MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – In most cases, hunters go out of town to “bag a buck.”  It turns out when it comes to hitting a deer in your car, you don’t have to go far.

It’s a moment drivers fear:  you’re driving along a tree-lined road and suddenly, you’ve got a couple thousand dollars’ worth of damage.

And deer collisions can be even worse.  From 2009 to 2011, 15 people have died in collisions with deer on Minnesota roads. In that same time period, most car vs. deer crashes happened in Hennepin County.

The Twin Cities counties of Dakota, Anoka, and Washington also made the top 10 list for deer collisions between 2009 and 2011.

In a couple of weeks, deer movement will peak, and that has the State Patrol reminding drivers to start being aware of deer, and to in fact deer no matter where you are.

Department of Public Safety spokesperson Nathan Bowie says drivers must remember not to suddenly swerve if they see a deer in the road.

“If you do veer, you could run off the road or into oncoming traffic,” he said.

Bowie said dusk is the most likely time for a deer collision.

Also, motorcyclists are especially vulnerable to deer collisions.