There is a reason why we seem to be seeing more this time of year.

It seems like almost everyday for the last week or so, someone I'm friends with on social media has unfortunately had a run in with a deer on a Hudson Valley roadway.

I was driving home last weekend from a wedding in the Sullivan/Orange County area of Route 17, and for a good stretch of the highway I counted seeing at least 12 deer on the side of the road just waiting to run across.

As I held my breath the whole way home, I started to think about why are their so many deer out. I've driven that same route many times and can never recall seeing as many as I did that night.

Is there a reason for this? From what I could find, I guess it has do with deer being in "rut". A spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Conservation told the Times Union last year that, "Deer-vehicle collision rates tend to peak in the fall, corresponding to an increase in deer movements associated with breeding activity."

A report from the Times Union a few years ago said that a deer is struck every 8 minutes by a vehicle and that there are about 65,000 deer-vehicle collisions in New York per year.

If you've lived in and around the Valley for sometime, the odds say that you or someone you know has hit a deer with their car or truck and if you are like most and want to do anything possible to avoid a collision.

Here are some things you can do to avoid it happening to you from the Insurance Information Institute,

Be extra attentive during peak deer hours, which is from sunset to midnight and during the hours shortly before and after sunrise.

Use extra caution when driving through deer-crossing zones.

Know that deer almost never run alone. Growing up in the Catskills we always said if theres one, there are always three.

Use high beam headlights if driving at night, when there is no oncoming traffic.

If you see a deer, slow down and blow your horn to frighten the deer away.

If you happen to hit a deer always remember never touch the injured deer, find a safe place to pull over, stay in your car, and call the police.

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