There are several deer that are on the move now across Iowa and so motorists need to be extra vigilant in being safe on the roadways.

Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams advises motorists to use high beams when traveling at night to better see deer approaching the roadway from the ditches because the additional light will reflect more off of a deer’s eyes. He cautions people against swerving when they see a deer, because that can cause a more dangerous situation than just running into and hitting the deer. Williams reminds motorists that when a deer collision happens, you must notify law enforcement to fill out a report.

“Anytime there’s damage of $1,500 or more it has to be reported to law enforcement. We kind of go by $750 per damaged piece on the car. So if you have the hood that’s $750, the grill would be $750, and so on and so forth.”  

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, deer rut season is when deer are in their breeding habits, which can last through the month of November.