4 Hours of the Day You’re Most Likely to Hit a Deer in Missouri

Ask anyone that's driven in Missouri for a few years if they've hit a deer and you'll most likely hear that it's either happened or there have been many close calls. Did you know that the state of Missouri knows the 4 hours of the day that you're most likely to be at risk of a deer collision?

A few days ago, the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance shared a reminder of something all of us in Missouri need to be mindful of. Deer are everywhere and this time of year is one of those at-risk seasons when it's most likely to happen thanks to the rut. If you don't know what the rut is, it's deer mating season when boy deer (aka bucks) are looking for girl deer (aka does) and it makes them even more active than they are the rest of the year.

Here's a staggering statistic: In Missouri last year, they say drivers in the state had "3,591 crashes involving deer, equating to one deer strike occurring approximately every 2 hours and 30 minutes in the state".

What are the 4 hours that you're most likely to collide with a deer in Missouri?

The Columbia Tribune had a representative from the Missouri Department of Conservation tell them that the most dangerous hours for deer collisions in Missouri are between 6am and 7am and then between 6pm and 9pm. Basically, dawn and dusk are the hours to especially keep your eyes glued to the road ahead and the sides also.

I have a couple of deer collisions that I can remember. One was in the early morning hours when there was snow on the road when I bumped a deer into the ditch. Don't fret about the welfare of the deer. I wasn't going very fast and Bambi frolicked off into the woods with no limp whatsoever. My bumper, on the other hand, had deer hair on it and a bump.

Bottom line is know that dawn and dusk are the big danger hours for deer in Missouri although you need to be mentally alert all the time because you just never know.