All Cheryl McAlpine saw was a head and antlers.
"It leaped out in front of me. ... I had no idea where it was coming from," said McAlpine, who lives west of Edmond.
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On Oct. 28, McAlpine was driving home from a church carnival on State Highway 74 near Waterloo Road. Her cousin and four nieces were passengers in her sport utility vehicle.
About 9:30 p.m., the deer leaped out in front of her -- a flash of motion, then a crash. McAlpine and her family were unharmed, but the grill, radiator and front end of the SUV had $6,000 worth of damage.
She doesn't know what happened to the deer.
"I'm 47," McAlpine said, laughing. "But I feel 10 years older after that."
This time every year, hundreds of Oklahomans suffer similar shocks. Motorists are most likely to hit deer in October and November, when the animals are in their mating season.
"If you have a lot of doe in heat at the same time, bucks are going to be traveling to go look for them and mate with them," said Mike Shaw, wildlife research supervisor with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Micah Holmes, department spokesman, agreed.
"They are out chasing does, and they're a lot more active," Holmes said. "They're more likely to have their minds on other things than looking out for cars."
Human behavior contributes to the danger, too. With the changing season and daylight saving time, more people drive during the dusk and dawn hours, when visibility is slight and deer are on the move.
"That probably influences the total, as well," Shaw said.
Nationally, about 1.5 million deer-vehicle crashes occur each year, resulting in about $1.1 billion in damage, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But the Oklahoma total is hard to pin down.
Data from the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office indicates that about 1,650 animal-related accidents are reported to law enforcement officials each year. In 2005, about 450 animal-related crashes occurred during October and November, easily the highest two-month total of the year. Similar numbers were reported in 2003 and 2004. The figures don't specify how many of those crashes were caused by deer.
The actual number of deer-involved accidents is likely much higher, since many collisions are never reported to law enforcement. State Farm, for example, insures only about 25 percent of Oklahoma motorists. Over a one-year period ending June 30, though, Oklahoma's State Farm claimants were involved in 1,716 deer-related collisions.
Allstate customers have reported more than 700 animal-related accidents in Oklahoma this year at a cost of more than $1 million.
In calendar year 2005, Farm Bureau policy holders filed 1,164 claims associated with deer collisions, said spokesman Sam Knipp. The insurer paid off about $3 million.
So far this year, Knipp said, there have been 765 claims at a cost of $1.9 million.
"It's a serious problem for us," Knipp said. "And we're getting into our busiest time of the year for these things."
Good thing you're not in Pennsylvania The average Oklahoma buck weighs about 115 pounds, Shaw said. A doe weighs slightly less, and extremes range from 80 to 200 pounds. The state is home to about 500,000 deer.
"It's a healthy number," Shaw said, "but when you compare it to states like Texas and Michigan and Wisconsin, it's pretty small."
Deer populations in each of those states exceed 1 million, he said.
Pennsylvania has the highest number of State Farm claimants who hit deer. Over a one-year period, that state's policy holders reported 18,846 deer-vehicle accidents. Michigan was second with 13,108 accidents and Illinois third with 12,003.
Oklahoma ranked 38th.
Even here, though, accidents will happen.
"More often than not, they don't even result in injury," Shaw said. "But you will get property damage."
Avoiding deer-vehicle collisions
Pay attention to deer crossing signs.
Remember that deer are most active at night, beginning at dusk.
When possible, use high-beam headlights.
Deer often travel in herds, so if one is spotted, more are likely to be in the area.
Don't swerve. If a collision in unavoidable, hold the course. Swerving increases the chances of injury.
Slow down, especially at night.
Source: State Farm Insurance
Whistleblowers Car-mounted deer whistles, which claim to scare away deer by producing ultrasonic noise, are "a bunch of baloney," said Mike Shaw, wildlife research supervisor at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
"Deer hear at the same levels we do," Shaw said. "Most of the whistles tested either didn't make an audible sound, or if they did make a sound, the deer couldn't hear it."
The devices, in production for more than 20 years, are supposed to emit ultrasonic noise when a car drives 30 mph or faster, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
BY THE NUMBERS 1.5 million -- estimated number of deer-vehicle crashes nationally each year
$1.1 billion -- estimated property damage caused by those crashes
115 pounds -- average weight of an Oklahoma deer
500,000 -- estimated deer population in the state
Animal-involved crashes reported by law enforcement to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, 2005:
January -- 111
February -- 95
March -- 114
April -- 119
May -- 133
June -- 101
July -- 108
August -- 137
September -- 154
October -- 194
November -- 255
December -- 158
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