Have you been seeing more deer and road kills as you travel about over the last month or so? Most people probably attribute the visibility and accidents to the rut or deer’s breeding season. But there are several other factors that are also involved with the increase in deer visibility and accidents this time of year.
I recently watched a YouTube video by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department from 2023. Recently retired big game biologist Bill Jenson noted that 40% of deer vehicle accidents occur between the last week of October and mid-December.
The rut is certainly a factor in these accidents, but Jensen went on to note that several other factors come into play leading to increased movements of deer this time of year. Those other factors include that the deer’s social groups are breaking up, and they are moving from summer habitats to winter habitats. The crop harvest and deer season also push deer around. Plus, as with many other animals the deer are more active around sunrise and sunset which this time of year coincides with the times people drive to and from work.
Not surprisingly, insurance companies collect data on animal vehicle accidents which are largely deer accidents. A quick internet search brought up statistics from State Farm Insurance for animal vehicle accidents from July 2023 to June 2024. North Dakota was listed as a “high risk” state for animal-vehicle accidents as were the neighboring states of Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota. North Dakota ranked 17th among all states with a 1 in 86 chance of having an accident. Montana ranked 2nd with a 1 in 54 chance. South Dakota ranked 8th with a 1 in 69 chance, and Minnesota ranked 11th with a 1 in 79 chance. The number one ranking went to West Virginia with a 1 in 40 chance.
Deer, of course, were the most common animal in these accidents. Other animals included rodents, dogs, raccoons, coyotes, cows, and even squirrels. Squirrels! It would be interesting to read those accident reports!
