DeKalb County is experiencing a high number of hazardous automobile collisions involving deer in city and rural areas.

“We’ve had 14 accidents caused by deer in the last two weeks,” DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.

Scott said accidents involving deer have been an increasing problem in the last two years. He said one possibility for the increase is the mild winters. “More deer are living through the winters.”

The county has a high number of deer resulting from the amount of wooded area. “We always seem to have a rise (in the number of deer) in the fall and spring,” Scott said.

DeKalb Police Lt. Charles Beierlotzer said the reason for the high number of deer is wooded areas, even in the city. “DeKalb has had deer for years. The city just built around them.”

Beierlotzer said the numerous deer accidents in the fall also are due to the farmer’s harvest time. “When the farmers are picking corn, they drive the deer out of the fields. The deer are more active in the fall because they are looking for new places to hide.

“Every couple of years we get one or two running around in city limits.”

One accident occurred a few days ago in city limits and Beierlotzer said it was near a wooded area.

Another reason Beierlotzer attributed to the increase of deer accidents is the fall hunting season. He said the deer are looking for new places to hide during hunting season and since hunters cannot shoot in city limits, the deer are driven into the city.

Most accidents occur around feeding time, Beierlotzer said. “You see them (the deer) shortly after dark, or at dawn, but rarely do you see them in the middle of the day,” he said.

e said people could anticipate problems with deer around dusk and dawn because these are the times the deer are moving from hiding to feeding.

The problem of deer running into cars on the roads is caused by the headlights, Beierlotzer said. He said they are curious about the light, but when they draw closer, it confuses and blinds them.