Wisconsin transportation officials are warning drivers to keep a closer watch along roadsides, ditches and fields as the annual fall deer rut sends more animals on the move.
In 2025, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation recorded 17,793 crashes involving deer statewide, resulting in six deaths and 720 injuries. Forty-two percent of those crashes occurred from October through December. November was by far the busiest month, with 3,389 deer crashes reported in just 30 days. October ranked second during the fall surge with 2,569.
“Anyone driving through Wisconsin should be on the lookout for deer, especially in the fall,” Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said. “Deer alongside the road can suddenly dart into traffic, and the shorter days can make them harder to spot.”
WisDOT’s 2025 deer crash analysis provides some additional perspective on just how common the collisions are. Deer were involved in about 14 percent of all reported Wisconsin traffic crashes last year, and someone was killed or injured in a deer crash somewhere in the state about once every 12 hours.
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