Columbia County passed a dubious milestone Monday, tying its 2003 record for deer-vehicle accidents -- with more than six weeks left in the year.

"As of today, we have tied the record number of 472 for deer strikes in Columbia County," said Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker.

Whitetail deer are Georgia's most popular game animal, and despite hunting that trims the state's population by more than 350,000 each fall, the herd repopulates each year to about 1 million.

Fall and early winter are the most active times for deer movement because of mating and changing food sources.

In 2007, the county recorded 394 deer strikes.

State Farm Insurance, which tracks deer accidents nationwide, ranks Georgia as a medium-risk state and South Carolina as a high-risk state, based on a formula that includes deer population, insurance claims and the number of registered motor vehicles. The average property damage cost of these incidents was just over $2,950, up 2.5 percent from a year ago, State Farm reported.

Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.