Deer Collision Season: Odds by State, Peak Months and Hours

Q: When is deer collision season?

October through December. State Farm’s 2025-2026 analysis names November, October and December, in that order, as the months drivers are most likely to hit a large animal, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that the November rate of animal strike claims is more than twice the yearly average. The peak coincides with the rut, when deer are most active.

Q: When are deer most active on roads?

Around dusk and after dark, with a smaller peak before dawn. Of the 1,870 fatal animal crashes in FARS from 2015 to 2024, 530 happened between 7 PM and 10 PM, the busiest three hours, and 94 between 5 AM and 6 AM, the morning high. 62 percent happened in the dark.

Q: Which state has the highest odds of hitting a deer?

West Virginia, at 1 in 46 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking, a spot it has held for more than a decade. Montana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan follow. The national figure is 1 in 145, and Hawaii has the longest odds, 1 in 852.

Q: Why do fatal animal crashes peak in summer when claims peak in November?

The two records count different things. Insurance claims count every collision, and most deer strikes damage a car without hurting anyone, so claims follow the deer and peak with the rut. FARS counts only crashes in which someone died, with any animal, and June leads that record with 254 of 1,870 crashes, while October, November and December together hold 28 percent.

Q: Does the end of daylight saving time make deer crashes more likely?

The clock change moves the evening commute into the hours deer move most. On November 7, 2027, sunset in Philadelphia moves from 5:53 PM to 4:52 PM, and every other state that observes daylight saving time sees the same one hour jump, in the middle of the rut.

Q: Is FARS a count of deer crashes?

It counts fatal crashes in which the first harmful event was a collision with a live animal of any kind: deer, moose, elk, cattle, horses and others. FARS does not name the species. Deer are the most common large animal on most American roads, which is why the record is read alongside State Farm’s claim data and the state agency counts.

When in the year

Fatal animal crashes by month, 2015 to 2024

NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 1,870 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024 in which the first harmful event was hitting a live animal, with 1,964 deaths. June has the most, 254, and October to December together hold 28 percent. Claims tell a different calendar: State Farm names November, October and December as the months drivers are most likely to hit a large animal, because most strikes damage a car and hurt no one.

Fatal animal crashes by month, United States, 2015 to 2024, 1,870 in all. Any animal, not deer alone. Shaded: October to December, the months insurance claims for animal collisions peak. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

When in the day

Fatal animal crashes peak after dusk

530 of the 1,870 crashes happened between 7 PM and 10 PM, the busiest three hours of the day, and a smaller rise comes before dawn, with 94 between 5 AM and 6 AM. 62 percent happened in the dark and 9.2 percent at dusk or dawn.

Fatal animal crashes by hour of day, United States, 2015 to 2024, local time, 1,846 with a recorded hour. The busiest hour is 8 PM to 9 PM, with 189. Shaded: 5 AM to 8 AM and 5 PM to 10 PM. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

An overhead highway message sign lit at night with a leaping deer symbol and the words OCT NOV PEAK SEASON DUSK DAWN, headlights and tail lights on the road below — An overhead sign on the New Jersey Turnpike in October 2020 naming the season and the hours: October and November, dusk and dawn. “2020-10-11 19 36 31 Variable message sign displaying "Deer crossing - October-November - Peak Season - Dusk-Dawn" at night along New Jersey State Route 700 south (New Jersey Turnpike) south of Exit 2 in Carneys Point Township, Salem County, New Jersey” by Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0

By state

Odds of hitting a deer, by state

State Farm ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia by the likelihood of an animal collision claim, from industry claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. West Virginia leads at 1 in 46; the national figure is 1 in 145. Beside it, the yearly average of fatal animal crashes in FARS and the month with the most of them, which in many states falls outside the autumn claim peak.

Rank	State	Odds of an animal collision claim	Fatal animal crashes a year	Month with the most fatal animal crashes
1	West Virginia	1 in 46	2.2	Jun and Jul
2	Montana	1 in 54	4.6	Aug
3	Wisconsin	1 in 62	11.1	Jun
4	Pennsylvania	1 in 64	12.2	Oct
5	Michigan	1 in 68	11.5	Jun
6	Iowa	1 in 81	3.6	Jun
7	Mississippi	1 in 81	2.5	Dec
8	Virginia	1 in 81	3.3	Nov
9	Maine	1 in 85	1.4	Jul
10	South Dakota	1 in 86	1.8	Aug
11	Kansas	1 in 89	4.5	May
12	Minnesota	1 in 91	5.8	Jun
13	North Carolina	1 in 95	4.2	Oct
14	Wyoming	1 in 96	1.3	Jun
15	Missouri	1 in 97	5.7	Sep
16	Kentucky	1 in 100	5.1	Nov
17	North Dakota	1 in 100	1.5	Aug
18	South Carolina	1 in 103	5.0	Oct
19	Massachusetts	1 in 106	0.3	3 in ten years
20	Ohio	1 in 108	7.0	Jun and Oct
21	Alabama	1 in 109	2.5	Oct
22	Georgia	1 in 115	5.4	Oct
23	Indiana	1 in 116	5.6	May
24	Maryland	1 in 117	1.4	Jan
25	Oklahoma	1 in 124	5.0	Jun and Jul
26	Tennessee	1 in 129	3.9	Sep
27	Vermont	1 in 133	0.4	4 in ten years
28	Arkansas	1 in 135	2.7	Jun and Nov
29	Delaware	1 in 152	0.3	3 in ten years
30	Idaho	1 in 159	0.9	9 in ten years
31	Nebraska	1 in 161	1.6	Sep
32	New Hampshire	1 in 179	0.7	7 in ten years
33	New York	1 in 185	5.5	Jul and Oct
34	Rhode Island	1 in 193	0.2	2 in ten years
35	Illinois	1 in 195	6.0	Jun
36	Louisiana	1 in 215	1.6	May and Jul
37	Oregon	1 in 223	2.3	Sep
38	Texas	1 in 223	18.6	Jul
39	New Jersey	1 in 245	2.3	Nov
40	Utah	1 in 251	1.6	May
41	Colorado	1 in 253	3.3	Sep
42	Connecticut	1 in 289	0.7	7 in ten years
43	New Mexico	1 in 292	2.4	Jul
44	Washington	1 in 305	2.3	Aug
45	California	1 in 430	3.9	Nov
46	Florida	1 in 543	5.6	Mar
47	Alaska	1 in 580	1.4	Sep
49	Arizona	1 in 682	3.2	Apr
50	Nevada	1 in 838	1.1	Oct
51	Hawaii	1 in 852	0.0	None recorded

Odds and ranks: State Farm, How likely are you to have an animal collision? (2025-2026), with the State Farm newsroom release. Fatal animal crashes: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), first harmful event Live Animal, 2015 to 2024. Compiled 2026-09-21. Ranks run from 1 to 51 because State Farm ranks the District of Columbia alongside the states, so one number in the sequence belongs to Washington, DC.

Why autumn

The rut and the clock change arrive together

White-tailed deer breed from October into December across most of the country, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ties the November claim peak to that mating season, when deer are most active. Then on November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour, and the evening drive home moves into dusk. In Philadelphia, sunset goes from 5:53 PM to 4:52 PM overnight.

Sunset the day before5:53 PM

Sunset on November 74:52 PM

Philadelphia, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.

“The months drivers are most likely to collide with a large animal in the U.S. are (in order) November, October and December.”

State Farm, quoted exactly.

“Deaths from collisions with animals increased from 89 in 1975 to 210 in 2024. In 2024, the highest number of these deaths occurred during July-September.”

IIHS, Fatality Facts 2024: Collisions with fixed objects and animals (posted June 2026), quoted exactly.

“The rate of animal-strike-related insurance claims in November is more than twice the yearly average, according to an analysis of claims from 2013 to 2022 conducted by the Highway Loss Data Institute. The peak coincides with mating season, when deer are most active. The fewest animal strike claims typically occur in August.”

IIHS / HLDI news, October 18, 2023, quoted exactly.

“The claims follow a very consistent pattern in line with the mating and hunting season over the years, rising rapidly in October, peaking in November, and then dropping off in December and January”

Matt Moore, senior vice president of HLDI, IIHS news, October 22, 2019, quoted exactly.

A white-tailed doe walking across a curving two lane road with double yellow lines, a 25 mile per hour speed limit sign and bare autumn woods behind — A white-tailed doe crossing a park road in Kensington Metropark, Michigan, in late autumn. “White-tailed Deer Crossing a Road Kensington Metropark Michigan” by Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0

Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset times calculated for Philadelphia and checked against the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department. FARS records 210 deaths in 204 fatal animal crashes in 2024.

In their words

What state agencies tell drivers

Transportation departments and highway patrols repeat the same few lines every autumn, and the one they stress most is about swerving. Each is quoted exactly, with the agency linked.

“If you cannot avoid hitting a deer with your vehicle, brake firmly and stay in your lane. Avoid sudden swerving, which can result in a loss of control and a more serious crash.”

Wisconsin Department of Transportation, quoted exactly.

“If a deer runs in front of you, do not swerve. Brake firmly and stay in your lane.”

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security / Tennessee Highway Patrol, quoted exactly.

“Don’t swerve to avoid hitting a deer. Swerving can cause motorists to lose control and travel off the road or into oncoming traffic.”

Missouri Department of Transportation, quoted exactly.

“While the urge to swerve is instinctual, do not veer for deer. Swerving aggressively could cause you to lose control of your vehicle and increase the severity of a crash.”

Virginia Department of Transportation, quoted exactly.

“Simple tips to avoid an animal collision are: scan the road ahead, use high-beam headlights when able, be extra cautious at dawn and dusk and if a collision is unavoidable, brake – don’t swerve to stay in your lane.”

Ohio State Highway Patrol, quoted exactly.

“Use high beams when it’s safe to do so to help spot deer near the roadway.”

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security / Tennessee Highway Patrol, quoted exactly.

“If you see a deer cross the road, decrease speed. Deer often travel in groups, so expect other deer to follow”

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, quoted exactly.

“Don’t Swerve: Trying to avoid a deer can result in a more serious crash with an oncoming vehicle or roadside object.”

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, quoted exactly.

Three white-tailed deer standing at the snowy edge of a rural road, all looking toward the camera, frosted woods on both sides — Three white-tailed deer at the snowy edge of a rural road. “White-tailed deer (50826016757)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain

Questions people ask about deer collision season

When is deer collision season?

When are deer most active on roads?

Which state has the highest odds of hitting a deer?

How many people die in crashes with animals each year?

FARS records 210 deaths in 204 fatal crashes whose first harmful event was hitting a live animal in 2024, and 196 a year on average from 2015 to 2024. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, reading the same record, reports that deaths from collisions with animals rose from 89 in 1975 to 210 in 2024, with the most in July through September. Deaths and claims peak in different seasons: claims peak in November.

Why do fatal animal crashes peak in summer when claims peak in November?

Does the end of daylight saving time make deer crashes more likely?

Is FARS a count of deer crashes?

Fatal animal crash counts compiled 2026-09-21 from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) (2015 to 2024, first harmful event Live Animal, any species). State Farm odds and agency quotes compiled 2026-09-21 from the pages linked throughout, quoted exactly.

Deer rut timingWhen the rut runs in each state, the reason the collision peak lands in November.Deer hunting seasonSeason dates by state, which overlap the collision peak and keep deer moving.Daylight hoursSunrise and sunset by state through the year, and the clock change.Fall migration watchThe other autumn movement, on refuge marshes and hawkwatch ridges.

Deer Collision Season