KENT COUNTY, Mich. — It's the Fall season, which means you may have noticed or more deer out and about.
Fall means deer hunting season and mating season, so drivers need to be more alert as there's typically a huge increase in vehicle-deer accidents in Kent County.
"I call myself the road kill specialist. The Deer Sheriff," said Andy Albertson with the Kent County Road Commission.
Albertson has been in charge of wildlife removal for 16 years, and he says it's a full-time gig.
"Generally, I pick up anywhere from 10 to 25 deer a day," said Albertson. "Mondays after the weekends are really busy. Fall tends to pick up, but it's year round."
On a yearly basis, he says the number spikes up to between 1,800 to 2,300 deer. They can be found on any road, from highways to neighborhood or gravel roads to bike paths.
"Our society's gotten busier. We've got more cars and more drivers. We're running out of space for these animals and they're next avenue is to step into the street."
Michigan State Police released trooper dash-cam video in September that showed a deer leaping high over a car and then the trooper narrowly missing another.
Kent County Sheriff Michelle La-Joye Young says there are 1,100 car-deer crashes annually in the county.
So if you see a deer in headlights, don't veer.
"Do as best you can to stay on the path. You can break and try to safely come to a stop or slow so the deer can pass but if it's not feasible to stop, it's safer to go at and hit the animal than it is to veer off to one side or the other."
Keep an eye out for deer this season and people like Albertson who are keeping the roads clear.
"If you see us out here with the flashers on, please slow down and give us a little bit of room."
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