Deer-related car crashes; Wisconsin sees rise in collisions

KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. - Every year, Wisconsinites experience an increase in deer on the roadways during the rut season.

However, Kenosha County sheriff’s deputies say this year is different.

"This year we’re seeing it all throughout the day," Kenosha County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Colin Coultrip said.

He’s talking about deer. The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said they've seen an increase in cars colliding with deer. In 2022, from Oct. 1 to date, there were 37 crashes that involved deer. This year, in that same time frame, 47 crashes have been reported so far.

"For the past 15 days or so, we’ve had around 30-37 car vs. deer crashes," Coultrip said.

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He said they respond to more than five crashes involving deer a day. And that’s only 60% of crashes; he said many more go unreported and this time, they are showing up in unexpected places.

"For whatever reason, we’re seeing a big increase in deer car crashes along the frontage roads on both sides of the interstate," Coultrip said.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said in southern Wisconsin, there’s a record number of deer as the population has slowly grown over the last decade. That, plus mating season, is causing messy commutes.

"Deer are just on their feet more, they’re moving more, they’re moving with less awareness of their surroundings," DNR deer program specialist Jeff Pritzl said.

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Coultrip said deer are most active at dusk or dawn and if you see one deer, there's likely a few to follow.

"As the corn is coming down, the deer are flocking back into the woods," he said.

Wisconsin’s gun deer hunting season begins this weekend. The DNR said that does help control the number of deer on the roads.