LEE COUNTY, Iowa (WGEM) - It’s getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and that also means deer are becoming more prevalent. October begins deer mating season, also known as “rut,” a time for drivers to take extra caution when behind the wheel.

“It’s kind of a perfect storm where you have all the crops coming out, the deer are moving around and looking for a new habitat, hunting season is just about to start or has started in some cases with archery,” Clay Steele, a naturalist with Lee County Conservation, said.

In an annual analysis, State Farm ranked Iowa in the top 10 for states where drivers are most likely to have a collision with an animal. Iowa is ranked 7th, which State Farm considers a high-risk state. Missouri is ranked 17th, and Illinois is ranked 34th, which the company

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