Watch out for deer on and near roads during the fall season.

Why during fall? This time of year is peak deer activity season, according to Deer Biologist Charlie Killmaster with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.

Additionally, Killmaster said as we begin to “fall back” for daylight savings time, our days become shorter and nights become longer.

That means rush hour for most commuters tends to fall during the same hours in which white-tailed deer are most active – dawn and dusk.

Killmaster said the danger of accidentally having a deer/vehicle collision is during the peak breeding season and in our area that’s now.

Killmaster said always remember deer are wild and, therefore, can be unpredictable.

A deer calmly standing on the side of a road may bolt into or across the road rather than away from it when startled by a vehicle.

Killmaster said if it is too late to avoid a collision, drivers are advised to slow down as much as possible to minimize damage – resist the urge to swerve to avoid the deer, as this may cause further damage, sending drivers off the road or causing a collision with another vehicle.

The DNR offers a free deer rut map, which is available online at http://georgiawildlife.com/rut-map,