By Jeremy Weldon

As cooler weather begins spreading across the state, deer are becoming more active and more visible along Mississippi highways and roadways.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) warns motorists to take precautions to avoid collisions with deer. Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby said accidents and incidents of deer collisions have already began to increase locally.

Deputies patrolling the largely rural county roads see some of the area’s biggest deer, and say the number of deer on local roads is ever increasing. “Our men and women who are riding these roads on a regular basis tell me that it’s going to be another rough year for drivers trying to avoid hitting deer driving to and from work and other places,” Darby said.

“I tell people to use their peripheral vision when driving on our roads because deer can come out of nowhere,” Darby said. “And you can be sure if you see one there’s others close by. Drivers sometimes miss one deer and then hit another one. You really have to be careful especially early in the mornings and just before dark.”

Last year, Mississippi ranked eighth nationally in deer collisions with the odds that drivers will hit a deer at one in 88. This is much higher than the national odds of one in 169.

“Mississippi averages over 3,000 deer related crashes per year,” said Commission Dick Hall, chair of the Mississippi Transportation Commission. “Hitting a deer can be a very costly expense, and sometimes it can be a life-threatening accident.”

For the ninth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a collision is most likely with one in 44 odds.

Hawaii rounds out the bottom of the list, also for the ninth year in a row, with one in 8,765 odds.

Motorists should be aware of large animals near the road and have a plan of action. Keeping calm and driving smart improves drivers’ chances of avoiding collisions and staying safe on the road.

Though deer season peaks from November through January, deer can run on or near roadways at any time of the year in Mississippi. The peak times of deer movements – when weather changes, when hunters pressure deer, and when buck deer are “in rut” – are the most dangerous. During these times, deer often run across roadways with their heads down, oblivious to passing traffic.

“No matter if a driver is traveling rural roads or busy highways, the threat of hitting a deer while driving is very real,” said Commissioner Mike Taggert, Northern Transportation District. “All motorists should take extra precaution during deer season to ensure their safety while traveling.”

Officials with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks say counties in North Mississippi have been overpopulated with white-tail deer since the 1970s, and herd sizes increase each year.

Although the number of deer collisions actually dropped eight percent in the state last year, vehicular damage caused by deer is fairly consistent locally. The MDWFP has a road kill observation program that utilizes department employees’ reporting of dead animals along roadways to get a ballpark figure of how many deer are hit from October to December each year.