CDOT Highway Warning: Why October and November Bring Peak Deer Collisions on the Western Slope

You already know the feeling. You crest a hill on a dark stretch of county road, and 200 pounds of mule deer stand in your lane like it pays the mortgage.

This is the season that happens most, and the numbers aren't close.

Fall is the rut. Deer and elk are moving, mating, and not looking both ways, and our corner of Colorado eats the majority of the damage.

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Why The Western Slope Leads Colorado In Wildlife Crashes

This isn't me being dramatic. It's CDOT's own count.

More than 7,700 animals were killed on Colorado roads in 2025, and western Colorado accounted for over 5,000 of them. Break it down by species and it's worse for us.

73% of the state's deer roadkill and 64% of the elk happened right here on the Western Slope. We're rural, we're stitched through big-game habitat, and the highways run straight across paths these animals have used since before there were highways.

Deer lead the body count at nearly 4,800 statewide. Elk are second. Neither one cares about your commute.

When Deer And Elk Collisions Peak In Colorado

Here's the part to circle on the calendar.

October is the single worst month for wildlife crashes in Colorado, with November right behind it. It lines up exactly with the fall rut and, cruelly, with the end of daylight saving time, when your drive home suddenly happens in the dark at the exact hour deer are most active.

CDOT warns about a spike around that time change every single year.

And the daily danger window is old news, but worth repeating. Dusk to dawn. Low light, active animals, tired drivers. Bad combination.

Read More: From Kebler Pass to Peak to Peak: The Best Autumn Foliage Drives Across Colorado

How To Not Hit A Deer On A Western Slope Highway

The advice is boring because it works.

Slow down when you see a wildlife sign. They aren't decoration. Somebody put them exactly where the hits happen. If you spot one deer, expect three more, because they travel in groups and it's the second one that gets you.

Scan the shoulders, not just your lane, and watch for eyes shining back in your headlights.

Most important, and this is the one people botch when it counts: brake, don't swerve. Swerving to miss an animal is how you end up in a ditch, in oncoming traffic, or wrapped around a tree, which is a worse ending than the deer. Stay in your lane and shed speed.

None of this makes the drive glamorous. But a hit averages around $3,100 in damage before you count the airbags, and fall is when the odds tilt hard against you. Ease off the gas after dark for the next couple of months. The deer aren't going to.