CARIBOU — Maine State Police say they’re advising drivers in the northern part of the state to use extra caution to avoid collisions with deer.

Troopers have responded to “a significant number” of crashes in Aroostook County over the past couple weeks, with crashes being reported every night. There are also reports of dead deer being left in the roadway after a collision.

Most collisions have involved only property damage, police say.

The reason for the spike in collisions, they say, is that deer have been gathering in fields and woods along roadways searching for food.

Deer collisions have been especially frequent on Interstate 95 in the area of Sherman and Island Falls and Route 1 around Littleton and Monticello.

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