(Juneau) Dodge County authorities are warning motorists to keep a watchful eye out for deer. As there will less daylight in the coming weeks and temperatures continue to drop, the local deer population will be more active. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt the number of car versus deer crashes will go up as we move into harvest season.
“Where there’s one, there’s more,” says Schmidt.
The sheriff says if a deer does run out in front of your vehicle, do not swerve “especially into the other lane.”
“Try to keep in your own lane or go towards the ditch if you can but if you are going fast don’t go towards the ditch either. We don’t want going into the ditch and rolling and making it worse,” says Schmidt. “Hit your brakes. Try to avoid that deer if you can within your own lane.”
During a recent Community Comment, Schmidt explained what to do if involved in a vehicle crash with a deer.
“And it’s over $1,000 of damage its reportable, we will respond and write you a crash report,” says Schmidt. “If it’s less than a $1,000 of damage, it is not a reportable crash. There is no requirement for you to report that crash.”
The Beaver Dam Police Department says deer sightings are more likely to occur right before the sun comes up and right after the sun sets. They add that the likelihood of running into a deer on city streets is not high and is more common near parks and wooded areas.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources deer vehicle collisions peak between October and November, there were just over 16,500 deer crashes in 2021 down from the previous year.
