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Asphalt salt lick?

A

aterry1067

Guest
Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone has ever seen this? A little background. A couple weeks ago I rode through Shenandoah on Skyline drive, from Sperryville to Charlottsville. Beautiful ride by the way, and very very few people this time of year; backpackers/hikers mostly. There was lots of dried salt brine on the road, to the point that much of the road was pale or white. During the ride I turned a curve, and there were 5 to 6 deer just standing in the middle of the road, some with their noses to the ground. I pulled in the clutch and coasted up to them, and all but one walked off the road. One doe in the left lane was not going to budge, even after I bumped the horn. I rode past her while she watched. Granted, it's a national forest area, so most of the wildlife is tame/used to people and vehicles. But these deer were blatantly not moving. I didn't think about it at the time, but later wondered if they were licking the salt brine off the road. I have never heard of this, or seen it. I am just wondering if anyone else has? I'm not ruling it out.

Thanks,
aterry1067
 
Salt Lick

Makes sense! I suspect your hunch is right. Natural salt licks might be inaccessible in the snow....so it makes sense to get it where they can find it, or get it where it's easiest.

piperjim
 
I've heard that moose and deer will gather along the sides of roads as the snow recedes to lick the salt from the grass. The police have issued advisories to be careful because of this. Your deer like to lick it from the road surface itself. Same thing; be careful.
 
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