Harvest season is here, and as farmers begin to work in the fields and hunters take to the woods, the movement of local deer is changed.

According to a release from Indiana State Police Sgt. Noel Houze, the ISP Versailles District, which encompasses southeastern Indiana and Decatur County, is looking to remind motorists of the deer movement that is increasing as the hunting and harvest seasons continue.

Deer will be looking to escape hunters and move away from loud farm machinery, forcing them across roads and endangering any motorist caught unaware. Deer also become much more active this time of year as the mating season, or “rut,” begins.

Southeastern Indiana is comparatively a very rural area with a significant deer population. The ISP is reminding motorists to use extra caution in those rural areas and by following a few safety tips. According to Houze, following the safety guidelines can decrease the chances of being involved in a vehicular collision with a deer.

Those tips are: using extra caution at dawn and dusk because those are times when deer travel most frequently; always scanning the sides of country and rural roads and using high beam headlights when possible; witnessing one deer means it is likely there are others close by; watching for deer signs, as they are clear warnings of deer in the area; not swerving across the center line or brake hard, because it is actually better to hit the deer than cause an additional traffic-related crash as a result of avoiding the animal; and always making sure everyone in the vehicle is buckled up.

The Indiana State Police Versailles District covers Dearborn, Decatur, Jefferson, Ohio, Ripley and Switzerland Counties in southeastern Indiana. According to information from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, about 696 vehicle and deer collisions were recorded in the Versailles. Only 56 of those occurred in Decatur County, and three resulted in the report of injuries. Decatur County ranked fourth out of the six counties that the ISP Versailles District serves. Dearborn County had the most deer and vehicle collisions, accounting for almost half of the entire district’s incidences. No fatalities were reported in 2008.

Car Versus Deer Collisions In Southeastern Indiana In 2008

Decatur County - 56 collisions, three injuries

Dearborn County - 315 collisions, four injuries

Jefferson County - 49 collisions, four injuries

Ohio County - 74 collisions, two injuries

Ripley County - 150 collisions, one injury

Switzerland County - 52 collisions, five injuries