Deer Collisions: Where In MA They Happen Most

WORCESTER, MA — It's an exciting time for hunters in Massachusetts, but also a scary time for drivers.

The annual autumn deer mating season is peaking in Massachusetts, according state wildlife officials. The "rut" will last until Nov. 20, which means deer will be running all over the place trying to find mates.

During the mating season, deer abandon their typical patterns of being most active at dawn and dusk, putting them on a possible collision course with your vehicle.

"But during the rut, deer often abandon their habit of bedding down during the day and move around more in search of a mate. Deer are also more distracted and less cautious during this time. This is also the cause of the seasonal spike in deer-vehicle collisions," according to MassWildlife.

The earlier sunsets this time of year also make driving conditions more dangerous. MassDOT said that most deer collisions — about 81 percent — happened during dark hours during the November 2020 mating season.

"A driver crashed into a deer once every two hours, on average, in the Commonwealth between October and December in 2020, according to a AAA Northeast analysis of Massachusetts crash data," MassDOT said in an Oct. 26 bulletin. "There were 1,402 deer crashes during that period with the most occurring between 6 and 8 p.m. After the time change, most crashes were between 5 and 7 p.m."

Worcester County had the most number of deer-car crashes in 2020, according to MassDOT. Meanwhile, Westport was the community with the most crashes. Here's where the crashes happened most last year:

By County

• Worcester — 248
• Bristol — 194
• Plymouth — 192
• Middlesex — 184
• Essex — 125

By Community

• Westport — 24
• Andover — 21
• Middleborough — 18
• New Bedford — 17
• Plymouth, Bellingham (tie) — 16
• Freetown, Winchendon (tie) — 15
• Sherborn — 14