Caution: White-tailed deer are in hot pursuit of mates.

Mid-October marks the beginning of “rutting” or breeding season in Georgia. From now through January, deer will become more active than any other time of year.

Not only does this make deer easier to hunt, but it also means they're more likely to wander onto roads and be struck be a vehicle, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

This year, Georgia drivers have a 1 in 128 chance of hitting a deer – that's more than 5 percent up from last year. Fortunately, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has a new county-by-county interactive tool to determine when drivers should be more aware of deer wandering onto roads.

Peak deer movement in metro Atlanta, by county

Cherokee: Nov. 10-16

Clayton: Nov. 3-9

Cobb: Nov. 3-9

DeKalb: Nov. 3-9

Douglas: Nov. 10-16

Fayette: Nov. 10-16

Fulton: Nov. 10-16

Gwinnett (most reported collisions in metro Atlanta): Nov. 10-16

Henry: Nov. 3-9

Rockdale: Nov. 3-9

Click on the map below to find the rutting season for other counties in Georgia.

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(Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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