Posted Tuesday, November 3, 2009 --- 9:53 p.m.

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin drivers better keep their eyes open this month, because November is typically when roughly 25 percent of all automobile-deer crashes are reported.

State Department of Transportation analyst Donald Lyden says one reason November is so dangerous is the deer mating season, when animals aren't paying much attention to traffic.

Also, the end of daylight savings time means rush-hour driving now happens as darkness falls.

He says that of nearly 16,000 automobile-deer crashes last year, November accounted for 24 percent of them.

Just this past week, Marathon and Lincoln County sheriff's departments saw a dramatic increase in the number of car-deer crashes. Lincoln County records show 12 automobile-deer crashes in the third week of October -- and 21 in the past week.

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Information from: Wausau Daily Herald, http://www.wausaudailyherald.com

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)