Oh, deer.

I’ve murdered my share of animals on the road, mainly with my Jeep Renegade. But my most significant encounter to date was with a deer.

On October 15^th, I steered my Jeep Cherokee down the highway at 12:45 pm for my haircut appointment. The day was bright and dry; my speed was 70 mph—the speed limit.

I had no chance to take evasive action. The deer appeared right in front of me, and a millisecond later, I rammed the creature broadside. Bump….bump…. Stunned, I slowed and pulled off the road. I had run over the poor thing. Jumping out, I surveyed the damage. The fur and flesh left on the car were a sure sign it was a white-tail.

I tried to limp back to town, but the damage had punctured the radiator, and the car registered engine overheating. Surrendering, I began making the obligatory call to the insurance company and hunting someone down to rescue me. And, of course, postponing my appointment.

 WHY ARE DEER IN TEXAS GOING CRAZY?

In a word, sex. The white-tailed deer go berserk yearly from October to December while attempting to mate. The bucks are running around more and  zoned in on doing it, while the does are fleeing. They are most active in the early mornings and at dusk. Neither is paying attention to us humans.

 HOW OFTEN DO DEER AND CARS INTERACT?

During rutting season, U.S. drivers have a 1 in 139 chance of a collision with an animal, according to the State Farm® annual analysis. State Farm estimates there were over 1.7 million animal collision insurance claims in the U.S. between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.

 WHERE DO DEER ENCOUNTERS OCCUR MOST FREQUENTLY?

The top ten states for animal collisions are:

1. West Virginia – 1 in 40
2. Montana – 1 in 53
3. Wisconsin – 1 in 58
4. Michigan – 1 in 61
5. Pennsylvania – 1 in 62
6. South Dakota – 1 in 73
7. Iowa – 1 in 76
8. Mississippi – 1 in 77
9. Wyoming – 1 in 82
10. Virginia – 1 in 82

Who knew?

 WHO PAYS WHEN DEER  AND CARS COLLIDE?

These wrecks occur so frequently that there are attorneys whose practices consist of handling them. Mainly, the insurance pays, but things get dicey when a vehicle swerves to miss a deer and hits someone else or damages someone’s property.

Then, as with everything these days, there are the scammers—people who have a wreck and blame it on Bambi when it’s not Bambi’s fault. Insurance companies are leery and may refuse to pay, especially if there are no deer carcasses and no witnesses.

(Note: I am very grateful that my insurance company took my word. No witnesses were present, and when I turned back to head for town, I did not see the remains. The road is busy and I was not about to go searching for it.)

 WHAT TO DO IF A DEER IS COMING AT YOU

While it’s still the season of love in the white-tail community, take some time to refresh yourself on how to avoid a collision. Consumer Reports recommends:

Slow down. Be aware. Be alert. Wear your seat belt. Deer have preferred areas and times for crossing the road and travel in groups.

Brake, don’t swerve. This is perhaps the most important tip. Hitting a deer is better than hitting another car.

 LAST THOUGHTS ON DEER DESTRUCTION

A silver lining exists to this unnerving experience. The deer did not come over the hood and smash my windshield, I did not swerve and hit someone else, I was not hurt, and my paid-off car was not totaled. It could have been worse.

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