Deer Collision Season in Connecticut
1 in 289 odds of an animal collision claim, 42nd of 51 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking. Connecticut deer live close to people, in suburban woodlots and along parkways, and the state records few fatal animal crashes for its size.
Odds of hitting a deer in Connecticut
1 in 289, from State Farm’s analysis of industry animal collision claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. That ranks Connecticut 42nd of 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia), in the low likelihood category, against a national figure of 1 in 145. That is a lower likelihood than 1 in 284 in the 2024-2025 edition.
Source: State Farm, How likely are you to have an animal collision? (2025-2026). Compiled 2026-09-21.
Fatal animal crashes in Connecticut by month
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 7 fatal animal crashes in Connecticut from 2015 to 2024, fewer than one a year, with 7 deaths. That is 0.3 percent of all fatal crashes in the state and 44th among the states by count. Connecticut recorded 7 fatal animal crashes across the ten years, too few to form a monthly pattern. FARS counts crashes with any animal; the insurance claim season, October to December, is shaded.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), first harmful event Live Animal, 2015 to 2024. Compiled 2026-09-21.
Deer crashes Connecticut reports
State counts include crashes that injured no one, so they run far higher than FARS, and each state defines and counts them its own way.
1,5002022 in Connecticut: deer-vehicle accidents reported to DEEP and DOT by law enforcement (approximate: 'about 1,500')
“In 2022, about 1,500 DVAs were reported to the DEEP and DOT.”Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), with CT DOT, quoted exactly.
Compiled 2026-09-21.
When the deer rut runs in Connecticut
The deer rut in Connecticut runs October 25 to January 5. Peak, as the agency describes it: last two weeks in November.
Source: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, White-tailed Deer fact sheet.
Sunset in Bridgeport when the clocks fall back
On November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour and sunset in Bridgeport moves from 5:43 PM to 4:41 PM, putting the evening drive home in dusk and darkness.
Bridgeport, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.
Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset calculated for Bridgeport and checked against the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department.
What state agencies tell drivers
“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.
Questions people ask about deer collisions in Connecticut
Fatal animal crash counts compiled 2026-09-21 from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). State Farm odds, agency counts and quotes compiled 2026-09-21 from the pages linked above, quoted exactly.