Deer season is approaching and sending people to auto body shops

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ.)

Deer season is right around the corner, and many people have already sent their cars to an auto body shop to repair damage from a deer hit.

Marc Laferriere, manager at a local auto body shop, said they repaired several cars after a deer hit in two weeks.

"I've looked at 10 to 15 cars in the past two weeks because of deer hits," Laferriere said.

Although repairs can get pricey, drivers with insurance won't have too much to worry about.

"What's nice about deer hits is if that goes under the comprehensive side of your policy, which in essence shouldn't affect your rate. It's kinda like hail damage, windstorm or vandalism or something of that nature," Laferriere said.

However, the auto body shop warns people who don't have insurance that they may end up spending anywhere between $2,000 and $6,000 on repairs.

Front-end deer hits with a driver traveling over 75 miles can sometimes total vehicles.

"We've fixed $15,000 repairs from deer hits when cars on the interstate are moving at a high rate of speed," Laferriere said.

Scott Rice, spokesman with Missouri's Department of Conservation, said the reason you'll see so many deer out on the highway is because of the breeding season.

"The males are out looking for the females, and they're kinda all scattered out and spread around. They show up in places that they don't normally show up, and they're kind of a little more sporadic in their behaviors," Rice said.

The MDC encourages the community to be extra vigilant in the evening and morning hours and pass through areas with limited visibility.

"The other thing that we want to remind people to do is when you see one deer go by, there's a likelihood there might be two or three more following behind it, so just because you've seen the one past, don't let your guard down," Rice said.