Kentucky Fish and Wildlife cautions motorists that deer activity ramps up significantly around Halloween as the annual breeding season, known as the rut, kicks into gear.
On an average day, deer cover roughly 2,000 meters, but they can easily triple that distance during the rut. Shorter autumn days also mean these active wildlife hours directly overlap with daily commutes.
“The biggest peak movement times for deer is gonna be early in the morning and late in the afternoon, and that’s when we’re out there on the road,” said Joe McDermott, deer program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “So what we try to tell people to do is slow for deer, don’t veer.”
Wildlife officials also remind drivers that seeing one deer usually means more are nearby. Deer frequently move in groups, and bucks actively pursue does across busy roads throughout the breeding season.
If a deer appears in your path, ease off the accelerator and hold your lane instead of swerving sharply.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife records around 8,000 deer-vehicle crashes each year, though experts believe the true figure is substantially higher.
“We actually think that the number of collisions is underreported by a factor of 5, so 40,000 deer-vehicle collisions a year in the state of Kentucky,” McDermott said. “That’s a large impact and it’s a large potential risk, right, for not just the deer but for us as we’re driving the road.”
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife notes that November reliably brings the highest volume of deer-related collisions compared to any other time of year.
Because deer will be on the move much more over the next few weeks, officials urge everyone to stay alert, particularly during early morning and late evening drives.