(La Porte County, IN) - There’s been a big jump in the number of motor vehicle crashes with deer in La Porte County.  Sheriff Ron Heeg said his office handled 54 car vs deer crashes last month compared to 21 in September.

Heeg said a noticeable increase is typical for this time of year from deer being chased out of corn fields by harvesting machines and running from hunters.  “The deer crashes exponentially spike.  November is probably going to continue staying high for us,” he said.

Deer are also on the run more right now because it’s mating season for the animals. According to police, drivers who see a deer in the road should brake and not swerve to avoid running off the road and possibly overturning.  In 2024, Indiana reported over 17,000 car vs deer crashes that resulted in nine fatalities and just over 700 injuries.