Deer Collision Season in Michigan
1 in 68 odds of an animal collision claim, 5th of 51 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking. Michigan deer range from the southern farm counties to the forests of the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula, and the State Police publish the statewide deer crash count.
Odds of hitting a deer in Michigan
1 in 68, from State Farm’s analysis of industry animal collision claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. That ranks Michigan 5th 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 lower likelihood than 1 in 61 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 Michigan by month
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 115 fatal animal crashes in Michigan from 2015 to 2024, about 11.5 a year, with 119 deaths. That is 1.2 percent of all fatal crashes in the state and 3rd among the states by count. June is the month with the most fatal animal crashes in Michigan, 29 of 115 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 Michigan 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.
58,2712025 in Michigan: deer involved crashes reported to police (UD-10)
13 deaths in the same count.
2024: 58,324.
Source: Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center (Traffic Crash Reporting Unit).
Compiled 2026-09-21.
When the deer rut runs in Michigan
The deer rut in Michigan runs October 1 to November 30.
“Deer are most active from April through June and from October through December. During those months, most vehicle-deer crashes take place, although such crashes are a year-round problem.”Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning, Vehicle Deer Crashes page, quoted exactly.
Source: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Deer (nuisance wildlife species) page.
Sunset in Detroit when the clocks fall back
On November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour and sunset in Detroit moves from 6:20 PM to 5:18 PM, putting the evening drive home in dusk and darkness.
Detroit, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.
Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset calculated for Detroit 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 Michigan
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.