North Dakota’s Most Dangerous Counties For Deer Collisions

I've had a couple of close calls with deer this past year.

I'm no stranger to deer collisions with my truck. Just ask my insurance company. In the autumn of 2024, my son nearly totaled my 2019 Ford truck after hitting a big buck head-on near Kintyre, North Dakota. Thankfully, he was okay, but my truck came within a few hundred dollars of being totaled.

Since that incident, I have invested in a cattle guard for my truck, and it has certainly given me some peace of mind, although I'm sure my next incident will probably involve a deer hitting the side of my vehicle. I've had that happen before, too, go figure. If you spend enough time in the North Dakota outdoors, you're going to have run-ins with animals. That is for sure.

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Which counties in North Dakota had the most deer collisions in 2025?

Specific data for 2025 isn't available yet, but according to historical data I found online, we are in the bullseye for deer collisions in the state. Western and south-central counties, such as Burleigh and Morton, typically have high numbers of deer collisions in North Dakota. Ward County typically also has a high number of deer collisions in North Dakota each year.

How did North Dakota rank with the rest of the country for animal collisions in 2025?

According to new data from State Farm, coming from 1.7 million auto insurance claims in the United States from July 1st, 2024, to June 30th, 2025, North Dakota ranks very high in animal collisions. In fact, we are just outside the top 10 in the country, coming in at #12 for the year (1 in 91 people will be involved in an animal collision).

Montana is very high, coming in at #2 (1 in 53). South Dakota also made the top 10, landing at #6 (1 in 73). Our friends in Minnesota were just outside the top 10 like us, finishing at #11 (1 in 86).