Hit a Deer in Missouri or Tennessee? How Insurance Pays

Auto Insurance · Missouri and Tennessee Drivers

Late fall is the most dangerous time of year for deer on Missouri and Tennessee roads. Shorter days put more commuters on the road at dusk, and deer are moving more during their breeding season, which hunters call the rut. If you hit a deer, the first questions are usually practical ones: is anyone hurt, can the car be driven, and will my insurance pay for this? This guide explains which part of an auto policy pays for a deer collision, why swerving can change the claim, what your deductible means in this situation, what the law says about the deer itself in each state, and the steps that make a claim go smoothly.

Why November Is Peak Deer Season on Missouri and Tennessee Roads

State Farm publishes an annual estimate of how likely drivers in each state are to file an insurance claim for hitting an animal. In its most recent analysis, which covered July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, the company estimated more than 1.6 million animal collision claims across the United States and put the national likelihood at about 1 in 145 drivers. State Farm also reports that November, October, and December, in that order, are the months when drivers are most likely to hit a large animal such as a deer.

Both of our neighboring states sit above or near that national figure. State Farm’s ranking placed Missouri drivers at roughly a 1 in 97 likelihood of an animal collision claim, which puts Missouri in the company’s high risk group. Tennessee drivers were estimated at roughly 1 in 129, a medium risk rating. These figures include every kind of animal, not only deer, but deer account for a large share of the serious claims.

State agencies see the same seasonal pattern in crash reports. The Missouri Department of Transportation has said that shorter days put drivers on the road in the dark when deer are most active, and that vehicle collisions with deer and other wildlife peak from mid-October through the end of November. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security recorded 8,036 deer-related crashes statewide in 2024, including 465 crashes with injuries and five fatal crashes, while most of the rest involved property damage only. Those numbers explain why so many fall auto claims in both states begin with the words “a deer came out of nowhere.”

Which Part of Your Auto Policy Pays When You Hit a Deer

A personal auto policy is really a bundle of separate coverages, and each one answers a different question. Knowing which one applies to a deer collision tells you right away whether you are covered and how much you will pay out of pocket.

Comprehensive Coverage Is Usually the Answer

Comprehensive coverage, which some insurance companies call “other than collision” coverage, pays to repair or replace your car when it is damaged by something other than a crash with another vehicle or object. Common examples include theft, hail, fire, falling tree limbs, flooding, vandalism, and contact with an animal. Because a deer is an animal rather than a fixed object or another car, nearly every standard policy places a deer strike under comprehensive coverage. That includes damage to the bumper, hood, headlights, grille, radiator, and windshield. If you would like a deeper look at how this coverage works, our guide to Missouri comprehensive auto insurance walks through what it includes and how it is priced.

Swerving Can Turn It Into a Collision Claim

Collision coverage pays for damage to your car when it hits another vehicle or an object, or when it rolls over. If you brake and strike the deer, the claim is normally comprehensive. If you jerk the wheel, miss the deer, and run into a ditch, a mailbox, a utility pole, or an oncoming car, the damage came from the crash with that object rather than from the animal, so it is normally handled as a collision claim instead. Two things can change as a result. First, your collision deductible may be different from your comprehensive deductible. Second, many insurance companies treat a single-car collision differently from an animal strike when they look at your claim history at renewal.

That is one reason the Missouri Department of Transportation and Tennessee safety officials both tell drivers not to swerve. Swerving is also simply more dangerous, because a car that leaves its lane can roll over or hit another vehicle head on, and those crashes cause far worse injuries than striking a deer. The usual advice is to brake firmly, hold the wheel straight, and stay in your lane. You can compare how the two coverages work side by side in our article on comprehensive versus collision coverage in Tennessee, and in our overview of Missouri collision insurance.

Liability Only Policies Do Not Cover Your Own Car

Liability coverage, which both Missouri and Tennessee require every driver to carry, pays for injuries and property damage you cause to other people. It does not pay to fix your own vehicle. If your policy carries only the state minimum liability limits and you hit a deer, you will normally be paying for your own repairs. Many drivers drop comprehensive and collision coverage once a car is paid off, and that can be a reasonable choice for an older vehicle with a low value, but it is worth weighing against the cost of a deer strike, which can easily total an older car. Our guides to liability versus full coverage in Tennessee and full coverage car insurance in Missouri explain how to decide.

Medical Payments Coverage and Health Insurance for Injuries

If you or a passenger is hurt, your own coverages usually pay first because there is no other driver at fault. Medical payments coverage, which is an optional coverage that pays medical bills for you and your passengers regardless of fault up to a set limit, can help with emergency room visits, ambulance rides, and deductibles on your health insurance. If you do not carry it, your health insurance is normally the main source of payment. Check your declarations page, which is the summary page of your policy that lists your coverages and limits, to see whether you have medical payments coverage and how much.

Extras That Make a Deer Claim Easier

Two inexpensive optional coverages matter a lot after a deer strike. Towing and roadside assistance coverage pays to tow a car that cannot be driven, which is common when a deer damages the radiator or the front suspension. Rental reimbursement coverage pays part of the cost of a rental car while your vehicle is in the body shop, and repair times after a front-end hit can stretch for weeks when parts are back ordered. Neither coverage is required, but both are worth reviewing before deer season begins.

How Your Deductible Works on a Deer Claim

A deductible is the amount you pay toward a covered claim before the insurance company pays the rest. If your comprehensive deductible is five hundred dollars and the body shop estimate is three thousand dollars, the insurance company would normally pay the remaining twenty-five hundred dollars. Some drivers choose a lower comprehensive deductible than their collision deductible because comprehensive claims, such as hail and animal strikes, are common in our region and the price difference for a lower comprehensive deductible is often modest.

If the repair estimate is close to your deductible, it may not make sense to file a claim at all. On the other hand, front-end repairs on modern cars are expensive. Headlight assemblies, radar sensors for adaptive cruise control, and cameras for lane keeping systems are often mounted right where a deer makes contact, so damage that looks minor can produce a much larger estimate than drivers expect. It is usually wise to get a body shop estimate before you decide.

Will Hitting a Deer Raise Your Premium?

Because a deer strike is generally treated as an event you could not reasonably avoid, many insurance companies view a comprehensive claim for an animal collision differently from an at-fault accident, and it often has a smaller effect on your renewal price, or none at all. That is not a guarantee. Each insurance company has its own rating rules, and several claims in a short period, of any type, can affect your price or even whether the company chooses to renew your policy. If you are worried about how claims affect your policy, our article on whether an auto insurance company can drop you explains the difference between a cancellation and a nonrenewal.

A swerving accident that is paid under collision coverage is more likely to be treated as an at-fault accident, since the car struck an object rather than the animal. This is another reason the facts you report, and any police report or photos that support them, matter.

What to Do Right After You Hit a Deer

The minutes after a deer strike can be confusing, especially at night on a rural highway. Following these steps in order protects your safety first and your claim second.

1. Get to a safe spot. If the car can be driven, pull fully onto the shoulder or into a nearby parking lot, turn on your hazard lights, and stay buckled in while you collect yourself. Deer often travel in groups, so another deer may cross right behind the first one.
2. Check for injuries and call for help if needed. If anyone is hurt, or if the car or the deer is blocking a lane of traffic, call 911. Neither state requires every deer collision to be reported to the police, but a police report creates an official record that the damage came from an animal, which can be helpful for your claim.
3. Stay away from the deer. An injured deer can kick and thrash with enough force to seriously hurt a person. Do not try to move it or pull it out of the road. In Missouri you can report a hazard on a state highway to the Missouri Department of Transportation at 888-275-6636, and in Tennessee the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency suggests calling the state highway department for state roads or the county road department for county roads.
4. Take photos. Photograph the damage to your car from several angles, the scene, the road, any skid marks, and the deer if it is safe to do so. Hair or blood on the bumper and grille is useful evidence that the damage came from an animal.
5. Do not drive a damaged car if it is unsafe. Look for leaking fluid, a broken headlight, a cracked windshield that blocks your view, a hood that will not stay latched, or a warning light on the dashboard. If you see any of these, have the car towed.
6. Report the claim to your insurance company promptly. Most policies require prompt notice of a loss. Tell the claims representative that you hit an animal, and describe exactly what happened, including whether you swerved.
7. Keep your receipts. Save receipts for towing, a rental car, and any medical visits so they can be reimbursed under the right coverage.

Can You Keep the Deer? What Missouri and Tennessee Law Says

It surprises many drivers that a deer killed in a collision can sometimes be kept for its meat, but each state has its own rule, and the rules are different from each other.

Missouri

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, a person who strikes and kills a deer with a vehicle may keep the carcass only after an agent of the Missouri Department of Conservation gives written authorization. The authorization is a free Wildlife Disposition Form, and you have to contact the Missouri Department of Conservation, either your county conservation agent or the nearest regional office, to get it before you take the deer.

Tennessee

Tennessee law, found in section 70-4-115 of the Tennessee Code, says motorists are not required to report game killed by a vehicle. If you want to keep a deer killed in a collision for personal use, however, you must notify the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency or a law enforcement officer within 48 hours and give your name and address. Bears are treated differently and may only be kept with authorization and a tag from a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency enforcement officer.

The State Does Not Pay for Your Car

Drivers sometimes ask whether the state is responsible because the deer belonged to the public. In both states the answer is no. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency notes that the state is not liable for damage caused by wild animals and that drivers should report the incident to their own insurance company. Missouri conservation officials have likewise said they do not pay drivers who hit a deer. Your own comprehensive or collision coverage is the protection you can count on.

What If It Was Livestock or a Pet Instead of a Deer?

Hitting a cow, horse, or dog is still usually a comprehensive claim under your own policy, because the damage came from contact with an animal. The difference is that a domestic animal has an owner. Depending on the facts and the local fencing and livestock laws, the owner may be responsible for damage caused by an animal that escaped onto the road, and your insurance company may try to recover what it paid from the owner or the owner’s insurance. That process is called subrogation, and if it succeeds you may get some or all of your deductible back. Write down the location, take photos of any broken fencing, and give the information to your claims representative.

Practical Ways to Lower Your Risk This Season

• Be most alert at dawn and dusk, when deer are most active, and especially on rural two-lane roads near woods, creeks, and farm fields.
• Use your high beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic, and watch for the reflection of eyes along the shoulder.
• When you see one deer, slow down and expect more, because deer rarely travel alone in the fall.
• Do not rely on deer whistles or similar devices as your only protection. Slowing down and paying attention are what reduce the force of an impact.
• Wear your seat belt every trip. Many of the most serious injuries in animal crashes happen when a car leaves the road.

Review Your Coverage Before the Next Deer Runs Out

The best time to find out whether you have comprehensive coverage, what your deductible is, and whether you carry towing and rental reimbursement is before a claim, not on the side of the highway. Freedom Insurance Group is an independent agency, which means we can compare policies from several insurance companies and explain the differences in plain language. To see how your current policy stacks up, read our overviews of Missouri auto insurance and car insurance in Tennessee, or request an auto insurance quote and one of our agents will review your options with you.

Frequently Asked Questions