on the east side of 285 usually stays in the Richmond Hill/Pleasant Park area during the summer and some do occasionally cross 285. The herd on the west side of 285 generally stay in the Woodside/Deer Creek Valley Ranchos and moves upstream along Deer Creek but are sometimes seen on 285 during the summer. The Deer Creek herd often make a crossing on 285 in the spring/early summer on their trek up Deer Creek. We have family who have lived in these areas for many years and enjoy studying the migration patterns and report to DOW so they get more opportunity to learn and share findings. Just recently we saw a large herd south of Pine Junction near 285.

OK this will sound nuts but I swear, it works. As you are driving, HUNT them. In your mind, think like a predator and hunt them with intent to do harm. I swear, I do this and I never see a single critter of any kind. When I drive looking for them with my set on making friends, or set as if I mean no harm, I see tons of animals of all species. It is as if they 'know'. Try it now, before your trip and see if it works for you. I know it sounds crazy, but....(did you see my other post where I admit to needing help?) rofllol

Good luck to you and may you have a safe and unentful journey.