NATCHEZ — As the months become colder and the calendar hits November, the state of Mississippi is warning motorists to be on the lookout for deer on the state’s highways.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation recently put out a memo warning motorists of the increased activity of deer from the months of November through January.

The memo also said November is an especially active month for deer, due to mating season.

Lann Wilf, a biologist for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said mating season, or “the rut,” changes the traveling behavior of bucks seeking a mate.

“They’re just more active during the rut,” Wilf said. “Throughout most of the year, they primarily just move through the night. Throughout the warmer months, their distance of travel is substantially less.

“Once November comes around, bucks tend to move around looking for a doe. The rut tends to impact bucks two to six weeks, while only about three days for most does.”

The Department of Transportation is advising motorists to be on the lookout for deer whenever traveling on the interstate, especially at dawn and after sunset.

Sgt. Benjamin Boyd, the public affairs officer for District 9 of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, said the best course of action when vehicle-deer collision is imminent is to allow the vehicle to hit the deer.

“From natural instinct, more people try to avoid deer by swerving out of the way,” Boyd said. “However, bigger wrecks happen because people try to avoid deer. Car flip, they hit trees or even other cars.

“The best thing to do is just hit the deer, unless you’re at a distance where it’s obvious you can avoid it. If you take major evasive action, that may cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Just slow down as much as you can, because it may be possible that you could end up with only a little damage and ride away.”

According to the Department of Transportation, Mississippi has one of the highest deer populations in the country. Hunting could be a great tool to control that population count, Wilf said, but he added that hunters are currently not doing as much as they could to help.

“The main problem we have in the deer world today is people are just not taking enough deer,” Wilf said.

“We have one deer every four or five acres in some areas, especially in southwest Mississippi, which has a higher deer population than most other parts in the state. However, hunters just aren’t taking their five does allowed to them.

“Often times, they’ll take one to two a year, and then stop hunting. If they’d increase it to the five allowed, we could make some headway (in deer population control).”

The Department of Transportation advises motorists to drive with their high beam lights on when no traffic is approaching, since they can help illuminate the eyes of a deer on or near the highway. Boyd echoed those sentiments, urging motorists to drive with the mindset that deer might be close by.

“Always be on the lookout,” Boyd said. “Scan the roadside for any movement or eyes flickering in the headlights. Mainly, just keep in mind that they are out there.”