Deer Collision Season in Idaho
1 in 159 odds of an animal collision claim, 30th of 51 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking. Idaho drivers share the road with mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk, and the herds move down to lower valleys and highway corridors as snow builds in the mountains.
Odds of hitting a deer in Idaho
1 in 159, from State Farm’s analysis of industry animal collision claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. That ranks Idaho 30th of 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia), in the medium likelihood category, against a national figure of 1 in 145. That is a lower likelihood than 1 in 154 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 Idaho by month
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 9 fatal animal crashes in Idaho from 2015 to 2024, fewer than one a year, with 9 deaths. That is 0.4 percent of all fatal crashes in the state and 43rd among the states by count. Idaho recorded 9 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.
When the deer rut runs in Idaho
The deer rut in Idaho runs November 1 to November 30.
“Highway driving is especially hazardous during the rut when wildlife can be very unpredictable, especially when crossing busy highways and roads.”Idaho Department of Fish and Game, quoted exactly.
Sunset in Boise when the clocks fall back
On November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour and sunset in Boise moves from 6:29 PM to 5:28 PM, putting the evening drive home in dusk and darkness.
Boise, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.
Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset calculated for Boise 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 Idaho
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.