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Now Is 'One Of The Worst Times Of The Year' For Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions

By Matt Kroschel

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - As the sun slipped behind the mountain peaks above Highway 9 in Summit County Tuesday evening, a bull moose became the latest victim of car vs. animal crashes.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Elissa Knox says the bull died on the scene, but the animal was not the first, nor will it be the last.

The Colorado Department of Transportation, which reports that in 2014 -- the most recent year of data collection -- wildlife-vehicle collisions were up 15 percent. There were 3,960 wildlife-vehicle collisions reported to law enforcement in 2014, up from 3,437 in 2013. That is also above the 10-year average of 3,590, according to CDOT. The highest number of hits reported in one year was 4,013 in 2012.

The 2014 numbers show that 3,667 involved vehicle damage, 287 produced injuries, and six involved human fatalities.

The fall season generates increases in collisions as wildlife move down from the high country and head to food and water sources, crossing highways along their routes, according to CDOT. Most of the collisions occur from dusk to dawn when wildlife are more active and are also more difficult to see.

"This time of the year is one of the worst times the year because the snow levels concentrate the animals at lower elevations and that's where a lot of our roadways are," Knox said.

La Plata County tops the list for the highest number of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the state with 306 in 2014; Jefferson County with 265; Douglas County with 248; El Paso County with 209; and Montezuma County with 169.

Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.

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