Deer Collision Season in Wisconsin
1 in 62 odds of an animal collision claim, 3rd of 51 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking. Wisconsin mixes farmland and northern forest, and its large deer herd shows in the crash count WisDOT publishes each year.
Odds of hitting a deer in Wisconsin
1 in 62, from State Farm’s analysis of industry animal collision claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. That ranks Wisconsin 3rd 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 58 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 Wisconsin by month
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 111 fatal animal crashes in Wisconsin from 2015 to 2024, about 11.1 a year, with 117 deaths. That is 2 percent of all fatal crashes in the state and 4th among the states by count. June is the month with the most fatal animal crashes in Wisconsin, 25 of 111 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 Wisconsin 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.
17,7952025 in Wisconsin: crashes involving deer (preliminary data)
720 injuries, 6 deaths in the same count.
“According to preliminary data, there were 17,795 crashes involving deer in Wisconsin in 2025, causing six fatalities and 720 injuries.”Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), quoted exactly.
Compiled 2026-09-21.
When the deer rut runs in Wisconsin
The deer rut in Wisconsin runs October 23 to November 12. Peak, as the agency describes it: roughly a three-week period between October 23 and November 12.
“This is why deer vehicle collisions are more common in the fall, as buck's increased movement rate put them at greater risk of collisions as they cross and re-cross busy roads with the excitement and distractions of the rut.”Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Field Notes newsletter September 2024, 2024-09, quoted exactly.
Sunset in Milwaukee when the clocks fall back
On November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour and sunset in Milwaukee moves from 5:37 PM to 4:36 PM, putting the evening drive home in dusk and darkness.
Milwaukee, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.
Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset calculated for Milwaukee 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 Wisconsin
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.