Deer Collision Season in Minnesota
1 in 91 odds of an animal collision claim, 12th of 51 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking. White-tailed deer are found across Minnesota, and moose live in the northeast forests along the North Shore and the Arrowhead.
Odds of hitting a deer in Minnesota
1 in 91, from State Farm’s analysis of industry animal collision claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. That ranks Minnesota 12th 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 86 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 Minnesota by month
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 58 fatal animal crashes in Minnesota from 2015 to 2024, about 5.8 a year, with 59 deaths. That is 1.5 percent of all fatal crashes in the state and 7th among the states by count. June is the month with the most fatal animal crashes in Minnesota, 15 of 58 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 Minnesota 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.
1,2342023 in Minnesota: crashes whose first harmful event was a collision with a deer or other animal (Table 1.06, crash type counts); deer and animal combined
Compiled 2026-09-21.
When the deer rut runs in Minnesota
The deer rut in Minnesota runs November 1 to December 5.
Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural history of deer in Minnesota page.
Sunset in Minneapolis when the clocks fall back
On November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour and sunset in Minneapolis moves from 5:55 PM to 4:53 PM, putting the evening drive home in dusk and darkness.
Minneapolis, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.
Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset calculated for Minneapolis 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 Minnesota
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.