With the harvest well ahead of schedule in central Illinois, deer are going to be much more active.

DeWitt County Sheriff Jered Shofner says the deer activity this time of year annually picks up, resulting in increased deer, vehicle accidents. Those can be avoided by simply slowing down and staying alert.

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Often times, deer will come out onto the roadway at the last minute in a heavily wooded area and there is little a driver can do to avoid them. According to the Sheriff, the best thing for a driver to is actually hit the deer.

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The Sheriff continues to remind drivers, especially in rural parts of central Illinois, to slow down and be aware of heavy machinery for the harvest.