Deer season not over on area's roadways

Deer season may be over in the woods, but every day it’s still a version of deer season on area roadways.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol, 37 deer-related vehicle accidents have been reported in the Kalispell district this month.

The Kalispell district includes Flathead, Lake and Lincoln counties.

In the past two days, at least three such accidents have occurred in the Flathead Valley.

The most serious was Tuesday morning when a vehicle hit a deer on Montana 40 roughly one mile east of U.S. 93.

That deer went through the windshield and ended up in the passenger seat of the vehicle.

According to Montana State Trooper Jim Schneider, the driver was traveling east when the deer ran from the north side of the road and jumped, trying to avoid the car.

“The front left part of the vehicle initially struck the deer’s legs and its momentum carried it into and through the windshield and it ended up in the passenger seat,” Schneider said.

The driver was conscious and alert and suffered only minor injuries.

At 7 p.m. Monday night, a driver struck a deer on Montana 206 north of the Silver Bullet Bar. The accident was relatively minor, and after reporting it the driver left the scene.

While speaking about the dangers posed to patrol cars by deer, Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said the driver in the accident was one of his patrol commanders.

“They [deer] certainly do damage to our patrol cars every year,” Curry said. “It’s the cost of driving here. I don’t know if we’ve seen any more this year than in past years, but it’s an occupational hazard.”

Just a half hour after that accident, a Flathead High School senior hit a deer while driving on Airport Road south of Kalispell.