Dave Bohrer / The Meridian StarDanny Shelton, manager of Premier Paint and Body on Highway 39 in Meridian, points to deer hair in the windshield of a Jeep that struck a deer over the weekend. He said he's seen an increase recently in vehicles needing repair after striking deer. 

With excessive rainfall at the end of December and beginning of January, the deer population has taken to running from flood waters in their woodland habitat for higher ground.

The flooding has caused more deer to run across roadways, increasing vehicle accidents.

“I’d say we definitely have seen a rise in accidents,” said Danny Shelton, manager of Premier Paint and Body Shop located on Highway 39 in Meridian. “Hunters are already out causing more to come out but we had five to six (cars hitting deer) last week due to that and the rain.”

Rainfall was above average last week, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson. Meridian received 7.72 inches from Dec. 27 through Jan. 3 and rainfall in outlying areas of Meridian received up to 11 inches, according to John Moore, a forecaster with the Weather Service. 

That has sent deer scurrying.

“They, (deer) are being pushed out of their home range and they have no choice but to move to higher ground,” said Kamen Campbell, a deer population specialist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in Jackson. “Any time they are dislocated from people shooting and the rain, this will be occurring.”

State Farm Insurance Company stated it its annual report in October: “The 16th annual State Farm deer-vehicle collision study has some good news. Overall in the United States, drivers were less likely – one in 167 – to have a crash involving a collision with deer, elk, moose or caribou.”

The report continued, however, that the odds of deer-related accidents more than double during October through December. There is an increased risk of accidents around dawn and dusk, according to the report.

Speed is a major factor in causing more damage from deer related accidents. According to a 2017 report from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were about one million car crashes annually that involve deer, killing about 200 people in the process.

Safety experts urge driver caution: be alert, cautious and slow down when traveling roads in the area where the deer population are seeking higher ground to avoid becoming a statistic.