Georgia Deer Collisions in 2026 - The Odds and How to Avoid One
Georgia drivers have a 1 in 115 chance of hitting an animal this year, and November is peak rut in metro Atlanta. The latest numbers and practical safety tips.
Deer–vehicle collisions
Georgia is a top-ten state for animal crashes
Deer are the animal most often struck by far, and fall is when the risk peaks.
State Farm's newest analysis covers claims filed from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. It puts a Georgia driver's odds of an animal collision at 1 in 115, worse than the national odds of 1 in 145. Across the U.S. there were more than 1.6 million animal-vehicle collision claims in that period, and State Farm alone paid $1.9 billion on them.
In the prior study year (July 2024 to June 2025), State Farm estimated more than 70,000 animal collision claims in Georgia, ranking the state 9th in the nation by number of claims. Nationally, 41 percent of animal-collision claims that year happened between October and December.
These crashes are not only fender-benders. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety counted 210 people killed in U.S. crashes involving animals in 2024. Georgia does not require drivers to carry comprehensive coverage, the coverage that typically pays for an animal strike, so many drivers end up paying for repairs themselves.
Driving through the rut
How to lower your risk on the road
- Slow down after darkDeer move most from dusk to dawn, when visibility is worst. Use high beams when there's no oncoming traffic.
- Expect more than oneDeer travel in groups. If one crosses, others are often close behind.
- Brake, don't swerveBrake firmly and stay in your lane. Swerving can put you into a tree or another car.
- After a strikePull to safety, turn on hazards, call police if the animal blocks traffic, and keep away from an injured deer.
Nov. 3–9
Peak rut for Cobb, DeKalb, Henry, Rockdale and Walton counties, according to Georgia DNR and UGA rut-timing data. Bucks chasing does pay little attention to traffic.
Deer in the suburbs
Statewide the herd is stable. In subdivisions it isn't.
Georgia DNR estimates the statewide deer population grew from about 250,000 to a peak of roughly 1.4 million in 1998, then came down to about 1 million through regulated hunting. Over that time Georgia's human population roughly doubled, and the land between them filled with neighborhoods.
The state's own urban deer plan says the conflicts are driven more by human density than by the total number of deer. Hunter numbers have not kept pace with population growth, and in many suburbs almost nobody hunts at all.
~250,000Several decades ago
~1.4 millionPeak, 1998
~1 millionPresent DNR estimate
One Gwinnett city, by the numbers
A professional camera survey in Peachtree Corners in late 2025 found about 193 deer per square mile. Wildlife experts generally recommend around 25 in a suburban setting. The study also found heavy browsing of native plants, spreading invasive species and a low fawn-to-doe ratio.
Peachtree Corners, 2025
193
Recommended suburban
25
050100150200
Deer per square mile.
Food everywhere
Landscaping, gardens and ornamental shrubs give suburban deer a year-round buffet.
No predators, little hunting
With few natural predators and limited hunting, suburban deer live longer and grow larger. Metro counties are known for record-class bucks.
Few legal options
Georgia DNR holds sole authority over wildlife. Relocation, sterilization and contraception are not authorized for population control, and DNR calls hunting the number one tool for managing herds.
In metro Atlanta the state manages no public hunting land. Nearly all huntable ground is private, so hunters must have the landowner's permission. That makes landowners the key to bringing suburban deer numbers down.
Georgia landowner liability law
Letting hunters on your land doesn't make you their insurer
Fear of being sued is one of the main reasons landowners turn hunters away. Georgia's legislature wrote two laws specifically to remove that concern.
O.C.G.A. § 51-3-20Purpose: encourage access
The Recreational Property Act exists to encourage owners to open land and water to the public for recreation by limiting their liability. Hunting and fishing are listed recreational purposes.
§ 51-3-22Reduced duty of care
An owner owes no duty to keep the premises safe for recreational users, or to warn them of dangerous conditions. Georgia courts describe what remains as a duty of slight care, lower than ordinary care.
§ 51-3-23Permission is not a promise
Inviting or permitting someone onto the land without charge does not assure them it is safe, does not make them an invitee, and does not make the owner responsible for injuries the users cause to people or property.
§ 51-3-21(3)Who counts as an "owner"
The protection covers the fee owner, a tenant, a lessee, an occupant, or anyone in control of the premises.
§ 51-3-25The exceptions
The Act does not protect an owner who willfully or maliciously fails to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure or activity, or one who charges an admission fee to enter the land.
O.C.G.A. § 27-3-1Hunting-specific protection, even with a fee
Georgia's game law extends the same protection to landowners, land lessees, and lessees of hunting or fishing rights who give someone permission to hunt or fish on the property, with or without charge.
What this means in practice: our service is free, so landowners who work with us are not charging anyone for access. If you let a licensed hunter on your property and you don't knowingly hide a hazard, Georgia law shields you from ordinary negligence claims. Written permission, clear boundaries and a walk-through of known hazards are still good practice. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a Georgia attorney about your situation. City and county rules on firearm discharge and archery still apply.
Georgia DNR · Wildlife Resources Division
The Deer Management Assistance Program
DMAP launched in November 2019 to give private landowners and hunt clubs site-specific, science-based deer management. Enrolled properties get a DNR biologist, harvest data analysis and camera surveys. When the data justify it, qualifying properties can also get harvest flexibility beyond the standard bag limits.
Participants can be one person or a group. Public, private and leased land are all eligible. Adjacent properties can join as a cooperative to meet acreage minimums, which matters for suburban neighbors who each own a few acres. Cooperators collect harvest data and place cameras for deer surveys, and fees are assessed annually.
| Level | Cost | What you get | Harvest flexibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free No acreage minimum | General harvest and habitat recommendations; technical guidance and data analysis. | None |
| 2 | $200 start then $100/yr | Data collection kit and property signs, an assigned biologist, aging of every deer harvested, site-specific harvest recommendations, a basic boundary map and an annual site visit. | Antlerless · 250 ac min |
| 3 | $400 start then $200/yr | Everything in Level 2, plus help forming cooperatives, live-aging bucks, a written wildlife management plan and a detailed habitat map. | Buck days, season, antler rules · 500 ac min |
| 4 | $1,000 start then $500/yr | Everything in Levels 2–3, plus a detailed habitat plan with stand-by-stand recommendations, detailed mapping and at least two site visits a year. | Site-specific buck rules · 1,500 ac min |
Statewide resident hunters can already take up to 10 antlerless deer a year. DMAP is for properties where that still isn't enough, or where owners want a biologist's plan.
DMAP Supervisor: Kevin Rose, Assistant State Deer Biologist
706-318-0823 · kevin.rose@dnr.ga.gov
Enroll at georgiawildlife.com/dmap
How our deer removal works
Free, legal and arranged with your permission
There is no charge for any part of our service: the assessment, the hunting, the harvest reporting or the donation of the meat. Because no money changes hands for hunting access, the arrangement fits squarely within Georgia's Recreational Property Act, which protects landowners who allow recreation without charge.
Property assessment
We walk the land, look at browse damage and deer sign, and check your city and county rules on firearms and archery.
Written permission
You sign a simple permission form that sets boundaries, stand locations and the days and hours hunting is allowed.
Vetted, licensed hunters
Every hunter holds a valid Georgia license and hunter education, and follows season dates and bag limits. In dense areas we use archery only.
Harvest reporting
Every deer is reported through Georgia Game Check. On DMAP properties, we collect the jawbone and weight data your biologist asks for.
Venison is donated
The meat from deer harvested on your property is donated through Georgia Hunters for the Hungry to feed families in need.
Season review
We share a harvest summary each season so you can see progress and decide whether to enroll in DMAP or form a neighborhood cooperative.
Georgia Hunters for the Hungry
Every deer we harvest feeds Georgia families
The deer we remove from your property don't go to waste. The meat is donated to Georgia Hunters for the Hungry, which turns it into lean, high-protein ground venison for Georgians who need it.
The program has run since 1993 as a partnership of the Georgia Wildlife Federation, Georgia DNR's Wildlife Resources Division, the Georgia Food Bank Association and Municipal Development Services. Hunters drop off whole deer at participating processors at no cost, the processors grind and package the venison, and food banks distribute it through their partner pantries.
144,000+ lbof venison donated statewide last season
Since 1993feeding Georgians through local food banks
$15 = 24 mealsa gift to the Georgia Wildlife Federation covers processing
Want to help further? You can give to the program or find a participating processor at gwf.org/ghfth.
From the blog
Latest articles
Georgia's DMAP Explained - Levels, Fees and Who Should Join
Georgia DNR's Deer Management Assistance Program gives landowners a biologist, harvest data and, on larger tracts, extra harvest flexibility. Here's how the four levels work.
Am I Liable If a Hunter Gets Hurt on My Land in Georgia?
Georgia's Recreational Property Act and O.C.G.A. 27-3-1 protect landowners who let hunters on their property. Here is what the law covers and where it stops.
About
Justin M.
Involved in Georgia deer management since 2010.
- Licensed Georgia hunting license
- Certified Georgia hunter safety course
- Writer Field reports for Georgia Outdoor News
Justin has spent more than fifteen years working on the deer problem from the ground up: on stands, in food plots and walking property lines with landowners who have watched their gardens, saplings and roadsides change as the herd grew.
He holds a Georgia hunting license, has completed the Georgia hunter safety course, and writes field reports for Georgia Outdoor News, sharing what he sees in the woods with hunters across the state.
For Justin, hunting comes with a responsibility. Where natural predators are gone and development keeps squeezing deer into smaller spaces, hunters are the main check on overpopulation. Doing that work safely, legally and with respect for the animal and the landowner is what this service is built on.
Get started
Request a free property assessment
Our services are completely free. Tell us about your land and the deer problem you're seeing. Several metro counties have extended archery seasons, so check the current DNR regulations; there may still be time to start this year.
Prefer to talk? Call us at
404.312.0368