Nov. 17--SANTA CRUZ -- Deer-vehicle collisions are on the upswing in California, with a 22 percent increase over the past five years, compared to 9 percent in Oregon, according to a review of claims by State Farm Insurance.

The insurer doesn't provide a breakdown by county, but Colin Giles, a State Farm agent in Felton, advised motorists that deer are more active during the mating season -- October through December.

Giles, who has been with State Farm 31 years, is seeing two or three deer-vehicle claims a month, which he said is normal.

In Santa Cruz County, deer are commonly seen at the forested UC Santa Cruz campus as well as the wooded area near Glenwood Drive and along Green Hills Road in Scotts Valley, to name a few locations.

"UCSC always has lots of deer," said Lyle Troxell, who lives in Ben Lomond.

At Pacific Grove's municipal golf course, "you have to walk around them they are so used to humans," Giles said.

He believes deer are roaming because there is not enough grazing area.

He advises his customers not to swerve to avoid a deer.

"The worst is when people swerve and go off a cliff," he said.

To be covered in case of a collision with a deer, drivers must buy comprehensive coverage, not collision coverage.

The average cost per claim for collision damage is $2,800, according to the Insurance Information Institute, and claims involving bodily injury average $10,000.

The state Department of Fish

and Game estimated the deer population in the Central Coast region including Santa Cruz and Monterey County increased by 30,000 during the 1990s to top 100,000.

The department reported 51 deer killed in Santa Cruz County during hunting season in 2008. That's down from the peak of 257 in 1954.