GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – It’s not only time for Wisconsin’s gun-deer season, it’s also the time of year when deer are on the move and people, especially those driving, need to be more alert.
Cody Gustafson, driving to his Fox Crossing home after work early one morning this week, hit a deer on Highway 441.
“The car was totaled, the radiator was smashed. Luckily the deer didn’t go through the windshield”
It took him a while to get over the shock.
“I’ve never had an adrenaline rush like that before. It took me a good three hours after it happened to just calm down”
The DOT’s Mark Kantola says crashes between cars and deer can happen at anything time during the day, but they’re more prevalent in the early morning hours and in the evening.
“The headlights at night almost freeze a deer. So don’t think they’re going to see you and get out of the way”
Police say it’s another good argument to limit driving distractions and keep an eye out.
The DOT reports 4,621 cars versus deer crashes last year in Northeast Wisconsin.
Of those, 64 left people with injuries, one crash was fatal.
If you do hit a deer, the DOT says pull off the road onto the shoulder, turn on your emergency flashers and call police.
