Slow Down, Watch Out: Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions Peak Each November

posted in: General

November 12, 2026

Changing seasons mean more accidents on the roads

This is the time of the year when deer, elk, moose, or pronghorn country requires extra careful driving. Late fall brings elevated risks to both big game and drivers for two reasons: animal migration and daylight-savings time.

Two big reasons why wildlife collisions spike in the fall

The end of daylight-saving time in western states — minus Arizona — means it gets dark earlier. Drivers are ending the workday in the dark, running end-of-day errands in the dark, and driving more when road visibility conditions are worse. As hunters know, animals most often move under the cover of night. Compounding this confluence of issues is that late autumn is when big game like deer, elk, and pronghorn move from high elevation summer range down to lower elevation winter range as temperatures drop and the availability of food, water, and cover changes. While moose don’t migrate quite the same way as these other big game animals, many will move shorter distances in the winter, and often into urban areas.

Western states have consistent problems with wildlife collisions

Unfortunately for both wildlife and people, lower elevation meadows and valleys tend to be good places to build roads, rail lines, and houses. They are also good places for migratory wildlife to overwinter, which leads to collisions.

Colorado data shows wildlife-vehicle collisions consistently and significantly rise each fall, with November being the worst month for collisions in Colorado every year since 2010 (the extent of the data available on Colorado DOT’s website).

In Wyoming, collisions increase notably from June through November, with November also being the month with the most wildlife-involved crashes. Additionally, 56 percent of Wyoming’s wildlife-involved collisions from 2021 through 2025 occurred in dark and unlighted conditions, with peak wildlife-vehicle collision times occurring from 5 PM to 11 PM and 5 AM to 8 AM.

Similar patterns occur in Montana, which has one of the nation’s highest rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions. As in Colorado and Wyoming, fall migration and breeding activity increase wildlife movements across roadways, contributing to an average of 3,200 reported wildlife-vehicle crashes and more than 6,000 roadside carcasses collected in the state annually. In some key migration corridors, such as the Paradise Valley along U.S. Highway 89, wildlife account for 50% of all reported crashes.

Roadside carcass data confirm that wildlife-vehicle collisions are underreported, so it’s necessary to combine data sources to better estimate wildlife-vehicle collision numbers. Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife and DOT estimate that more than 6,000 deer and elk are hit and killed on Oregon’s public roads and highways annually. Similarly, over 7,700 animals were killed on Colorado roads by drivers in 2025 with over 4,700 of those being deer, the big game animal most frequently hit and killed across the country. Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates that more than 800 vehicle accidents involving moose occur annually across Alaska, while Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has historically estimated roughly 765 animal-vehicle collisions per year, with about 85% involving moose.

Figure 1: Colorado Department of Transportation data on Wild Animal Crashes (reported) by Year and by Month, showing the consistent uptick in collisions each fall.

Figure 2: Aggregated Wyoming wildlife-involved collision data from 2017-2021 show a particularly high wildlife-vehicle collision rate in November, and that while deer is the large animal most likely to be hit by motor vehicles, like in most other states, pronghorn account for over 8% of all wildlife-involved crashes in Wyoming. Adapted from the Wyoming Department of Transportation Highway Safety Report, Wildlife-Involved Crashes, September- October 2026, accessed from

Figure 3: Side-by-side maps showing the Colorado highway segments with the highest (top 5%) wildlife-vehicle collision rates on the Western slope (left side map image), and the Eastern Slope & Plains (right side map image), accessed here.

Figure 4: This U.S. map shows animal collision likelihood by state, based on data obtained and analyzed by State Farm from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. State Farm map image accessed here.

How can sportsmen and sportswomen help reduce wildlife and vehicle collisions?

Increasing motorist safety by reducing the risks of wildlife-vehicle collisions is paramount, as these collisions add up in impacts to families and communities, property damage, and harm to wildlife herds.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration estimates there are 1 to 2 million collisions annually between vehicles and large animals, resulting in 200 fatalities, 26,000 injuries, and more than $8 billion in property damage per year nationwide. Over the last 15 years, wildlife-vehicle collisions have sadly resulted in an average of over three human fatalities and 340 human injuries per year in Colorado. In Alaska, about 11 of its approximately 800 wildlife-vehicle collisions result in serious injury or death to a motorist each year. In Idaho, wildlife-vehicle collisions resulted in one human fatality and an estimated 1,382 property damage claims in 2023 alone, but on average, between one and four human fatalities and 1,010 collisions occur annually.

While careful and alert driving can help reduce the chances of these scary and dangerous collisions, proven infrastructure improvements can radically reduce the number of collisions on dangerous sections of road.

The TRCP continues to support funding and policies that conserve wildlife corridors, including wildlife crossing infrastructure development in wildlife-vehicle collision hot spots and areas where fish and wildlife have been cut off from their historical ranges. In many places, adding overpasses, underpasses, and fencing can help ensure that wildlife can move between seasonal habitats and necessary resources without compromising motorists’ safety. In 2021, TRCP and partners successfully established a new wildlife crossings pilot program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicating $350 million over a five-year period for the construction of new wildlife-friendly overpasses and underpasses. This bill meant that for the first time ever, programmatic federal investment directly supported the work of state wildlife and transportation agencies working on this issue. TRCP is also excited that the pilot project and funding was included in the latest version of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill that Congress is currently working to pass.

Continued investment in big game data acquisition and analysis, and habitat stewardship work by both state and federal agencies has produced the kind of baseline information that informs conservation and infrastructure decisions where important big game habitat and migration corridors are at stake. Since 2018 when Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed Secretarial Order 3362, the Bureau of Land Management has contributed $10 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund, which in turn has leveraged more than $70 million in matching contributions. These funds have contributed to improved big game migration data, which continues to inform habitat conservation, restoration, and wildlife crossing infrastructure decisions.

Together, we will continue doing our part to make our roads safer for you, for our friends and families, and for big game herds across the country.

Learn more about TRCP’s work on migration corridors here.

Read more about Secretarial Order 3362 and how bipartisan support has built big game migration corridors here.

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The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: Alex Aguirre

posted in: General

November 10, 2026

Hunting, Mule Deer, and Forest Management in the Bridger-Teton National Forest: An Interview with Braden Tethal

Braden Tethal grew up in Wyoming and currently resides in Pinedale. He loves chasing big mule deer and spends all year watching them and learning their patterns. This interview is part of a series on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, which is currently revising its Forest Plan. Hunters and anglers like Braden Tethal are speaking up for the forest’s incredible hunting and fishing opportunities today.

TRCP: Braden, what first drew you to hunt in the Bridger-Teton National Forest? What first drew you there?

Braden Tethal: I grew up there. I’ve been in the Bridger-Teton for as long as I can remember. It really is my second home—especially those core areas that my dad returned to year after year. I’ve watched the same trees grow (and fall) since I was in kindergarten. I’m from the far southwest corner of Wyoming, and my dad started hunting in the forest way before my time. I was on the back of a horse up there when I was five years old. I owe my dad a lot for getting me into it and making sure I was involved. I was a part of moose, elk, and deer hunts up there. My dad is more of an elk guy, so I didn’t really get into the deer world through him—that became more of my own thing—but a lot of the knowledge I gained came from those early years in the forest chasing elk.

TRCP: Are there any moments that stand out the most—your most memorable hunting experience in the forest?

Braden Tethal: If I had to narrow it down, it’s being able to come back year after year and build on what you’ve learned. Going back to the same places and compounding that knowledge is huge. You learn how animals behave in different seasons, how pressure changes things, and how the landscape shifts over time.

Braden Tethal with family in the BTNF after a successful elk hunt. Photo courtesy of Braden Tethal.

One of the earliest hunts I can remember was an elk hunt with my dad. We were riding horses in, and there was a herd of elk on the side of the hill. My dad was the kind of hunter who would take the cow if that was the shot, but I was sitting there as a seven-year-old staring at this beautiful six-point bull up on the skyline. I was yelling at my dad to come back and shoot him. Then I saw a cow rolling down the hill, and right after that the bull stepped out of the trees where he could see it. That image of a classic 6×6 bull sky lined 250 yards away is forever ingrained in my mind, and from then on, my goal was always to get one of those myself. Once I got my first six-point bull on public land in the forest, my gears really shifted, and I went all in on muleys.

TRCP: Why do the mule deer herds in this area matter to you personally?

Braden Tethal: They mean a lot to me. Growing up where I did, I was used to seeing big deer, and when I was younger, I think I almost took that for granted. Elk felt more novel to me at the time because deer were everywhere. Over the years, though, I’ve watched the ebbs and flows in those herds. I remember the winter of 2016-17 and seeing how hard that was. I found my first shed antler when I was four years old, practically right out my back door and boy did that light a fire that’s still burning today.

More recently, being involved with conservation groups has made me think more deeply about development and how it affects migration and habitat. Even where I grew up, we don’t see the same things we used to because pinch points have been cut off; winters have taken a toll, and pressure has changed where those deer go. A lot of deer I used to see now move into neighboring states because of development and pressure. To me, mule deer are the icon of the West. They represent resilience, migration, public lands, and open corridors. When you support mule deer, you’re really supporting an entire functioning ecosystem.

TRCP: What challenges have you seen in these herds, and how have they impacted your hunts?

Braden Tethal: Development is a big one. There are places that used to feel wild that now have private development, houses, and infrastructure where it never used to exist. In some areas, you can be on public land and almost feel like you’re trespassing because there are so many cameras, buildings, or signs of private encroachment nearby. Around places like Pinedale, you can literally see tens of thousands of deer migrating through neighborhoods, and that never used to be the case. Some winter range is overgrazed, and some migration bottlenecks have become much more fragile because of development.

To me, mule deer are the icon of the West. They represent resilience, migration, public lands, and open corridors. When you support mule deer, you’re really supporting an entire functioning ecosystem.
Braden Tethal

TRCP: With the Bridger-Teton forest plan helping guide the future of the forest, what changes—or what things staying the same—would help support healthier mule deer herds?

Braden Tethal: One of the big things is prioritizing responsible, motorized vehicle use. I’ve been up there and had side-by-sides and other machines blow right by me on closed roads or in places they shouldn’t be. I’ve got a side-by-side too, and I enjoy it as much as the next guy, but it must be done responsibly. I don’t think we need roads everywhere. Part of what makes those places special is being able to go somewhere and not hear motors. People value dark skies and quiet spaces, and that matters.

Braden with a sturdy mule deer buck in the BTNF. Photo courtesy of Braden Tethal.

Habitat work also matters—a lot. Shrub growth, aspen regeneration, and healthy understory are critical for deer. I went to school in Montana, so I got to see a lot of forest management there, and in some places the forest was so dense you could barely move through it. In contrast, where you have good understory growth and woody browse, deer have what they need to stay healthy. And more broadly, with all the growth in outdoor recreation in western Wyoming over the last decade, we need people to recreate responsibly. That applies to hunters, hikers, snowmobilers—everyone. If people care about these places, they need to take care of them.

TRCP: Do you have anything else you want to share about the Bridger-Teton forest, or what hunting and fishing there mean to you?

Braden Tethal: I’ve done everything from hunting, snowmobiling, fishing horseback riding and riding my side by side there in the summer, and I have a lot of good memories tied to that place. I have no plans to leave. I’ve had opportunities to leave Wyoming for different career choices, but I’ve deliberately stayed because I love the mule deer, the outdoors, and the public land. Having public land right out my back door is how I grew up, and I feel like that shaped me in an important way.

Ensuring the updated Bridger Teton Forest Plan reflects the priorities of sportsmen and women will be a team effort, and we want to know what matters most to you. Please take five minutes to add your voice to TRCP’s SURVEY and help inform our work to advocate on behalf of hunters and anglers throughout the revision process.

Take the Survey

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: General

November 2, 2026

Mark Rehbein joins the TRCP as Vice President of Development

Rehbein is a conservation fundraiser with more than a decade of experience building philanthropic support for fish and wildlife habitat.

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) is pleased to announce the hiring of Mark Rehbein as Vice President of Development, bringing more than a decade of conservation fundraising and nonprofit leadership experience to the organization. As the nation’s most impactful conservation coalition, TRCP will draw on his expertise to expand philanthropic support and build lasting relationships with the donors and partners who make its work on behalf of hunters and anglers possible.

Prior to joining TRCP, Rehbein spent more than 12 years at Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, where he served as director of development and helped drive the organization’s growth. During his tenure, he expanded fundraising programs and cultivated partnerships that supported fisheries research, habitat conservation and advocacy throughout the southeastern United States, the Bahamas, Belize and Mexico.

A lifelong outdoorsman, Rehbein caught his first fish at age 3 and developed an early love of fishing that eventually grew to include hunting. His early professional experiences took him from Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula to Capitol Hill before his passion for the outdoors ultimately led him to a career in conservation.

“Mark understands that every conservation success for hunters and anglers starts with people who believe in the work enough to invest in it,” said Liz Ogilvie, TRCP’s chief communications and operations officer. “He has spent his career turning a shared love of hunting and fishing into real gains for fish, wildlife, habitat, and access, and he knows firsthand what it takes to carry our sporting traditions forward. As TRCP heads into its 25th anniversary year, Mark will help us build lasting support for the next generation of hunters and anglers.”

Rehbein graduated from Elon University and later earned an MBA from Florida International University. He lives in South Florida with his wife and son and enjoys hunting, fishing and exploring public lands and waters with family and friends.

With this addition, TRCP is well positioned to grow the support needed to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish.

Learn more about TRCP’s leadership HERE. 

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: General

October 27, 2026

TRCP’s Melanie Thornton Brings Western Water to The MeatEater Podcast

TRCP’s senior director of western water joins Steven Rinella to break down the Colorado River and Rio Grande for hunters and anglers and make the case for keeping fish and wildlife in the conversation

Every cutthroat trout in a headwater creek, every mallard working a backwater marsh and every elk herd watering in a desert canyon depends on the same thing: water in the river. Few people understand that connection better than Dr. Melanie Thornton.

Thornton, TRCP’s senior director of western water, joined Steven Rinella on episode 951 of The MeatEater Podcast. By Rinella’s count, she’s the first hydrologist ever to sit on the show’s couch. She walked listeners through how the Colorado River and Rio Grande are managed, why there is less water to go around and which solutions are already working.

Thornton brought a scientist’s training and deep experience in federal water policy to the table. After earning her Ph.D., she spent seven years as senior professional staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. In that role she worked on Colorado River and Rio Grande management and helped secure more than $15 billion for drought resilience, ecosystem restoration and water infrastructure across the West. On the podcast, she turns that expertise into terms anyone who has watched a favorite trout stream run low can understand.

Her central point goes to the heart of TRCP’s mission to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish: “Fish and wildlife don’t have a seat at the table unless somebody brings them there.” TRCP brings hunters and anglers to that table. It works with states, Tribes, farmers, ranchers and conservation partners on solutions that work for everyone, from voluntary conservation and modernized irrigation to restoration projects that keep water on the landscape for fish and wildlife.

Thornton also offered a lesson any hunter or angler will recognize. You don’t wait for an elk herd to crash before you act. You watch the trends and plan ahead. Water deserves the same approach.

Hunters and anglers can start by learning where their water comes from, and this episode is a good place to begin.

Watch “Water Use And Law in the American West” on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

by: Thomas Plank

posted in: General

October 26, 2026

What Is an Access Easement? A Guide for Hunters and Anglers

Although access easements are a well-established tool, valuation and compensation barriers limit their use in unlocking inaccessible public lands at scale

There are over 16 million acres of “landlocked” public lands in the United States. For the purposes of access, “landlocked” public lands are parcels that lack permanent legal public access and cannot be reached without crossing private property. These inaccessible parcels are blocked from public access due to quirks in their history that resulted in checkerboarding and disjointed ownership patterns, and while legally accessible, millions of additional acres have significantly restricted access.

For hunters and anglers, a loss of access is commonly cited as a top reason people stop hunting and fishing. Beyond recreation, access to public lands supports stewardship, restoration efforts, wildfire response, and the effective management and enjoyment of lands already owned by the American people. The United States has an unparalleled history of public access and public lands, but each year more competing demands are placed on these special places. Access easements and other access-opening efforts, like the MAPLand Act’s requirements for federal land management agencies to digitize their paper maps and records, expand the sphere of public lands readily available to hunters and anglers.

With all that in mind, let’s dig into what access easements are and why they matter to hunters and anglers.

A sign beside a trail. Photo credit: James Wicks

What is an access easement?

An access easement is a legal right, purchased by a federal agency or another entity, that allows the public to cross private property via a defined route — most commonly by road or trail — to reach public land.

How do access easements work?

Access easements are a type of right-of-way, the same legal tool commonly used for utility lines, pipelines, and private roads. For hunters and anglers, access easements allow public access to public land parcels across private property, which makes them particularly important for hunting and fishing because they offer opportunities to unlock inaccessible public lands. Access easements are tailored to their intended purpose. Some allow only foot or horseback travel, while others permit full-size vehicle access.

What’s in it for landowners?

Landowners are often, though not always, compensated for the access they voluntarily grant. That can include money, management assistance from the easement holder, potential tax benefits in limited circumstances, and/or other fiscal compensation associated with granting an access easement. Historically, however, compensation has not always reflected the full value of the easement being conveyed, or burdens assumed by the landowner, which can discourage participation. At the same time, some landowners are motivated by considerations beyond financial compensation. For some landowners, particularly those with a strong connection to hunting, angling, and outdoor traditions, providing access to otherwise inaccessible public lands can also be a motivation factor. Ultimately, landowners who choose to grant access enter into a mutual and legally binding agreement with the easement holding entity.

Why is so much public land landlocked?

There is so much landlocked public land in the United States due to a number of converging events and interests in the 19^th century: railroad expansion, land grants, westward expansion, and the whims of Congress. As TRCP reported in 2019:

“In the 19th century, as Western territories joined the union, each was granted land from the public estate through acts of Congress. These lands were to be used to generate revenue that would support public institutions, most often schools, in the new states.

The Public Lands Survey System was used to plat landscapes into six-by-six-mile squares known as townships, each including 36 individual one-mile–square sections…

The size and placement of these allotments varied and became increasingly more generous as new states were admitted to the union. For instance, Congress granted Montana and Idaho sections 16 and 36 of each township, while New Mexico and Arizona received sections 2, 16, 32, and 36. The result was a scattered, arbitrary pattern of trust lands that frequently led to sections of state land surrounded entirely by private holdings.

While land exchanges, sales, and acquisitions have consolidated and altered the ownership pattern of state land holdings over the years, the original patchwork is still evident.”
How So Many Western State and Federal Public Lands Became Landlocked

According to joint TRCP and onX reports from 2018-2019, there are 6.35 million acres of inaccessible state lands and 9.52 million acres of inaccessible federal public lands in the Western states. For hunters and anglers, state laws and the simple reality of historic land use patterns can create barriers to using public lands even beyond the usual checkerboarding problem.

In Colorado, state rules currently do not allow the public to use or cross 1.8 million of the state’s 2.78 million acres of trust lands for hunting or fishing. In southeast Montana, more than 898,000 acres of public land in the mule deer hunting paradise of Region 7 are inaccessible without permission from an adjacent private landowner.

Other sub-regions throughout the West, including eastern Wyoming and northern Nevada, contain similarly high concentrations of landlocked lands. Over 3 million acres of federal public lands are landlocked in Wyoming (where the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled some of these lands are legal to cross at corners where survey monuments exist), while Nevada has over 2 million landlocked acres.

How are access easements different from other access tools?

Access easements rely on public/private partnerships, landowner and agency relationships, and hunter and angler advocacy. These easements are permanent and open access to otherwise inaccessible or severely restricted public lands.

When talking about access, access easements are not the only tool in the toolbox. TRCP has been working on a suite of federal legislation over the past several years that would modernize and digitize maps for oceans, rivers, and lands. Of particular importance for hunters and anglers is the MAPLands Act, which was signed into law on April 29, 2022. The act directed federal land management agencies to consolidate, digitize, and make publicly available recreational access information as geospatial files. This includes access easements across private lands, as well as detailed road and trail information on public lands.

How do hunters and anglers find and use access easements?

Hunters and anglers can find access easements on mapping software like onX, and using permanent access easements is as simple as walking in the easement from public land to public land.

Why aren’t there more access easements?

Access easements opening landlocked public lands across the United States appear to be a win-win for hunters, anglers, and landowners. But the value offered in tax credits, financial compensation, and other payment options often disagree with the value the land has on the open market.

“Access” has proven to be slippery when it comes to determining its dollar value. The standard federal assessment process uses the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions, or “Yellow Book” which assesses properties for fair price in many cases where federal funding is used. While values determined by the Yellow Book might be fair for a compulsory purchase of private property, these appraisal guidelines are ill suited to valuing access easements. Low values make the project less worthwhile for landowners and can keep landlocked public lands away from public access.

What’s happening now?

Progress is steady, but slow. In 2019, Congress passed the Dingell Act, which requires federal agencies to identify their highest-priority landlocked parcels and report on progress every two years. In 2026, the Trump Administration released an executive order titled “Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage” that calls for prioritizing practical access solutions for landlocked and other difficult-to-reach lands.

There has been some change since TRCP and onX first measured the problem in 2018, but access easements still face strong headwinds. One reason is simple: every easement depends on a willing landowner and a fair offer, and those don’t always line up.

Still, each easement that does get done adds up. It might be a two-track that reaches an elk basin, a trail to a trout stream or a walk-in route to a block of upland bird country. Most hunters and anglers can name a place like that, a piece of public land they’ve looked at on a map but never been able to reach.

Easements are one of the most practical ways to change that. When you’re scouting this season, take a closer look at how you’re getting in, and whether the road or trail you’re on exists because someone agreed to share it. Learn more about TRCP’s work on public access HERE.

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