Crossing under highways via water?

[cougar]

I hunt a lot of public that has a 6 lane highway bordering or running through it. Seeing many deer use it as a barrier for bedding against, which I learned here My summer scouting has hinted that the deer are using small to medium sized streams (5 to 20 foot wide, 3 to 8 foot deep) to cross UNDER the highway. Has anyone else seen this phenomenon ? Hunted it?

[Hawthorne]

I've seen evidence of it but havnt actually seen deer go under them. I saw a trail cam pic about 10 years ago someone had of a booner in the metro Detroit area going under a highway like your talking. It was right in a heavily populated area

[Killemquietly]

Never physically seen the deer but I've seen the sign that they do it. Actual tracks. It makes perfect sense, the spot I'm talking about by me, they can't even be seen by traffic where they cross, and they can do it during the day when traffic is heavy.

[Dewey]

Sounds like a perfect pinch point funnel to me. I have seen this before as well.

[Stanley]

Yes I have seen this also. The biggest buck I have seen in the last 10 years was just 20 yards off the side of a 4 lane interstate bedded down. I about flipped when I zoomed past him. I wanted to turn around for another look but there was no exit for 30 miles.

[Rich M]

There was a place we used to hunt in CT where about a 6 or 8 ft ROUND CULVERT went under a major highway. There were routinely deer tracks heading INTO the CULVERT!!!

Amazing how smart they are.

[Scratchman]

There was a place we used to hunt in CT where about a 6 or 8 ft ROUND CULVERT went under a major highway. There were routinely deer tracks heading INTO the CULVERT!!!

Amazing how smart they are.

I have wondered about the round culverts. I wonder how far they will travel through one. I have a few 200-500 feet long that I have been checking out for access.

[CHALK_1]

Yes I have seen this also. The biggest buck I have seen in the last 10 years was just 20 yards off the side of a 4 lane interstate bedded down. I about flipped when I zoomed past him. I wanted to turn around for another look but there was no exit for 30 miles.

This is great…. I was just wondering about this yesterday, I picked up permission on a 25 acre piece with about a 1/2 acre cattail marsh up against a parkway. I haven’t scouted it yet, but I can see a couple faint trails coming out on google earth

[wickedbruiser]

The biggest set of tracks I laid eyes on crossed under a highway over pass along a big creek. I hear it over and over big bucks being taken near highways. There is just less pressure

[PK_]

This is one of those overlooked terrain features but there aren't generally a lot of them so I would

[woodswalker]

Some areas of the country place tunnels under major highways specifically to allow wildlife to travel back and forth from one side to another to reduce highway kills and vehicle and people damage and the wildlife use it. I routinely saw deer swim from shore to islands on the Susquehanna river and back so if they aren't afraid of a river there is no reason they would be afraid of a stream going through a culvert. If I had a spot like that, I would hunt it.

[Boogieman1]

Some areas of the country place tunnels under major highways specifically to allow wildlife to travel back and forth from one side to another to reduce highway kills and vehicle and people damage and the wildlife use it. I routinely saw deer swim from shore to islands on the Susquehanna river and back so if they aren't afraid of a river there is no reason they would be afraid of a stream going through a culvert. If I had a spot like that, I would hunt it.

I see those here, but I thought the were for the illegal aliens to safely cross

[woodswalker]

Yeah but you are allowed to set snares for them.

[Scratchman]

I have found a great way to put culverts into the bag of tricks. Culverts are very important features when it comes to emergency management during a flooding event. As such, if you can locate your states 911 GIS system, you can select a culvert and bridge layer.......I found many more than I thought had existed. I feel like they can have a wardrobe effect (lion the witch and.....) you can go from a benign roadside through a tunnel and end up in the Narnia of deer bedding...I have an interstate near by and the edge bedding effect is predictable.

[Scratchman]

Some areas of the country place tunnels under major highways specifically to allow wildlife to travel back and forth from one side to another to reduce highway kills and vehicle and people damage and the wildlife use it. I routinely saw deer swim from shore to islands on the Susquehanna river and back so if they aren't afraid of a river there is no reason they would be afraid of a stream going through a culvert. If I had a spot like that, I would hunt it.

I see those here, but I thought the were for the illegal aliens to safely cross

That too.....