Stay Alert South Dakota Drivers, Because Bambi’s in Love

Ah, love. It makes humans write bad poetry, send questionable late-night texts, buy heart-shaped gifts, and rack up credit card debt. But it turns out we’re not the only ones who lose our minds when Cupid shows up; the deer community is just as guilty.

Yep, when Bambi catches feelings of bliss, all logic goes straight out of Sherwood's Forest. Only, instead of bad decisions on Tinder, deer decide to sprint full-speed into oncoming traffic. So much for romance, right?

Here in South Dakota, we’re smack dab in the middle of deer mating season, a.k.a. the time of year when hormones run high and common sense runs low. From now through December, love-drunk deer are out there trying to do the “Wild Thing” as Tone Loc so wisely put it, and motorists are paying the price.

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That’s why law enforcement is reminding everyone to keep their eyes peeled, especially around dawn and dusk, when visibility drops and deer collisions skyrocket.

Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Larson told Dakota News Now that those twilight hours can be deceiving, “When the sun is going down and it’s starting to get dark, it’s harder to see than when it’s actually dark. So if you’re doing 80, your reaction time is pretty short, and the deer enter the roadway pretty quickly. The biggest thing is, don’t swerve. Just hit it if you have to hit it, and you’ll be less likely to be injured.”

Swerving to dodge a deer often leads to something worse. Better to give your insurance company a call about a busted bumper than call an ambulance.

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Every fall, body shops across South Dakota brace for impact, literally. The president of Marv’s Body Shop in Sioux Falls, Evan Kindt, told Dakota News Now that they fix roughly 200 to 300 deer-hit vehicles each autumn. That’s a staggering statistic!

And those repairs? They aren’t cheap.

A run-in with a 200-pound animal can turn your ride into modern art faster than you can say “comprehensive coverage.”

Here’s the bottom line:

Stay alert, slow down, and remember that if you see one deer cross the road, it’s never flying solo. Where there’s Bambi, there’s probably a backup dancer or two right behind her.

Stay safe out there!