Deer Collision Season in Maine
1 in 85 odds of an animal collision claim, 9th of 51 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking. Moose share Maine roads with white-tailed deer, especially in the northern and western forests, where moose crossing signs mark the known routes.
Odds of hitting a deer in Maine
1 in 85, from State Farm’s analysis of industry animal collision claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. That ranks Maine 9th of 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia), in the high likelihood category, against a national figure of 1 in 145. That is a higher likelihood than 1 in 94 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 Maine by month
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 14 fatal animal crashes in Maine from 2015 to 2024, about 1.4 a year, with 14 deaths. That is 0.9 percent of all fatal crashes in the state and 38th among the states by count. July is the month with the most fatal animal crashes in Maine, 4 of 14 across the ten years. 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 Maine 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.
6,0442024 in Maine: reported motor vehicle highway crashes involving deer (police crash reports)
Compiled 2026-09-21.
When the deer rut runs in Maine
The deer rut in Maine runs October 1 to January 31. Peak, as the agency describes it: mid-November.
Source: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, White-tailed Deer species page.
Sunset in Portland when the clocks fall back
On November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour and sunset in Portland moves from 5:26 PM to 4:24 PM, putting the evening drive home in dusk and darkness.
Portland, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.
Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset calculated for Portland 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 Maine
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.